Infanta Sofía is 18 years old, is increasingly present on the royal agenda, and has already held her first honorary presidency. Something is changing in how the Crown positions her, and it shows.
But there is one thing she has not yet done: give her first public speech. In all these years, we have only heard her speak on two occasions: once during the pandemic, in a Royal Household video where she read excerpts from Don Quixote alongside Leonor, and once again at the Women’s World Cup final in Australia.
For many, the absence of a young woman who already has her own schedule is a notable one.
Why hasn’t Infanta Sofía given a public speech yet?
Spanish protocol and etiquette expert María José Gómez Verdú explains this clearly to the Lectura website. According to her, this absence “should not necessarily be interpreted as a shortcoming, but rather as part of a strategy.”
The underlying idea is that within the Crown, nothing happens by chance, and the first public speech by a young member of the royal family is not just a speech, but, in her words, “an institutional gesture that marks a milestone.”
The aim is for the context to be meaningful and connected to the values that the person in question wants to convey, so that their debut is consistent with their future path.
The difference between Leonor and Sofia that explains it all
Leonor gave her first speech at the age of 13 at the Campoamor Theater in Oviedo, and she hasn’t stopped speaking in public since. However, Leonor is the heir to the throne, so her path has been mapped out from the start.
Sofia does not face that pressure, and according to Gómez Verdú, “it is very likely that this is not so much a personal decision by the Infanta as a strategic decision by the institution.” Her public schedule has grown more gradually, without the need to reach milestones at the same pace. That’s not a delay; it’s a different path.
When could Sofia give her first official speech?
The expert suggests that her debut as honorary president of the Ibercaja Foundation for the “Docentes Referentes” grants could be the chosen moment, although the date has not yet been confirmed.
What does seem clear is that the Royal Household has everything under control. Gómez Verdú concludes as follows: “This is not an unfinished business. The Crown is saving it for a special occasion with its own significance, which will also help define the tone and public role that the Infanta will develop over the coming years.”
That said, the question is no longer whether Sofia is ready. According to those who know her well, she is. All that remains is to choose the right moment.