She was ten when her father became king, and the whole of Spain has watched her grow up since. Princess Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz is heir presumptive to the Spanish throne — and the first in her line to complete full military training across all three branches of the armed forces. These six moments trace how a Madrid schoolgirl became the woman who will one day be queen.
Her First Public Words
In October 2018, aged just 13, Leonor read aloud from Article 1 of the Spanish Constitution at a ceremony marking its 40th anniversary. It was her first public speech, and the moment Spain first heard the voice of its future monarch.
Leaving Spain for Wales
In 2021 the heir to the Spanish throne swapped Madrid for a clifftop castle in rural Wales, enrolling at UWC Atlantic College to study the International Baccalaureate. The school is known for shared dormitories and a strict no-special-treatment policy — a deliberate choice by the royal household.
Into Uniform at Zaragoz
August 2023 saw Leonor arrive at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, beginning three years of officer training across the army, navy and air force. As future head of the armed forces, she is expected to earn her rank the same way every other cadet does.
The Oath That Made It Official
On her 18th birthday — 31 October 2023 — Leonor stood before the Cortes Generales and swore allegiance to the Spanish Constitution. The oath formally confirmed her as heir, and drew a crowd of thousands to the streets around the parliament building.
The Award That Carries Her Name
Each October, Leonor presides over the Princess of Asturias Awards in Oviedo, the ceremony attached to her own title. It is one of the few engagements she leads rather than attends, and her speeches there are read closely for signs of the monarch she intends to be.
At Sea on the Elcano
In January 2025 Leonor boarded the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano for the naval leg of her military education — a months-long voyage that took her far from the Spanish court. The next time most Spaniards saw her, she was a serving officer in training.
