Meet Princess Leonor, the Gen-Z royal set to be Spain’s first queen in 150 years

Spain

is set to have a reigning queen again, a first for the country since the 1800s. Princess Leonor, the 20-year-old daughter of King Felipe VI, is next in line to the Spanish throne. When she ascends, she will become the country’s first queen since Queen Isabella II - whose reign ended in 1868.

Spain’s monarchy was restored in 1975 after the end of General Franco’s dictatorship. Leonor’s father - Felipe - became king in 2014 after the abdication of his father, Juan Carlos I. Leonor will only become queen after King Felipe abdicates or dies - for now, she remains the Princess of Asturias and the heir presumptive.

Who is Princess Leonor?

Leonor was born in 2005. She is the elder daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, a former television journalist. Her younger sister is Infanta Sofia, born in 2007.

She completed her early schooling in Spain before moving to the UK for further education. Leonor graduated from UWC Atlantic College in Wales, where she completed the International Baccalaureate, according to NDTV reports.

The school has educated several members of royal families and future public leaders.

Her academic focus has been on global affairs, constitutional studies, and public service. According to reports, she speaks Spanish, Catalan, English, French, Arabic, and Mandarin.

She formally became heir apparent on her 18th birthday - the same day she took her oath before Spain’s parliament.

Military training and public role

Spanish law requires the heir to the throne to complete military training. Leonor began a three-year program in 2023. She first joined the army academy in Zaragoza, where she trained alongside more than 500 cadets. She later moved to naval training in Galicia - completing a long-distance voyage aboard the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano.

She also trained with the Navy aboard the warship Blas de Lezo. In December 2025, she completed her first solo flight in a Pilatus PC-21 aircraft - becoming the first woman in Spain’s royal family to do so.

After finishing air force training in San Javier, she is expected to receive the Gold Medal of the Region of Murcia.

Leonor delivered her first major speech at age 13 during the Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony. The ceremony, named in her honour, awards champion milestone developments in the sciences and humanities. Her first solo public engagement came at age 15, when she visited the Cervantes Institute during its anniversary year.

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