Princess Leonor leaves her military uniform to begin her university stage. Next academic year, she will begin Political Science studies that will make her a student at Carlos III University of Madrid, where she will remain for the next four academic years until she obtains her degree. Zarzuela made public a statement this Monday explaining the heir’s choice and her study plan.
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The decision to study Political Science has been agreed upon between Princess Leonor and her parents, the Kings, who subsequently informed the Government. The choice of degree responds to the heir’s interest in training in subjects she will have to deal with in the performance of her duties, in addition to integrating into the university community and obtaining a qualification comparable to that of her peers.
Carlos III University was founded in 1989 by former Congress president Gregorio Peces-Barba.
The Princess of Asturias applied a few weeks ago for admission to Carlos III, through the early admission procedure, intended for students who have completed secondary studies abroad, as is the case of Princess Leonor, who completed the International Baccalaureate three years ago in Wales. This system exempts students from taking the EBAU (baccalaureate assessment for university access).
The university rector received the application, which was personally delivered by the head of the Royal Household, Camilo Villarino, to prevent leaks, and it was forwarded to the Evaluation Committee which has taken into account, as in other cases, the academic record, the suitability of the subjects studied, and the student profile of the Princess of Asturias. In her case, in addition to the International Baccalaureate grades she obtained at Atlantic College, Wales, some of the subjects she has studied during her three years of military training have also been considered.
About to turn 21, the heir to the Crown will enter a public university where she will remain for four years, during which she will necessarily have daily contact with young people of her generation and from diverse social backgrounds. During her military training period, Princess Leonor has consolidated her institutional image, identifying herself, moreover, with the values of the Armed Forces, and her multiple appearances in uniform, especially during her time as a midshipman, have also made her popular. Her interventions in events such as the Princess of Asturias Awards and the Princess of Girona Awards have added assets and, in some way, have begun to shape her personality and her interests as an heir.
The challenge Princess Leonor now faces is also that of being more exposed, after two years in Wales, away from public attention, and three in military academies, protected by the same military structure and the privacy of military facilities. At university, she will lead the same life as the rest of the students, although she will have a discreet security team.
Princess Leonor will leave the General Air Academy in the first week of July; the end-of-course ceremony at the San Javier base (Murcia) will mark the end of her military training period which began in Zaragoza in August 2023, when she was two months shy of turning 18. In the last three years, the heir to the Crown has passed through the academies that train future officers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, but it will not be until next academic year, when her promotion classmates conclude their studies in the different academies, that she will receive the insignia that will accredit her as a lieutenant of the Army and Air Force and ensign (Navy). Unlike her classmates, these ranks will not imply employment in the Armed Forces, but they will mark the beginning of promotions that the princess will acquire at the same pace as the members of her respective promotions.
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The heir to the Crown, who completed primary and secondary studies at the private school Santa María de los Rosales, in Madrid, completed her baccalaureate at Atlantic College, in Wales (United Kingdom), a center belonging to the United World Colleges organization, where she was in contact with young people of other nationalities and diverse backgrounds.
Following in her father’s footsteps, once she completed her baccalaureate, the princess began her military training, starting with the General Military Academy of Zaragoza, where she entered on August 17, 2023. On that occasion, she was accompanied by her parents, the Kings, and her sister, Infanta Sofía, and a few weeks later she already wore the cadet uniform with her surnames Borbón Ortiz embroidered on the patch sewn on her jacket. From her time at the Zaragoza military academy, images remained of her flag oath in full dress uniform and also of her participation, in combat uniform, during maneuvers. On October 12, 2023, for the first time, she participated in the national day events wearing the Army cadet uniform.
Her time at the Zaragoza academy coincided with a key date: her coming of age, and on October 31, 2023, she starred in the solemn act of swearing allegiance to the Constitution at the Congress headquarters, in a joint session of Parliament.
After receiving her commission in Zaragoza, and after the summer holidays, on August 24, 2024, she arrived in Marín to join the Naval School and begin a period of training in the Navy that was practically broadcast, especially during her time aboard the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano. The powerful image of Leonor in different uniforms—work, summer, and winter—at the various stops of the Elcano, went around the world. During her journey through the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific, the princess was also an involuntary protagonist of bikini photographs taken on a beach in Montevideo (Uruguay) and of furtive images captured by security cameras in a shopping center in Punta Arenas (Chile).
The return of the Elcano to Marín, as had been its departure from Cádiz, was the object of public attention and consolidated Leonor’s image as a young midshipman.
Her time at the General Air Academy of San Javier has not been as prolific in images, and in fact, images were only obtained on the day of her entry, September 1, 2025, and subsequently when the academy itself provided images of her first solo flight and others accompanied by her instructor. This Monday, coinciding with the announcement of her university future, Zarzuela has released images of her second solo flight, aboard a Pilatus aircraft, and others of her exercises at the AGA.
Outside the military sphere, Princess Leonor, in addition to appearing in uniform at the October 12, 2023, 2024, and 2025 celebrations, has continued to appear in official events where she is a protagonist, such as the Princess of Asturias and Princess of Girona Awards ceremonies, as well as her attendance at the October 12 celebrations, and her first official visit to Navarra as Princess of Viana. She has also shared the royal family’s stays in Palma and this very year, in January, she attended the funerals of Princess Irene of Greece which were held in Madrid and Athens.
