Spain’s future queen, Princess Leonor, begins university in Madrid after years of military training, shaping her path as head of state.
Update: When the news of Princess Leonor’s enrollment at Carlos III University in Getafe was made official, a wave of excitement swept across the campus. Students were gathered for a traditional courtyard lunch when the word spread, and according to our sister edition, ¡HOLA! Spain, the verdict is unanimous: she is a perfect fit.
Leonor is set to dive into a curriculum defined by rigorous classroom debate, which is a natural transition for a royal already seasoned in the art of public speaking. While her three years of military training provide a disciplined edge, she will face the same “dreaded” hurdles as her peers, specifically the notoriously difficult statistics and macroeconomics exams that are the talk of the faculty.
The Daily Routine
The Princess will balance a professional 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM schedule with a relatable student lifestyle.
The Commute: A 25-minute drive from Zarzuela Palace, requiring an early start to beat the morning rush.
The Menu: Between lectures, she can grab the campus-favorite tomato toast or a $1.18 coffee. For lunch, the $6.77 cafeteria special featuring two courses and dessert is the gold standard.
Social Scene: Forget the hazing of the past; the vibe is now about camaraderie. The “place to be” is El Eskinazo, a local haunt famous for “botellines” and mini-plates of huevos rotos.
Princess Leonor will begin her university studies in Madrid after the summer, the Spanish Royal Household has announced. The heir to the throne will pursue a degree in Political Science at Carlos III University in Getafe, just outside the capital. The four-year program is set to begin in the third term of 2026.
In its statement, the Royal Household noted: “The Princess of Asturias has successfully completed the selection process required of students who have undertaken their secondary education abroad and has received a favorable decision from the Evaluation Committee in the admissions process. This undergraduate degree, taught on the Getafe campus, includes, among other subjects, coursework in Political Science, the Humanities, Law, Economics, Sociology, History, and International Relations.”
The palace also confirmed that “she will balance this period of higher education, in accordance with the university calendar, with her institutional duties as heir to the Crown, as she has done during her secondary studies and over the past three years at the military academies.”
