SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

Spain

Another princess to head to military school

Another princess and heir to the throne is set to head to military school like her European counterparts.

Spain’s Princess Leonor, 16, will undergo military training after leaving the Atlantic College in Wales. She will graduate from the Welsh school in 2023.

According to Spanish reports, the Princess of Asturias will train in the army, air force and navy like her father before her. Her training is set to begin in the autumn of 2023 before entering university. No announcement has been made as to what university Leonor will enrol at, but rumours are that she will study law.

El Pais has said the future monarch’s training would partially take place on the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, which is a Spanish Navy training ship. Leonor will undergo training with the Spanish Army in Zaragoza, Spanish Air Force in Murcia and the Spanish Navy in Pontevedra.

The military training is in line with what most future monarchs undertake in preparation for their future roles. In most countries, their role as head of state usually also extends to the head of the armed forces.

Princess Leonor will also be following in the footsteps of her Belgian counterpart, Princess Elisabeth, who attended the Royal Military Academy in Belgium in 2020 before starting classes at Lincoln College, University of Oxford. Elisabeth is studying for a degree in history and politics. In addition, Elisabeth’s younger brother, Prince Gabriel, recently began studying at the Royal Military Academy.

Princess Leonor is currently studying at the Atlantic College alongside Princess Alexia of the Netherlands. Princess Elisabeth of Belgium also attended the prestigious school from 2018 to 2020.

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.