One royal has cemented her reputation as the ultimate support to sport at every level in 2025 and as the year comes to an end, a never before seen photo with Serena Williams has underlined that.
Infanta Sofia of Spain, who turned 18 in April, has been known as a huge fan of her country’s sports teams for years and has given her support to national sides at major competitions.
Now, as 2025 comes to a close, her royal family have confirmed her place as their main sports fan by sharing a behind the scenes photo from a national event where she was the host for one of the biggest stars in the world, Serena Williams.
Sofia was at Serena Williams’ side when the tennis player was recognised at the Princess of Asturias awards in October.
Serena Williams was given the honour for a stellar career which saw her win every Grand Slam, hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time and reign as World Number 1 for 319 weeks. Along with her sister, Venus Williams, she also dominated the doubles tournaments, winning a Grand Slam there too.
(Casa de S.M. el Rey)
Infanta Sofia, second in line to the Spanish throne, watched her older sister, Princess Leonor, hand over the award at a ceremony in Oviedo in the heart of Asturias.
The infanta was joined her family for the prestigious event in the middle of her first term as a university student – Sofia is studying in Lisbon and Berlin for the next three years.
The younger daughter of King Felipe and Queen Letizia has already turned up at some of the biggest events for her country’s national teams and in the summer of 2025 she was pitchside to watch Spain take on England in the final of the Euros. She also commiserated with them as they suffered a rare loss.
Along with her mother, Queen Letizia, she had cheered the women’s side on to their World Cup win in Sydney in 2023 and went viral on social media when she wrapped herself in the Spanish flag to join in celebrations.
She accompanied her father, King Felipe VI, to the final of the men’s Euros in 2024 which they won against England.
Sofia was also a high profile supporter of Spain’s Olympians during the Paris 2024 Games where she spent several days cheering on the athletes alongside elder sister, Leonor.
Sofia is reported to enjoy playing many sports herself and is a big fan of women’s football with Spain home to many of the world’s best teams.
The never before seen photo of her with Serena Williams was part of a collection shared by Spain’s royals as part of its end of year review. Others showed Sofia celebrating with her parents as she graduated from UWC Atlantic College in Wales and enjoying a summer stroll with Queen Letizia and Princess Leonor.
In the next few years, Sofia’s focus will be on her studies. It’s already been confirmed that she won’t undergo military training as her older sister has been for the past three years. Following her degree, she is expected to take on more royal duties.
As 2025 comes to an end, her royal family has confirmed that sport will be top of the list of areas she chooses to support.
