Now that Queen Margrethe’s reign has come to an end, there are no queen regnants in Europe. But the future is female, and here are all of the future queens who are currently in line to their respective thrones!
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Born without succession rights and retroactively named the heir to the Swedish throne before her third birthday, Crown Princess Victoria has been first in line to the Swedish throne since 1980.
Crown Princess Victoria undertakes a full programme of royal duties, and concentrates on the environment and sustainability, with a particular focus on the sea, fishing, and climate change. She also works within foreign affairs and peacekeeping endeavours.
The Crown Princess married Daniel Westling in 2010 and has two children, Princess Estelle, who was born in 2012, and Prince Oscar, who was born in 2015. Princess Estelle is second in line to the Swedish throne.
Crown Princess Victoria will be Sweden’s first modern queen—the first since 1720—when she succeeds her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf.
Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant
Princess Elisabeth was born on 25 October 2001 in Brussels, the eldest child of then-Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde. When she was 11 years old, her grandfather abdicated his throne and she became the Duchess of Brabant, heiress apparent to the Belgian throne.
Princess Elisabeth was raised in Belgium and speaks Dutch, French, German and English. She studied at UWC Atlantic in Wales before entering the Royal Military Academy in Brussels in 2020. The future queen currently studies at Lincoln, College at Oxford, reading history and politics.
The future queen does not undertake many engagements at the moment, mostly focusing on her education and military training, but she does attend family events like National Day celebrations, and has carried out a handful of solo engagements.
Princess Elisabeth will be the first reigning Queen of the Belgians when she succeeds her father, King Philippe.
Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange
The Netherlands is no stranger to queens, and Princess Catharina-Amalia will someday join the likes of her grandmother and ancestors, Queen Wilhelmina, Queen Juliana, and Queen Beatrix.
The eldest of three daughters born to King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, Princess Catharina-Amalia was born on 7 December 2003. Her grandmother abdicated the throne in 2013, and the young royal became first-in-line and Princess of Orange on 30 April of that year.
Catharina-Amalia was educated in The Hague and is currently a student at the University of Amsterdam, studying for her Bachelor’s degree in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics. She does not carry out official duties, but attends events such as Prinsjesdag, King’s Day, and has attended events for King Charles III’s coronation, birthday galas for her fellow heirs, and royal weddings abroad. Her first official tour came in early 2023, when she toured the Dutch Caribbean with her parents.
Princess Catharina-Amalia is the heiress apparent of King Willem-Alexander.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway
This surfing princess is not yet the direct heir to her throne, but she will be Norway’s first modern queen someday, so we’re including her in the list!
Princess Ingrid Alexandra was born on 21 January 2004 to Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit; the oldest grandchild of King Harald and Queen Sonja, and the first princess born since Norway adopted absolute primogeniture succession laws.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra only joins her family for major events, like National Day celebrations, though she has been seen at engagements related to winter sports and a sculpture garden named in her honour. She turned 18 in 2022 and celebrated with a gala dinner and festivities with her fellow heirs in Europe. In January 2024, she is set to begin a one-year stint with the Engineer Battalion in Brigade Nord.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra is currently second-in-line to the Norwegian throne.
Princess Leonor, Princess of Asturias
The youngest of Europe’s future queens, Princess Leonor was born on 31 October 2005 and only celebrated her 18th birthday recently, with an oath to the Spanish Constitution and to her father, King Felipe.
Princess Leonor was born an Infanta, and only gained her current title when her father succeeded following the abdication of King Juan Carlos in July 2014. At the time, she became the Princess of Asturias, the Princess of Girona, and inherited a host of other titles that belong to the heir to the Spanish throne.
Unlike her counterparts, Princess Leonor is the heiress presumptive to the throne. Spain does not practice absolute primogeniture, and the future queen’s place in the line of succession could have been displaced if she’d gained a younger brother. As King Felipe and Queen Letizia had only daughters, discussions of changing the succession laws were tabled for.
Princess Leonor was educated in Spain and at UWC Atlantic in Wales before returning to Spain to begin a three-year training with the Spanish military. She only attends major engagements and hosts the Princess of Asturias Awards and the Princess of Girona Awards; but otherwise, is focused on her military training.
She will be the first Spanish queen since 1868 when she succeeds King Felipe.
