After this impressive solo debut, Princess Leonor went on to study at UWC Atlantic College, the ‘hippy Hogwarts’ school in Wales that has played host to a rolodex of royals, from King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Princess Raiyah bint Hussein of Jordan to Leonor’s sister Sofia.
But it was 2024 that truly saw the Princess of Asturias step into her own. Lenore kicked off the new year by making her debut at the Pascua Militar, a 200-year-old Spanish military celebration. The royal was not just attending as the heir to the throne, but as a member of the Armed Forces in her own right. That May, she was the picture of regal grace as she marked the 40th anniversary of the oath of allegiance to the Spanish flag of the 44th promotion of the General Military Academy.
Leonor and her sister Sofia holding the cup during the reception for the triumphant Spanish Euros team at Zarzuela Palace
Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images
A major milestone came in July that year, when Princess Leonor made her first solo foreign engagement, accepting the invitation of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to visit Portugal. Accompanied by the Portuguese president, the Spanish foreign minister, and the private secretary to the King of Spain, Leonor proved that she was more than capable of representing the Crown, and that she had even begun to chart her own course when it came to passion projects. The focus of the trip was on environmentalism and ocean conservation, with Leonor attending the Oceanarium in Lisbon and sitting in on a debate regarding the protection of the world’s oceans. On a trip to the Jerónimos Monastery, she paid tribute to the poet Luís de Camões, and at a lunch at Belém Palace, she held court with international dignitaries before receiving the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ.