{"id":81943,"date":"2026-09-07T10:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T10:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/81943\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T10:08:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T10:08:12","slug":"princess-leonor-of-spain-20-begins-first-day-at-university-as-she-brings-campus-to-a-standstill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/81943\/","title":{"rendered":"Princess Leonor of Spain, 20, begins first day at university as she brings campus to a standstill"},"content":{"rendered":"

Princess Leonor<\/a> has officially become a university student after spending three years in the military.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The eldest daughter of King Felipe<\/a> and Queen Letizia<\/a> traded in her uniform for the classroom on Monday morning as she was spotted arriving at Carlos III University of Madrid<\/a> to begin a four-year programme in Political Science.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At just before 9 am, she arrived alongside thousands of new students at the Getafe campus, just outside the capital.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Princess, 20, looked effortlessly stunning in a casual white button-down T-shirt and denim jeans, with a black shoulder bag containing her studying essentials. She looked like a typical student with her blonde locks pulled back into a neat French braid.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The\u00a9 Getty ImagesThe Princess, 20, looked just like any other university student<\/p>\n

HELLO!’s sister publication in Spain,\u00a0HOLA!, was at the scene on Monday morning to get the reactions as Leonor arrived.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What do Princess Leonor’s classmates think?<\/p>\n

Hugo P\u00e9rez, a 22-year-old student, told HOLA: “You never see the campus like this, waiting for a student to arrive, but I’ve seen her as just another student.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The fact that she’s from the Royal Household is a bit of a nuisance; she’s not just another student, she’s the Princess of Asturias.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The\u00a9 Europa Press via Getty ImagesThe royal’s arrival brought the campus to a standstill<\/p>\n

“But if we didn’t all know her, we could easily mistake her for a student \u2013 not a first-year student, because you can already tell she’s 21, but a student from any other year.”<\/p>\n

Ic\u00edar Romero, a business administration student, imagines she’ll see the Princess of Asturias on campus.<\/p>\n

“I think it’s an honor to share the campus, friendships, and classes; I love that she’s one of us.” She adds that it’s “an opportunity to learn about other ways of life and for her to feel like one of the group, not like she’s being watched. The first day might generate some excitement or intrigue, but we all come here for the same reason: to study and get a degree.”<\/p>\n

Leonor ‘really looking forward’ to her next chapter<\/p>\n

Angel Arias, rector of Carlos III University, thanked the media for attending this special day for the institution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Angel said: “The Princess is excited, calm, and eager to begin,” adding: “The first day will be completely normal, just like for the rest of the students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"She\u00a9 Europa Press via Getty ImagesShe tied her locks back into a neat French braid<\/p>\n

“There will be a presentation by the vice-dean, and then her first class will be on legal theory, \u00a0taught by Professor Rafael de As\u00eds, who was the first student of Peces Barba, the founding rector, at Carlos III.”<\/p>\n

Antonio Descalzo Gonz\u00e1lez, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, acknowledged that “it is a great responsibility for Carlos III University of Madrid<\/a>” and clarified that there was no selection process for either professors or students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Student selection is based on the university entrance exam score, and the faculty is the same as in previous academic years.”<\/p>\n

\"Princess\u00a9 Getty ImagesPrincess Leonor will study for a four-year programme in the political sciences
\nLeonor’s military training<\/p>\n

Leonor has just completed three years of rigorous military training, which is all part of preparing her for her future role as queen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a 2023 statement, King Felipe and Queen Letizia said they viewed the Princess of Asturias\u2019s military training as both valuable and essential, noting that it strengthens her sense of duty and commitment<\/p>\n

She first went to Zaragoza as a cadet<\/a>. It marked her debut in uniform, and she was seen undertaking gruelling field exercises, rifle in hand.<\/p>\n

At the end of that academic year, she was awarded the Grand Cross of Military Merit<\/a> with white distinction by her father, the King.<\/p>\n

\"King\u00a9 Getty ImagesPrincess Leonor previously undertook military training<\/p>\n

During the 2024 to 2025 academic year, Leonor joined the Spanish Navy as a midshipman, training both at the Naval Academy in Mar\u00edn and aboard the training ship Juan Sebasti\u00e1n de Elcano. There, she undertook a month-long voyage that saw her cross the Atlantic and reach the Americas.<\/p>\n

Leonor then continued her training at the General Air Academy in San Javier<\/a>, Murcia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, while her younger sister, Infanta Sofia, considered joining the army, she ultimately opted for a different path.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sofia, 19, is now based in Lisbon, where she is studying Political Science and International Relations at the private Forward College.<\/p>\n

King Felipe previously studied Law at the University of Madrid, while Queen Letizia studied journalism.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Princess Leonor has officially become a university student after spending three years in the military.\u00a0 The eldest daughter…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":81944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[30514,7668,1592,17,1590],"class_list":["post-81943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-european-royals","tag-princess-leonor","tag-royalty","tag-spain","tag-spanish-royals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}