The Spanish throne is inherited by the Bourbon family. During the War of Spanish Succession in the early 18th century the Habsburg and Bourbon families fought for the Spanish crown.The Bourbons (Borbon in Spanish) ultimately won.
In 1975, after almost 40 years of dictatorship under Franco, King Juan Carlos I re-established the monarchy and played a pivotal role in Spain’s transition to democracy. He abdicated in June 2014 in favour of his son, who became King Felipe VI at the age of 46. He had married a commoner, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, on 22 May 2004. She became Queen at age 42. The couple have two daughters: Leonor, Princess of Asturias and heir to the throne, born 31 October 2005, and Infanta Sofia, born 29 April 2007.
Leonor began her higher education by completing an International Baccalaureate diploma at UWC Atlantic College in Wales – whose mission is to unite people, nations and cultures through education for peace and a sustainable future.
Leonor’s military training
Legally, Leonor is required to undergo military training because, as Queen, she will be the Commander-in-Chief of the Spanish Armed Forces with the highest rank of Captain General. This is especially important as, Spain, like many nations, has worked to incorporate women in its military.
In August 2023, she began her Army training at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Aragon. She was one of around 120 women in a class of 560 officer cadets. She followed the same strict rules and regulations as everyone else, sharing dormitories and bathrooms with 11 other women.
Leonor moved on to Naval training
In August 2024, Leonor moved on to the Naval Military Academy in Marin, Galicia. My interest was sparked in January 2025, when she embarked with 74 other naval officer cadets aboard the Juan Sebastian de Elcano, a four-masted ship built in 1928. This took her on a 17,000 nautical mile journey across the Atlantic, before rounding the Strait of Magellan to the Pacific, visiting Spanish speaking countries across South America.
What the rest of the cadets did, she did also, learning basic navigation with a sextant, climbing the rigging to unfurl sails and hauling ropes – an adventure for any teenager.
The ship transited the Panama Canal and made a final stop in New York in June 2025. From there, she flew back to Spain to begin the next phase of her naval training aboard the modern warship, Blas de Lezo, before rejoining the JS de Elcano for its final leg to Cadiz on 21 July. A short video of her training can be seen here.
The royal family using the media to promote national unity
The official Facebook of the Spanish Royal family depict a close knit household, with devoted parents and a very proud father. While away, Leonor missed her sister, Sofia’s graduation from UWC Atlantic College. She sent her congratulations in a video message – another example of how the family is using social media wisely at a difficult political time for Spain to promote unity and future stability for the nation.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s diverse coalition government is facing new challenges, particularly following a controversial Amnesty Law pardoning hundreds of Catalan separatists. The law has been heavily criticised by the right-wing People’s Party and the rising far right Vox party, both of which oppose devolution in favour of a more centralised government. Vox has also initiated a legal enquiry of alleged corruption against Sanchez’s wife. Spain faces economic challenges of inflation, social inequality, financial effects of Covid, trading uncertainties and demands for increased military spending and improved robustness of the national electricity system.
Fake news about Leonor
I noticed other media sites appearing, some obviously fake as Leonor’s name or title were misspelt, probably originating from South America. I was not surprised that speculation arose about a possible romance for Leonor. One YouTube clip falsely claimed a shock announcement of an engagement between Leonor and Crown Prince Christian of Denmark, supported by a fake video of a secret meeting at Wimbledon. The video used real clips of a meeting with Prince William and daughter Princess Charlotte. I have reported six fake clips so far but more still appear. I am pleased to see that Australia is banning under 16s from having YouTube and other offending social media sites. Hopefully, more countries will follow.
What next for Leonor?
Leonor’s final year of military training is due to start at the end of August 2025 at the Air Academy at San Javier airbase on the Mar Menor, 20 minutes’ drive from my home. I shall continue to follow her progress.
After that, it is expected she will follow her father’s path and attend university for graduate and post graduate degrees, possibly in law. Legally speaking, having sworn an oath to the Spanish constitution at age 18 she is able to act as monarch if her father is unavailable for any reason.
