Princess Leonor begins university studies in Madrid after completing military training

The 20-year-old heir to the throne arrived shortly before 9am on Monday 7 September at the university’s Getafe campus, south of the capital. Her arrival attracted television crews, photographers and a security operation, but the university has stressed that her academic experience will be as similar as possible to that of her fellow students.

Leonor was welcomed at the Adolfo Posada building by the university’s rector, Ángel Arias, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs Pilar Otero and Antonio Descalzo, dean of the Faculty of Social and Legal Sciences.

Asked by journalists how she felt about beginning university, the princess replied: ‘Really keen.’ She also told university officials that she was excited about starting the course and meeting her classmates.

A standard degree, rather than a royal programme

Leonor will study alongside approximately 40 other undergraduates and follow the same curriculum, attend classes with the same teachers and be subject to the same academic requirements. Her position as Princess of Asturias will not involve a specially designed course.

‘The royal household has made it very easy for us. Nothing changes,’ Arias said.

The arrangement represents a departure from the university education undertaken by her father, King Felipe VI. He studied at the Autonomous University of Madrid between 1988 and 1993, following a programme combining Law and Economics that had been adapted to his position as heir to the throne.

Leonor’s choice of Political Science at Carlos III University was her own decision, approved by the king and queen. The royal family had considered several alternatives, including a double degree, before the decision to attend the public university was announced in July.

The Getafe campus, situated in a working-class municipality south of Madrid, also offers a different environment from the more sheltered educational settings traditionally associated with some European royal families. The university is seeking to ensure that the princess can participate in ordinary student life without her classmates becoming a permanent royal entourage.

The four-year degree covers political science, constitutional and administrative law, economics, history, political theory, sociology and humanities. Students also examine Spanish, European and international politics, international relations and public administration, with optional subjects available during the course.

The subjects are particularly relevant to Leonor’s future constitutional responsibilities, although she will undertake the same degree as the other students.

She was admitted through Carlos III University’s Early Admission procedure, which is available, among other cases, to applicants who have completed the International Baccalaureate at schools abroad. Leonor obtained that qualification at UWC Atlantic College in Wales and was therefore not required to sit the EBAU, Spain’s standard university entrance examination. ALSO READ: What can Leonor, Princess of Asturias, expect at her new college in Wales?

Her application was assessed and approved by the university’s Evaluation Committee on the basis of her previous studies and academic results.

The first term began on Monday 7 September and runs until 11 December. Classes are scheduled approximately between 9am and 2pm, with seminars on Thursdays. The opening day includes an introduction to the degree, its structure and the university’s academic arrangements before the normal timetable gets under way.

Security and student life

Security measures will accompany Leonor throughout her time at university, reflecting her position as heir to the Spanish throne. However, the palace and university have agreed that these arrangements should not interfere with teaching or the normal operation of the degree.

The university already has rules restricting the use of mobile phones during classes unless authorised by the teacher. Phones remain permitted in common areas, and the existing regulations will apply to the princess and her classmates.

Leonor will also have to balance her studies with the official duties associated with her position, meaning that her university years will not be entirely comparable to those of other undergraduates.

From military academies to the classroom

The start of university follows the completion of Leonor’s three-year military training, which took her through the General Military Academy, the Naval Military Academy and the General Air and Space Academy. ALSO READ: Spain’s Crown Princess Leonor to start three years of military training.

Her training, completed in July, included experience with the army, navy and air force, reflecting her future role as commander-in-chief of Spain’s armed forces.

The move to Carlos III University therefore marks a significant change in her daily life, replacing military instruction and uniforms with lectures, seminars and campus activities. It also begins the next phase of an education designed to prepare her for the responsibilities she will eventually assume as Spain’s head of state. ALSO READ: Three ministers and five political groups snub Princess Leonor’s allegiance ceremony.