This summer marks a turning point for Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía. At 20 and 19, the sisters are taking on bigger royal responsibilities while enjoying more independence than ever before. Before college, military milestones and official engagements once again fill their calendars, they're hoping to spend the next few weeks doing what many young women their age do: relaxing with family, traveling with friends and making the most of their time together.
While their lives are far from ordinary, the daughters of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are looking forward to some well-earned downtime before their packed schedules resume. Along with family vacations and quiet moments at home, they'll have the chance to reconnect with friends from the many places they've studied, from Spain's military academies to UWC Atlantic College in Wales and Lisbon's Forward College, where Sofía recently began her university studies.
© Getty ImagesTheir July and August roadmap is already set and, barring surprises, which could even come from the World Cup, for example, the Princess and the Infanta are expected to have two weeks of freedom in the second half of July to make their own plans. Before that, however, they have an important mission. Infanta Sofía, who has been on vacation for several days now, has taken on the challenge this week of delivering her first official speech, in Zaragoza, at the presentation of the inaugural Docentes Referentes awards.
© Getty ImagesThey’ll share nights of music and dancing, movies, binge-watching series, days at sea and secret group getaways. It’s the side we don’t see, because it belongs to their most personal calendar.
This initiative from the Fundación Ibercaja was created to recognize educational excellence. As for Princess Leonor, on July 10 she will complete her military training in San Javier, Murcia. It’s a historic day, and the King and Queen will be at her side, presiding over the ceremony, along with her sister.
© Carlos AlvarezGetting ready for the Princess of Girona Awards
Once this chapter is closed, the heir to the throne will return to Zarzuela and, with hardly a pause, will need to get ready for the Princess of Girona Awards, taking place July 14 and 15 in Catalonia. The engagement calls for careful preparation: studying the documents sent by the Foundation in recent weeks, learning the story of each honoree, rehearsing her speech, and packing the perfect suitcase for the two-day stay, because style matters, too.
© Carlos AlvarezBack in Madrid, the King and Queen will host the board of trustees of the Fundación Comité Español de los Colegios del Mundo Unido and a group of students. UWC Atlantic College in Wales, where their daughters completed their high school studies, is part of the network, but it’s not yet known whether Leonor and Sofía will join them for the meeting at Zarzuela. And then, with the question of whether we’ll see them or not still up in the air, it could be said that the Princess of Asturias and the Infanta will officially start their vacation, while the King and Queen also begin wrapping up their schedules in order to head to Mallorca on the last weekend of July.
Surprise appearance
On August 2, Queen Letizia has a date with the movies; and on the 4th, the Copa del Rey MAPFRE sailing regatta gets underway, with King Felipe VI back on board, although he’ll be fitting in a trip in between. On the 7th, he’ll be in Colombia for the inauguration of President Abelardo de la Espriella, but he’s expected back on the 8th for the awards ceremony.
The King and Queen’s daughters are hoping for the same things from summer as other young people their age: real free time, rest, family moments, travel and getaways with friends.
© Getty ImagesOn their last vacation in Palma, the heir to the throne made a surprise appearance to see the King off before a regatta, support women’s sailing and send a special message to the women of the Armed Forces, who took part in the competition for the very first time. She was thrilled and said goodbye to the crew with a cheerful “See you next year!” Very promising words that might yet bring a surprise. It would be another important step if she were to take to the water herself and decide to follow the family tradition.
© Getty ImagesFor the Princess and the Infanta, their vacation in Mallorca will mean days of sun and swimming far from the spotlight; walks around the island with the Queen, family dinners, and now-unmissable events like the Marivent reception, which they attended for the first time a year ago, and also special time with their two grandmothers.
© Getty ImagesWith Queen Sofía, who will once again spend the summer in Mallorca, it’s easy to come up with a last-minute plan. As for Paloma Rocasolano, who is always very present in their lives, there isn’t a summer when they don’t find a way to spend time together. And, as the young women they are, they’ll also share nights of music and dancing, movies, binge-watching series, late-night talks that last until dawn, days out on the water and secret getaways to neighboring islands with their friends, because that’s the other side of their lives. The one we don’t see, because it belongs to their most personal schedule.
© GTRESThey’ll be able to see each other more often
After that will come their private vacation. This is the family trip to a destination that rarely becomes public, but which is almost certainly the best plan of the year with the King and Queen, and it will bring the summer to an end with another major change. In September, there will be two college students in the family. Next year, Leonor and Sofía will share very similar life experiences and be able to see each other more often.
© Getty ImagesThe Princess was the first to leave home, and she’ll also be the first to return. She starts Political Science at Universidad Carlos III on September 7, while the Infanta, almost at the same time and after a year in Lisbon, will be settling in Paris to continue studying Political Science and International Relations. It’s a new chapter for the two sisters, and for the King and Queen as well, as they go from having both daughters living away from home to welcoming one of them back into everyday family life.
