Leonor, Princess of Asturias

Should Leonor ascend to the throne as expected, she will be Spain's first queen regnant since Isabella II, who reigned from 1833 to 1868.

According to the Spanish constitution of 1978, the succession to the Spanish throne is under a system of male-preference cognatic primogeniture, meaning that Leonor, as the elder of Felipe's two daughters, is first in line to inherit the throne.

Under the current law, however, if her father has a legitimate son while still king, Leonor would be displaced in the line of succession and again become an infanta of Spain.

There have been discussions about changing the succession law to absolute primogeniture, allowing for the inheritance of the eldest child, regardless of sex; however, the birth of Leonor, followed by that of her younger sister Sofía, stalled these plans.

Leonor, Princess of Asturias (Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz; born 31 October 2005) is the heiress presumptive to the Spanish throne.

She is the eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.

Leonor was born during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King Juan Carlos I.

She was educated at Santa María de los Rosales School, the same school as her father; after finishing her secondary studies, she studied an International Baccalaureate at the UWC Atlantic College in Wales, United Kingdom.

On 17 August 2023, Leonor joined the General Military Academy to start her 3-year military education.

Leonor was born to Felipe and Letizia, then the Prince and Princess of Asturias, on 31 October 2005 at 01:46, during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King Juan Carlos I, in the Ruber International Hospital in Madrid using a caesarean section necessitated by non-progression of labour.

As the daughter of the heir apparent, she was an infanta and the second in the line of succession to the Spanish throne.

Her birth was announced by the royal family to the press via SMS.

Leonor left the Ruber International Hospital with her parents on 7 November 2005.

She was baptised in the Zarzuela Palace by the archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela, on 14 January 2006.

She began her first year of primary school on 15 September 2008 at the Santa María de los Rosales School in Aravaca, just outside Madrid.

Her father is an alumnus of the private school and her younger sister, Sofía, is also enrolled there.

In September 2021, she began studying a 2-year International Baccalaureate program at the UWC Atlantic College in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.

She graduated in May 2023, having completed her studies.

Leonor is fluent in both Spanish and English (the latter learnt from her British nanny and also from her grandmother, Queen Sofía) and has studied Mandarin.

In March 2023, it was announced by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles that the government had approved a royal decree for Leonor to begin a 3-year military training education program.

On 17 August, she started her first year of training at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza.

In preparation for her role as Spain's commander-in-chief, she will follow her father's footsteps with two further years of naval and air force training at the Naval Military Academy in Marín and the General Air Academy in Murcia, respectively.

Whilst attending the military academies, Leonor will renounce her salary and any money that cadets receive.

Leonor is using both her parents' surnames "Borbón Ortiz" in her military career.

Despite a change from male-preference to absolute primogeniture for Spanish titles of nobility in 2009, as of 2024 no legislation has been passed affecting the succession to the throne.

On a day before her 10th birthday, she was granted the Order of the Golden Fleece by her father.

In addition, the Council of Ministers approved the design of her personal standard and guidon.

In 2014, when her father ascended the throne after the abdication of her grandfather, Leonor was granted all the traditional titles of the heir to the Spanish crown, these are Princess of Asturias, Princess of Girona, Princess of Viana, Duchess of Montblanc, Countess of Cervera and Lady of Balaguer.

Leonor was formally proclaimed heiress before the Cortes on 31 October 2023, her 18th birthday.

In May 2014, Leonor made her first official visit to the San Javier Air Force base in Murcia.

On 18 June 2014, King Juan Carlos signed the Abdication Act, and the following day at the stroke of midnight (18–19 June 2014) Leonor's father ascended the throne becoming King Felipe VI, and Leonor became his heir presumptive and Princess of Asturias.

In October 2014, a wax figure of Leonor was unveiled at the Museo de Cera in Madrid.

On 20 May 2015, Leonor received First Communion as per Catholic custom.

Like her father, Leonor was baptized – with water from the Jordan River – in a Romanesque baptismal font that has been used to christen Spanish princes since the 17th century.

Her godparents were her paternal grandparents, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía.

She received the name of Leonor de Todos los Santos.

Leonor's education began at Escuela Infantil Guardia Real, the daycare for the children of the Spanish Royal Guard.

Coinciding with the 50th birthday of King Felipe, in January 2018, the King officially gave Leonor the collar of the Golden Fleece in a ceremony at the Royal Palace of Madrid.

In September 2018, Leonor conducted her first public engagement outside the palace by accompanying her parents to Covadonga to celebrate the 1,300th anniversary of the Kingdom of Asturias.

On 31 October 2018, Leonor gave her first public speech, held at the Instituto Cervantes in Madrid, where she read the first article of the Constitution of Spain.