Category Archives: Royal Family of Spain

Royal Family of Spain, Spanish Royals

Princess Leonor, Princess of Asturias, to Study Political Science in Madrid as She Prepares for Future Role

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Portrait courtesy of Casa de Su Majestad el Rey

Casa de Su Majestad el Rey has announced that Her Royal Highness Princess Leonor, Princess of Asturias, will begin a degree in political science at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in the third semester of 2026.

The four-year program will be based at the university’s Getafe campus and will follow a multidisciplinary curriculum covering political science, humanities, law, economics, sociology, history and international relations.

The Casa de Su Majestad el Rey stated that the Princess was admitted following the standard admissions process applied to students who have completed their secondary education abroad, including a favourable evaluation by the university’s admissions committee.

Princess Leonor completed her upper secondary education at UWC Atlantic College in Wales in 2023 and is currently concluding her three-year military training with the Armed Forces of Spain, with the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio.

The Casa de Su Majestad el Rey indicated that the Princess will combine her university studies with her official duties as heir to the Crown of Spain, in accordance with the academic calendar, continuing an approach established during her school years and maintained throughout her military training.

His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain has formally informed the President of the Government of this new stage in the Princess’s academic formation, emphasising the institutional importance attached to her preparation for the role of Sovereign.

Royal Family of Spain, Spanish Royals

King Felipe VI of Spain Presides Over Doctor Honoris Causa Investiture of President Sergio Mattarella at the Universidad de Salamanca

  • Photo courtesy of Casa de Su Majestad el Rey
  • Photo courtesy of Casa de Su Majestad el Rey
  • Photo courtesy of the Presidenza della Repubblica Italiana/Quirinale.it

In Salamanca, His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain presided over the investiture ceremony at which the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, was awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Universidad de Salamanca, one of the oldest and most historically significant universities in Europe.

Founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX of León, the Universidad de Salamanca has long occupied a central place in the intellectual and institutional history of the Kingdom of Spain. Its traditions, shaped over eight centuries, situate the conferral of honorary doctorates within a broader framework of academic recognition reserved for individuals whose work has made a sustained contribution to public life, scholarship, or international cooperation.

The University conferred the distinction in recognition of President Mattarella’s longstanding cultural ties with the Kingdom of Spain, as well as his academic career as Professor of Parliamentary Law at the Università degli Studi di Palermo until 1983, during which he produced numerous scholarly publications. The Universidad de Salamanca further acknowledged his contribution to contemporary public thought.

In its citation, the University also highlighted President Mattarella’s commitment to humanism, European integration, and cooperation among nations, noting in particular a shared emphasis on the role of culture and education within democratic societies.

The degree of Doctor Honoris Causa constitutes the highest academic distinction conferred by the Universidad de Salamanca and is awarded to individuals of recognised international standing in the scientific, cultural, professional, or institutional spheres.

On Friday, Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain will travel to the Vatican, where they are scheduled to be received in audience by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace.

Royal Family of Spain, Spanish Royals, Vatican

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain to Meet with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican

  • Portrait courtesy of Casa de Su Majestad el Rey
  • Portrait courtesy of Vatican Media

On Friday, the Casa de Su Majestad el Rey announced that Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain will be received in audience by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on March 20th, 2026.

Following the audience, His Majesty the King will formally assume the position of Protocanon of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.  

The honorary title of Protocanon of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is traditionally held by the Kings of Spain, a distinction historically associated with the Crown of Spain’s longstanding patronage of the basilica.

Their Majesties previously met His Holiness on Sunday, May 18th, 2025, following the Holy Mass for the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome, commonly referred to as the Mass for the Inauguration of the Pontificate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, celebrated in St. Peter’s Square, when they extended an invitation to His Holiness to visit the Kingdom of Spain.

The Casa de Su Majestad el Rey also announced that His Holiness is scheduled to undertake his first Apostolic Visit to the Kingdom of Spain from June 6th to 12th, 2026. 

The visit will make His Holiness the first Pontiff to travel to the Kingdom of Spain during the reign of King Felipe VI. It will also mark the first papal visit to the country in fifteen years, following the visit of the late Pope Benedict XVI in 2011.

The visit responds to the official invitation of King Felipe VI and the Conferencia Episcopal Española.

Their Majesties’ most recent audience at the Vatican prior to this took place in June 2014, when they were received by the late Pope Francis.