Queen Letizia's daughter prepares to leave family home


Infanta Sofia is the younger sister of Princess Leonor


Infanta Sofia of Spain wearing blue jacket© WireImage
Danielle StaceyOnline Royal Correspondent - London
August 12, 2025
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Infanta Sofia, 18, is set for another major move away from home, just months after returning home to Madrid from the UK.

It's been confirmed that King Felipe and Queen Letizia's youngest daughter will study Politics and International Relations at Forward College.

The three-year degree is taught in Lisbon the first year, Paris the second and Berlin the third.

The college's website states that its programme is designed to "nurture [students'] curiosity, enrich your understanding, and help you build bridges across different contexts.

"In each of the three countries, you will be asked to engage with the context of the city in which you will be living. Through cultural and language classes, field trips, guest speakers, and partnerships with local organisations, you will learn while broadening your cultural horizons."

© Shutterstock
Sofia with her proud parents on the day of her graduation from UWC Atlantic College in May

Undergraduates live with their peers throughout the course, with the Forward College securing accommodation through student residences in each country.

It comes after Infanta Sofia graduated from UWC Atlantic College in Wales, where she completed her two-year International Bacculaureate.

The Spanish royals are currently enjoying a family holiday together, reportedly in Greece, before school and public duties resume.

© Getty Images
The royals spent time in Palma de Mallorca last week

King Felipe and Queen Letizia's eldest daughter, Princess Leonor, 19, will begin her third and final year of military training, joining the San Javier General Air Academy.

European royals studying abroad

It's common for many members of European monarchies to choose to study abroad.

Infanta Sofia's older sister, Princess Leonor, is also an alumni of UWC Atlantic College in Wales, as is Princess Alexia of The Netherlands and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium.

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Princess Elisabeth of Belgium is doing a master's degree at Harvard

Elisabeth, 23, has just completed her first year of her two-year master's degree in public policy at Harvard in the US – although there is uncertainty surrounding her second year with the university's lawsuit against the Trump administration over a proposed ban on international students.

Meanwhile, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, 21, has just enrolled on a three-year course in social sciences at the University of Sydney.

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Princess Ingrid Alexandra is studying Down Under

Studying abroad has a lot of benefits for any young person, particularly a future king or queen, who will one day face years in the public spotlight.

"Elisabeth does not stand out abroad as the crown princess of a relatively small country, among a largely privileged and very international student population," Belgian royal reporter Wim Dehandschutter previously told the HELLO! Royal Club. 

"In other words: this is more or less the last period of her life in which she can still lead a 'normal' life, away from the spotlight. In his younger years, King Philippe himself studied at both Oxford and Stanford."

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