The bag of Leonor to go to the university: it is Spanish and costs 169 euros

As of today, September 7, 2026, Princess Leonor has completed the three-year military training cycle designed for her by the State and the Royal Household and has just officially started her undergraduate studies in Political Science at Carlos III University of Madrid. The next planned milestones combine the formal completion of her military career (commissioning as an officer in 2027) with the ordinary development of this four-year university degree, which is considered the foundation of her civil education as the future Head of State.

Current status of her university education

According to the newspaper Demócrata on September 6, 2026, in the article Princess Leonor begins her Political Science studies at Carlos III University as just another student, the heir to the throne has already started the Political Science degree at the Getafe campus of Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M). She joins “as just another student,” aiming to balance university life with her institutional agenda.

A previous statement from the Royal Household, cited by Demócrata in Princess Leonor will study Political Science at Carlos III University of Madrid (April 27, 2026), detailed that:

• Leonor will pursue the Bachelor's Degree in Political Science (expected duration: four years).
• The program has been offered at UC3M since 2008, with a focus on political analysis, public administration, and the international context.
• She will follow the same regular curriculum as her peers, without a special track.
• The Royal Household emphasizes that she will balance the university calendar with her institutional commitments as Princess of Asturias.

The statement also noted that it is not ruled out that, once the degree is completed, she may pursue a specialized master's degree abroad, following the precedent of Felipe VI, although this is presented as a possibility, not a firm commitment.

Status of her military training

In parallel with this university start, the main part of her military training is already completed. Various notes from Defense, Moncloa, and the Royal Household itself, collected by Demócrata, confirm that the itinerary designed in Royal Decree 173/2023, of March 14 — which regulates her military training and career — has been fulfilled over three courses:

• Army: first year at the General Military Academy (AGM) in Zaragoza, where she was appointed cadet ensign lady and took the oath of allegiance, according to the Moncloa note on the delivery of Royal Commissions in 2024.
• Navy: second year at the Naval Military School of Marín and training cruise on the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano, described in the official note Princess of Asturias enters the Naval Military School of Marín.
• Air and Space Force: third year at the General Air and Space Academy (AGA) in San Javier, including flight courses (Pilatus PC-21, F-5) and parachuting, according to various reports collected by Demócrata.

An institutional video summarized by Demócrata in Royal Household releases a video about Princess Leonor's military training highlights that Leonor has completed these three courses and that: in July 2027 she will receive her commissions as lieutenant of the Army and the Air and Space Force, and as ensign of the Navy.

Next academic steps according to the Royal Household protocol

From the set of official statements and notes, a training “script” emerges, serving as a reference protocol for the Royal Household:

• 2023–2026: execution of the three-year military training plan in the three armed forces, based on Royal Decree 173/2023.
• Academic year 2026–2027 and onwards: ordinary development of the Bachelor's Degree in Political Science at UC3M, which will last four years, attending classes as a regular student and balancing with official events.
• July 2027: delivery of officer commissions (Army, Air, and Navy), marking the formal closure of her initial military cycle, without prejudice to future complementary training.
• Possible master's or postgraduate studies: the Royal Household leaves open the possibility of further specialization, likely internationally, but without announcing a specific institution, country, or schedule yet.

In summary, today Leonor is at a clearly defined transition point according to this protocol: she has completed the core phase of military training and begins her civil university education, while the official calendar already sets her commissioning in 2027 as the next major milestone, all integrated into a long-term plan for her future role as Queen and supreme commander of the Armed Forces.

The 1978 Spanish Constitution barely assigns specific powers to the Princess of Asturias as such; almost all power and institutional functions are concentrated in the person of the reigning King or Queen. However, it clearly defines the constitutional status of the heir, their basic obligations, and some possible functions in exceptional situations.

1. The Princess of Asturias as heir to the throne (art. 57 CE)

The starting point is Article 57, which regulates the succession to the Crown. The Constitution establishes that the Crown of Spain is hereditary in the successors of His Majesty Don Juan Carlos I of Bourbon, and sets the order of primogeniture and representation. Within this framework:

• The Princess of Asturias is the person placed in first place in the line of succession, that is, the immediate heir to the Crown.
• Her position derives from the Constitution: it is not a merely honorary title, but the expression of a direct legal relationship with the future Head of State.
• Article 57 also provides that any doubt about the succession shall be resolved by an organic law, reinforcing the idea that the status of heir is constitutionally protected.

In strictly constitutional terms, this position does not yet imply the exercise of powers, but it does configure the Princess of Asturias as the expectant holder of the Crown.

2. Oath upon reaching majority age (art. 61.2 CE)

The first major explicit institutional function that the Constitution assigns to the heir is the oath before the Cortes Generales upon reaching majority age. Article 61.2 establishes that:

• The heir to the Crown, upon turning 18, must take an oath to faithfully perform their duties as King when the time comes.
• In that act, they must swear to uphold and enforce the Constitution and the laws and respect the rights of citizens and Autonomous Communities.

This oath has a clear institutional dimension: it publicly binds the Princess of Asturias to the constitutional order, places her before the Cortes as the future Head of State, and marks her full incorporation into the formal functioning of the parliamentary monarchy.

3. Possible function as Regent (art. 59 CE)

The second explicit function that the Constitution assigns to the heir is potential: the Regency. Article 59 provides that if the King is incapacitated to exercise his authority and the incapacity is recognized by the Cortes Generales:

• The Regency shall be exercised by the Prince or Princess heir to the Crown, provided they are of legal age.
• During the Regency, the heir assumes the functions of Head of State, in the name of the King, with the limitations inherent to the office of Regent.

That is, the Princess of Asturias may exercise, under certain circumstances, full functions of the Crown without having formally acceded to the throne, although this only occurs if the exceptional conditions provided in the Constitution are met.

4. Guardianship of a minor King and institutional link (art. 59 CE)

The same Article 59 also regulates the guardianship of a minor King. Although the Princess of Asturias does not have an automatic function here, the rule designs a system of protection of the institution in which the heir occupies the center of gravity:

• If the King is a minor, the Regency falls to the father, mother, or the closest adult relative according to the order of succession.
• This reinforces the idea that the line of succession, headed by the heir, is the axis of institutional continuity of the Crown.

5. What the Constitution does not do: ordinary powers and functions

It is equally relevant what the Constitution does not assign to the Princess of Asturias:

• It does not recognize her powers of State representation; all constitutional functions (sanctioning laws, calling elections, proposing a candidate for the Presidency of the Government, etc.) correspond to the King or Queen.
• It does not provide a specific institutional role in the Cortes, beyond the oath-taking act.
• It does not detail her training tasks, official agenda, or symbolic representation, which are articulated through lower-ranking norms (royal decrees) and constitutional practice.

In summary, according to the Spanish Constitution, the Princess of Asturias mainly has an institutional status as heir, with two major explicit functions: taking the oath before the Cortes upon reaching majority age and exercising the Regency in case of the King's incapacity while being of legal age. The rest of her activities and roles lie in the realm of political practice and ordinary regulation, not directly in the constitutional text.

There is no legal provision in the Spanish legal system that establishes special legal requirements for the heir to the Crown to pursue university studies in civilian public universities. For access and continuation in university, the heir is governed by the same general framework as any Spanish citizen, without privileges or specific formal restrictions in the law.

Constitutional and general framework in education matters

The Spanish Constitution, in its Article 27, recognizes that "everyone has the right to education" and that public authorities guarantee the right of all to education through a general programming of teaching and recognition of university autonomy. This provision:

• Does not distinguish between citizens based on their institutional position.
• Does not introduce a particular regime for the King, the heir to the Crown, or the Royal Family regarding university studies.

Title II of the Constitution, dedicated to the Crown (Articles 56 to 65), regulates the figure of the King, succession, Regency, guardianship of the minor King, countersignature, and the economic organization of His Majesty's Household. None of these provisions contemplate:

• An obligation to follow certain civilian studies.
• A preferential right of access to certain universities or degrees.
• A regime of academic or administrative exemptions due to their status.

Rules on the Royal Family and the Royal Household

The specific regulation of the Royal Family and His Majesty the King's Household is mainly articulated through:

• Royal Decree 1368/1987, on the regime of titles, treatments, and honors of the Royal Family and Regents, which focuses on dignities, treatments, and precedence, and only defines the condition of Prince or Princess of Asturias as heir to the Crown.
• Royal Decree 434/1988, on the restructuring of His Majesty the King's Household, and its successive modifications, which internally organize the Royal Household (organs, personnel, transparency, use of public resources, etc.).

None of these norms regulate the civil university studies of the heir nor establish a differentiated academic status for him or other members of the Royal Family in public universities.

Only specialty: military training and career

The only area where an ad hoc training regime has been established for the heir is the military one. Royal Decree 173/2023, of March 14, regulates the training and military career of Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias:

• It provides a specific itinerary at the General Military Academy, the Naval Military School, and the General Air and Space Academy.
• It is based on the provisions of Law 39/2007, on the military career, which allows a specific and differentiated regime for the heir due to their future supreme command of the Armed Forces.

However, this special regime concerns higher military education and military ranks, not civilian university education in ordinary public universities (faculties of Law, Economics, etc.).

Application of the general university access regime

In Spain, the basic conditions for access to public university (completion of Baccalaureate, entrance exams or EBAU, cutoff grades, recognition of degrees, etc.) are regulated by general educational legislation and by the rules of each university, exercising their autonomy.

In the absence of a special provision:

• The heir to the Crown must formally meet the same access conditions as any other student with Spanish nationality.
• There is no law reserving a quota, a differentiated admission pathway, or exemption from academic requirements for being Prince or Princess of Asturias.
• Any practical adaptation (for example, regarding security, schedules, logistics, or privacy protection) is arranged through administrative and security measures, not through a specific university legal regime included in general legal or regulatory norms.

Conclusion

In summary, the Spanish legal system does not establish singular legal requirements for the heir to the Crown to pursue university studies in public institutions. It only provides an ad hoc regulation for their military training and career, but in the field of civilian university education the general access and continuation rules that apply to the rest of the citizens are applied, with any eventual particularities being practical matters of organization and security, not specific positive law.