Leonor, Princess of Asturias

Leonor de Borbón
Princess of Asturias, Princess of Girona, Princess of Viana, Duchess of Montblanc, Countess of Cervera and Lady of Balaguer.
Born (2005-10-31) 31 October 2005
Madrid, Spain
Full name
Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz
House Bourbon
Father Felipe VI of Spain
Mother Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano
Religion Roman Catholicism
Signature
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is de Borbón and the second or maternal family name is Ortiz.

Leonor, Princess of Asturias (Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz;[1] born 31 October 2005) is the elder daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain. Leonor is first in the line of succession to the throne. According to the 1978 Constitution, she became heir presumptive upon her father's accession on 19 June 2014, taking the official title of Princess of Asturias and the historical titles of Princess of Girona, Princess of Viana, Duchess of Montblanc, Countess of Cervera and Lady of Balaguer. Her younger sister, Infanta Sofía, follows her in the line of succession. If a younger brother takes birth, Leonor will become second-in-line making her brother, Heir apparent

Birth

Leonor was born on 31 October 2005 at 1:47 am in the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid by means of a caesarean section necessitated by non-progression of labour. Her birth was announced by the Royal Family to the press via SMS. Leonor left the Ruber Clinic with her parents on 7 November 2005. She was baptised in the Zarzuela Palace by the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, Antonio Rouco Varela, on 14 January 2006. Like her father in 1968, Leonor was christened with water from the Jordan River, a royal custom. She was also given the additional names of de Todos los Santos, a Bourbon tradition. Her godparents were her paternal grandparents, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía.

Education and activities

Leonor's education began at the daycare for the children of the Spanish Royal Guard. She began her first year of elementary school on 15 September 2008 at the Santa María de los Rosales School in Aravaca, just outside Madrid.[2] Her father is an alumnus of the private school and her younger sister Sofia is also enrolled there. Leonor is fluent in both Spanish and English and has studied Mandarin.[3]

In May 2014, Leonor made her first official visit to the San Javier airforce base in Murcia.[2]

On 18 June 2014, King Juan Carlos signed the instrument of abdication, which went into effect at midnight, 19 June 2014. At this time, Leonor's father became the King of Spain as Felipe VI, and Leonor herself became the heir presumptive and the new Princess of Asturias.[4] Spain's monarchy operates under a system of male-preference cognatic primogeniture,[5] 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 parents have a son, Leonor would be displaced in the line of succession and forfeit her title of Princess of Asturias to a younger brother.[2]

There have been discussions[6][7][8] about changing the succession law to absolute primogeniture, allowing for the inheritance of the eldest child, regardless of gender; however, the birth of Leonor, followed by that of her younger sister Sofía, stalled these plans. Despite a recent change from male-preference to absolute primogeniture for Spanish titles of nobility,[9] as of 2016 no legislation has been passed affecting inheritance to the throne.

If Leonor ascends the throne, she will be Spain's first queen regnant since Isabella II, who reigned from 1833 to 1868.

In October 2014, a wax figure of Leonor was unveiled at the Museo de Cera in Madrid.[10] On 20 May 2015, Leonor had her first communion.[11][12]

A day before her 10th birthday, she was granted the Order of the Golden Fleece by her father.[13][14][15] In Addition, the Council of Ministers approved the design of her personal standard and guidon.[16]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Arms

Arms of Leonor, Princess of Asturias
Notes
In 2015, one day before the Princess of Asturias's birthday, she was granted the Order of the Golden Fleece. Since then, she has been able to use the coat of arms of the heir to the Spanish throne with the collar of the order. Her use of the arms and standard by Royal Decree was officially gazetted by the government on her birthday.[17]
Crest
The crown of the Princess of Asturias.
Escutcheon
The arms is divided into four quarters, blazoned as follows:

1st, Gules a castle three-towered Or, masoned Sable ajoure Azure, for Castile,2nd, Argent a lion rampant Purpure crowned Or, armed Gules and crowned Or, for León, 3rd, Or four pallets Gules, for Aragon, 4th, Gules a cross, saltire and orle of chains all linked Or, an emerald Proper, for Navarre, Enté en point, Argent a pomegranate Proper seeded Gules, supported, sculpted and leafed in two leaves Vert, for Granada, Inescutcheon, Azure with three fleurs-de-lys Or, bordured Gules, for Bourbon.

Other elements
The whole differenced by a blue label of three points azure.
Banner
The Princess' Standard comprises a light blue (the colour of the Flag of Asturias) square flag displaying the coat of arms of the heir to the Spanish throne in the center.
Previous versions
2014-2015
  • (Before the addition of the Order of the Golden Fleece she had her arms displayed on an lozenge-shaped shield.)

From 2005 to 2014

  • (The coat of arms used as an infanta was the whole differenced with a label of three points azure and charged with fleur-de-lys and the crown of a Spanish Infanta.)

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Su Alteza Realla Princesa de Asturias". Casa de Su Majestad del Rey (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Galaz, Mábel (4 June 2014). "Leonor becomes a crown princess". El País. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Princess Leonor preparing for her role as Spain's future queen". Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Spanish constution" (PDF). Congress of Spain. congreso.es. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "Una esperada confirmación". El Mundo.
  6. ↑ "LOS 'PROBLEMAS' SI EL PRIMOGÉNITO ES PRIMOGÉNITA: Pendientes de la Constitución hasta saber si será niño o niña". El Mundo.
  7. ↑ Woolls, Daniel (27 September 2006). "Royal Pregnancy a Conundrum for Spain". The Washington Post. The Associated Press. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Govan, Fiona (30 September 2006). "Royal baby in waiting sparks row over throne". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  9. ↑ Tremlett, Giles (12 July 2009). "Spanish nobles rebel over inheritance law". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "Princess Leonor of Spain's waxwork is unveiled in Madrid". Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  11. ↑ Galaz, Mábel (20 May 2015). "Leonor hace la comunión como colegiala, no como princesa". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  12. ↑ Remírez, Carmen (20 May 2015). "La Princesa Leonor, tras su primera comunión: 'Estaba muy nerviosa'". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  13. ↑ "El Rey concede el Toisón de Oro a Leonor por su décimo cumpleaños". El País (in Spanish). 30 October 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  14. ↑ Remírez, Carmen (30 October 2015). "El Rey Felipe VI concede a la Princesa de Asturias el Toisón de Oro". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  15. ↑ Real Decreto 978/2015 Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE)
  16. ↑ Real Decreto 979/2015 Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE)
  17. ↑ "BOLETÍN OFICIAL DEL ESTADO" (PDF). Retrieved 31 October 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leonor, Princess of Asturias.
Leonor, Princess of Asturias
Born: 31 October 2005
Lines of succession
First
 Line of succession to the Spanish throne
1st position 		Succeeded by
Infanta Sofía
Spanish royalty
Preceded by
Felipe		 Princess of Asturias, Princess of Viana
Princess of Girona, Duchess of Montblanc,
Countess of Cervera, Lady of Balaguer
2014–present 		Incumbent
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