The very modern future queens of Europe from Leonor of Spain to Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands

With the death of Queen Elizabeth last year, we lost one of the best recognised and most respected women on the planet. 

In Britain, those following her are set to be men for at least two more generations. But elsewhere in Europe, the royal future looks female. 

A number of countries will have queens as monarchs, some for the first time in centuries.

For example, a change of the law in Belgium, Norway and Sweden has meant that royal princesses are guaranteed as future rulers – rather than being supplanted by younger brothers, as would have happened in the past. 

In Spain and The Netherlands, too, Crown Princesses are moving up the line of succession.

From an Oxford academic to a keen jockey with a horse named Mojito, we give an insight into the young women set to rule the Europe of the future…

Girl power: Princesses Estelle of Sweden, Catharina-Amalia of The Netherlands, Ingrid Alexandra of Norway and Elisabeth of Belgium at  Ingrid Alexandra’s 18th birthday gala in 2022

Princess Leonor of Spain

The young Spanish princess Leonor is the eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.

Holding the title of Princess of Asturias, Leonor is the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne. Her sister, Princess Sofía, is two years her junior.

Leonor remains as heir to the throne – so long as her parents don’t give birth to a son. 

Spanish law still favours male primogeniture when it comes to the crown and its succession. 

Leonor has been honing her skills to become queen from a young age and is believed to speak four languages.

Princess Leonor, eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, on a visit to famous pilgrimage town Santiago de Compostela in 2022

Leonor,  pictured centre left, with her father King Felipe VI, sister Princess Sofia and mother Queen Letizia. Leonor remains heir to the throne unless her parents give birth to a son

The talented teenager, pictured in Barcelona last year, has been honing her skills to become a monarch from a young age and is believed to speak four languages

In 2019, she delivered an impressive speech at the Princess of Girona Foundation awards in Barcelona in four languages – Spanish, Catalan, English and Arabic.

As well as inheriting her mother’s polished sense of style, she has learned how to play tennis, sail, perform gymnastics and play the cello.

The composed princess gave her first public speech in 2018 when she was just 13 years old to mark the 40th anniversary of the Spanish constitution.

After King Felipe read the law’s preamble, he was joined on stage by his eldest daughter who confidently read the first of the 169 articles of Spain’s Carta Magna. 

He pulled his daughter into a hug once she had finished her delivery.

The following year, the Princess appeared at the Princess of Asturias Awards, which she was presiding over for the first time.

According to Hola! magazine, she said: ‘In my house, the words Spain and Asturias are always united with the same force with which history has united them.

‘That’s how I feel it in my heart and that today is a very important day in my life that I have looked forward to.’

Speaking of her father, who held the position of Prince of Asturias before her, she added: ‘This moment will be unforgettable for me. As my father said at my age and right here, it will be a day that “I will always carry deep in my heart.”‘

Leonor, heir to the Spanish throne, is awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece in 2018

The composed princess gave her first public speech in 2018 when she was just 13 years old to mark the 40th anniversary of the Spanish constitution

The royal made her first solo appearance without her mother and father aged 15 as she presided over the Cervantes Institute’s 30th anniversary in Madrid in 2021.

She was welcomed by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Carmen Calvo and the director of the Cervantes Institute, Luis García Montero, sitting front row at the event.

Six months later, the princess headed to Wales to study at the private Atlantic College.

Nicknamed ‘Hippie Hogwarts’, the school offers activities and subjects like Tai Chi and Tibetan literature and is situated in a 12th century castle in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Leonor enrolled on a £67,000, two-year course to study for her International Baccalaureate diploma at the school.

Atlantic College has a proven track record educating royalty. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands studied there in the 1980s, as did Belgian heir to the throne Princess Elisabeth and Princess Raiyah of Jordan.

The Spanish heir to the throne pictured in 2021 at UWC Atlantic College in Wales

Leonor, Princess of Asturias, attends the Princesa de Asturias Awards 2022 with her family

The Princess will study law at university once her training with the military is complete

It was announced earlier this year that Leonor’s sister Sofía would also head to the boarding school for the International Baccalaureate study programme.

A statement confirmed: ‘The cost of the international baccalaureate that the Infanta Sofía will take will also be paid in full personally by Their Majesties the King and Queen with their annual allowance.’

Meanwhile, Leonor is set to train with all three branches of Spain’s military from September this year, following in her father’s footsteps by training with the army, the navy and the Spanish air force before moving on to her university studies.

The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Leonor’s military training would culminate with a stint on board the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, a training ship used by the Spanish Navy.

It was also revealed that the young Princess would go on to study law at university once her training with the military is complete, although her choice of university has not yet been revealed. 

Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands

Catharina-Amalia became the heir apparent to the Dutch throne when her grandmother Queen Beatrix abdicated in 2013.

The Queen’s son, Willem-Alexander, took over as monarch and Catharina-Amalia became Princess of Orange – the title held by the heir to the throne.

Along with her sisters Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane, Catharina-Amalia spent the early years of her life at Eikenhorst Villa in Wassenaar, an affluent suburb of The Hague.

Willem-Alexander once said in an interview: ‘We do our best to be really with them – on holidays or weekends or even at breakfast in the mornings.’

The family enjoyed days out cycling and to the beach, and holidays to Argentina – the home country of Amalia’s mother, Queen Maxima.

In 2013, the family moved to Huis ten Bosch, the royal palace in The Hague, when Willem-Alexander became monarch.

The Princess attended school at the Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet in The Hague where she sat on the student council and took part in the Model United Nations of the International School of The Hague.

She decided to take a gap year before starting her degree and turned down a €1.6 million yearly allowance that she would have been entitled to when she turned 18.

Writing a letter to Prime Minister Mark Rutte, she said that she would not feel comfortable taking the money without performing royal duties. 

Catharina-Amalia, daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands

The heir to the throne (far right) also has two younger sisters, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane, pictured together with their parents in Amsterdam in 2022

The princess took a gap year before starting her degree and turned down a €1.6 million yearly allowance that she would have been entitled to when she turned 18

The princess began studying at University of Amsterdam but was forced to move out of her student accommodation over a gangster plot to kidnap her

The letter, published by NOS, the Dutch public news broadcaster, read: ‘On 7 December 2021, I will be 18 and, according to the law, receive an allowance.

‘I find that uncomfortable as long as I do not do anything for it in return, and while other students have a much tougher time of it, particularly in this period of coronavirus.’ 

In September last year, the Princess began studying Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at University of Amsterdam and revealed she would live in a rented house share with her fellow students.

However the Princess was forced to move out of her student accommodation and return to The Hague the following month fearing a gangland plot to kidnap her.

Earlier this year, the royal opened up about ‘missing normal life’ over the incident and in a clip shared by NOS, she said: ‘I’m going to be very honest, I’m still having a very hard time. 

‘I miss the normal life, the life of a student. Walking the streets, being able to go to a store,’ she added.

Her mother, Queen Maxima, spoke openly during a state visit to Sweden with her husband King Willem-Alexander and was quoted by Dutch news agency ANP saying: ‘She can hardly leave the house.

‘The consequences are very difficult for her. There is no student life for her like others have,’ she added with an unusual candour.

The young princess joined her parents for a two-week tour of the Dutch Caribbean Islands earlier this year – her first official tour of her career

She travelled to the Dutch Caribbean islands of Bonaire, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba with her father King Willem-Alexander and mother Queen Maxima

Princess Amalia and mother queen Maxima on a two-week Caribbean tour 

In an authorised biography entitled Amalia, released in 2021, the royal admitted she did not feel ready to be Queen yet.

She said she would ask her mother to step in temporarily if her father were to die suddenly.

‘But I said to my father: you just keep on eating healthy and exercising a lot,’ the teenage princess added.

Biographer Claudia de Breij revealed Amalia had a part-time job at a beachside cafe, feels self-conscious when she is recognised by members of the public and would pursue a career as a singer or equestrian – she is a keen jockey with a horse named Mojito – if she was not destined to be queen. 

However the young princess joined her parents for a two-week tour of the Dutch Caribbean Islands earlier this year – her first official tour of her career.

The trio travelled to Bonaire, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba to introduce Amalia to those parts of the Caribbean with links to The Netherlands.

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium

Princess Elisabeth is the eldest of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium’s four children.

The law was changed in 1991 so that the eldest child, regardless of whether they are a son or daughter, would be the next to inherit the throne. When her father became King in 2013, Elisabeth became the heir to the throne and Duchess of Brabant.

The young royal was also a former student of Atlantic College in Wales, obtaining her International Baccalaureate in 2020.

Princess Elisabeth, daughter of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, is heir to the Belgian throne

The eldest daughter of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, she is pictured with her parents and Princess Eleonore (far left) Prince Gabriel and Prince Emmanuel (far right)

The young royal, pictured on her 21st birthday last year, is another student of Atlantic College in Wales. She gained her International Baccalaureate in 2020

The law was changed in 1991 so that the eldest child inherits the throne regardless of gender

She then completed a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy which is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence: Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical.

In 2021, she was photographed at the Lagland camp in Arlon, where she marched in formation with her fellow cadets.

For the officer cadets of the Royal Military Academy, this camp is part of the last training phase for first year students, and constitutes part of the Initial Military Phase.  

That same year, Elizabeth took part in the National Day parade with her fellow students.

In October 2021, the Princess began studying History and Politics at Lincoln College, Oxford.

According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, the princess completed a written entrance exam in history ‘anonymously’ so that her social status would not affect her marks.

Elisabeth is believed to have chosen the course herself, in agreement with her parents, and reportedly consulted with graduates from various universities and made her decision based on what would be most useful to her in her role as queen later in life.

In October 2021, the Princess began studying History and Politics at Lincoln College, Oxford

She completed a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy

It is believed Elisabeth chose the course herself, in agreement with her parents

The high-achieving Princess, who is fluent in Dutch, French, German and English, continues to juggle her degree with military training back home.

Last year she spent the last weekend of her Easter holiday at a training course in Leopoldsburg, near the Dutch border.

Official photographs were released of the Princess for her 21st birthday who, if she ascends to the throne, will become the country’s first reigning Queen.

Elisabeth enjoys skiing, tennis, sailing and diving and spending time with her brothers Gabriel and Emmanuel and her sister Eléonore.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway

Second in line to the throne after her father, Princess Ingrid is the daughter of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and granddaughter of current ruler, King Harald V of Norway.

Ingrid Alexandra will become Norway’s second female monarch after her father secured her place in the line of succession by changing the law to allow first-born daughters to ascend the throne over their younger male siblings. 

The last Norwegian queen was 600 years ago: Queen Margaret reigned over Norway, Denmark and Sweden from the late 1380s until her death in 1412. 

Ingrid has a younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus and an older half-brother, Marius Borg Høiby, who is Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship.

In an attempt by her parents to give her as ordinary a childhood as possible, Ingrid Alexandra attended the same local primary school as her half-brother.

Newspaper reports said the princess would walk to school with Marius and school officials hoped to make it a place where she could make friends and enjoy some relief from public scrutiny.

She was later moved to a private international school in Oslo so she could become fluent in English and transferred to two more schools during her education.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra, pictured in 2022,  is in line to inherit the Norwegian crown

Norway’s Princess Ingrid Alexandra (front centre) poses for a family photo with (front L and R) Norway’s King Harald V and Norway’s Queen Sonja and (back LtoR) Marit Tjessem, Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, Norway’s Prince Sverre Magnus and Marius Borg Hoiby on the occasion of a gala dinner for her 18th birthday in Oslo on June 17, 2022.

Ingrid Alexandra attended the same local primary school as her half-brother, Marius Borg Høiby. Here she is pictured for National Day celebrations at the royal residence in Skaugum

The princess turned 18 at the start of last year and joined her grandfather, King Harald V, on the day for a cabinet meeting at the Royal Palace as she marked her coming of age.

In the next few years, she will increase her public profile and take on more responsibilities on behalf of the royal family but will continue to focus on her education, said the palace in a statement on her 18th birthday.

The pandemic meant that formal celebrations for the princess’s birthday were postponed. But she later held a glamorous party in June 2022 to mark the event in style.

A host of European royals were invited, including Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and King Felipe VI of Spain – all of whom are godparents of the princess, with their spouses.

A group of young princesses also enjoyed the party, including Princess Estelle of Sweden, Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium – all of whom are also in line to inherit the throne in their respective countries.

In 2021, the princess visited a female-only squadron of the army to learn more about their work and co-piloted a plane during a tour of a Norwegian air force base

She was moved to a private international school in Oslo so she could become fluent in English. Pictured with Manchester City’s Norwegian star  Erling Haaland for a friendly game

Back in 2018, Ingrid Alexandra William and Kate a tour of a sculpture park in the palace gardens while they visited Norway

Ingrid Alexandra has taken part in a number of public engagements, including opening a public sculpture park within the palace gardens in her name in 2016 to mark the 25th anniversary of King Harald V’s reign.

She was shown given Prince William and Kate a tour of the sculpture park while they visited Norway in 2018.

The royal also toured several army and air force bases in Norway to learn more about the country’s armed forces. When she ascends the throne, she will become commandant of Norway’s armies.

In 2021, she visited a female-only squadron of the army to learn more about their work and co-piloted a plane during a tour of a royal air force base.

Sitting in the backseat of an F-16 fighter jet, the teenage princess observed as a trained pilot flew it away from the base, and later was allowed to control it briefly during a flight over Northern Norway.

She was also a bridesmaid at the wedding of her godmother, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, in 2010. 

Aside from her royal duties, Ingrid Alexandra enjoys skiing, boxer and surfer, winning a gold medal in the Norwegian surfing championship for juniors in October 2020.

Princess Estelle of Sweden

Born in 2012, Princess Estelle is the eldest grandchild of King Carl XVI Gustaf and the eldest child of heir to the throne, Crown Princess Victoria.

As Estelle was the firstborn child of the heir to the throne, her birth in Solna was celebrated with two rounds of twenty-one gun salutes.

She has a collection of royal godparents, including King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.

The princess previously attended a pre-school near Stockholm which followed the Ur and Skur outdoor teaching methods to focus on the natural world.

She now attends Campus Manilla in Stockholm where she was joined last year by her younger brother, Prince Oscar.

The 1979 Act of Succession means that Estelle, as the eldest child, will inherit the throne rather than her younger brother and is now second in line to the throne after her mother.

The law, which came into effect some time ago (on 1 January 1980) had also meant that Estelle’s mother, Crown Princess Victoria, became heir to the throne when she was two years old – a title which was stripped from her younger brother, Carl Philip, at the time.

Eleven-year old Princess Estelle is the eldest grandchild of King Carl XVI Gustaf and the eldest child of heir to the Swedish throne, Crown Princess Victoria

The King of Sweden has said he felt it ‘wasn’t fair’ that his daughter was made to heir-to-the-throne when a change in succession laws happened in 1980 – stripping his son of his position as King in waiting (pictured, Crown Princess Victoria with the King, and her daughter Princess Estelle)  

The princess is second in line to the throne after her mother (pictured with her father Prince Daniel, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and her younger brother Prince Oscar)

The princess, pictured in 2022, had previously attended a pre-school near Stockholm which followed the Ur and Skur outdoor teaching methods to focus on the natural world

She now attends Campus Manilla in Stockholm where she was joined last year by her younger brother. Estelle is pictured here with her family on Swedish National Day

The young Princess Estelle regularly makes appearances with mother Crown Princess Victoria and father Daniel Westling. Westling, Victoria’s personal trainer, married her in 2010

Reflecting on the change in an interview with local news channel SVT earlier this year, Estelle’s grandfather King Carl Gustaf said he felt it had been unfair to apply the new law to his children after they were already born. 

‘It’s tricky to have laws that work retroactively. It doesn’t seem wise,’ he said.

‘You can accept the next generation – that’s okay. But it was my son who was born, and they got rid of it all,’ he said, adding: ‘It’s quite strange. You can’t do that.’

When the interviewer asked him if it had been unfair to strip his son of his title after he’d already been born, he replied: ‘Yes, I think so.’

The young Princess Estelle regularly makes appearances with her mother Crown Princess Victoria and her father Daniel Westling, who was Victoria’s personal trainer and married the royal in 2010.

She carried out her first royal engagement in 2014 at just two years old when she opened a ‘fairytale path’ at Linköping Castle.

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