ARCHIVED - Spanish princess to be sent to school in Wales

The Royal Family have announced that their oldest daughter will be going to UWC Atlantic College, an independent, international, residential sixth form college in the Vale of Glamorgan

Princess Leonor, Princess of Asturias, will be continuing her studies with an International Baccalaureate at the UWC (United World Colleges) Atlantic College in Wales, the Spanish Royal Family announced in a press release on Wednesday (10 February). The family will be covering the 67,000 pounds the heir to the throne’s two years at the college will cost with their annual allowance.

The Princess has undergone the selection process the Spanish UWC Committee demands, which consists of an anonymous pre-selection stage and a final stage with various tests carried out remotely, just like every other candidate.

The academic programme will be spread over two school years (2021-2022 and 2022-2023) and includes a range of academic subjects as well as theory of knowledge, an investigation topic, a creative programme (drama, music, art, etc.), sports and a community service (support at local schools, work with disabled children or elderly people, first aid, coastal and forest maintenance or environmental activities, for example).

Princess Leonor is due to travel to the college in Wales to take up her place at the end of August or the beginning of September. She will be boarding on the campus with her fellow students, in houses with students from similar backgrounds along with teachers and college staff.

UWC is a global group which aims to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future by delivering a challenging and transformational education to more than 9,000 students each year, and has no religious or political leanings. The candidates accepted are intentionally diverse: a UWC college, the press release from the Royal Family reported, may have students of up to 80 nationalities at a time, from different classes. They are selected for their abilities and potential, and their financial situation is not a determining aspect with approximately 75% of students receiving total or partial scholarships.

During her time at the residential college, the princess will continue to fulfil her institutional commitments in Spain.

Image: The King and Queen, together with Princess Leonor (The Princess of Asturias) and her sister the Infanta Sofía at the Reunión del Patronato de la Fundación Princesa de Girona. Casa de S.M. el Rey