The Infanta Sofia's Current Events and General News Thread


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

An Ard Ri

Super Moderator
Site Team
Joined
Jun 30, 2009
Messages
45,340
City
An Iarmhí
Country
Ireland
The Infanta Sofia's Current Events and General News Thread

Welcome to the Infanta Sofia's Current Events and General News Thread, commencing September 2023.
Please keep this Thread on Topic.​

157px-Coat_of_Infanta_Sof%C3%ADa_of_Spain.svg.png



Off Topic or Disruptive Posts will be Deleted
Please follow the
TRF Rules when posting
 
very grown up photo she looks adorable

I bet she is a good student
 
I'm sure she is a good student and an excellent athlete, the whole package :) Will be interesting to see what her role in the monarchy will be in a few years. She doesnt come across as a person that will only sit around.
 
“Heritage Objective”: H.R.H. Infanta Sofía sponsors the new National Heritage photography contest

HRH Infanta Sofía sponsors the contest and will be in charge of presenting the prizes.
To participate, photographs must be published on the INSTAGRAM social network citing National Heritage (@PatrimNacional) and mentioning #OBJETIVOPATRIMONIO.

 
Wonderful first solo event for! I hope to see her also in more sport related engagements.
 
Is Sofía interested in photography? If so, it is indeed a great first solo event but I am. ot aware of any special interest of the infanta in this area.
 
Quoted from Toledo from another thread

given the shortage of royals within the SRF I am really curious what Sofia will do after Wales, if she's allowed to do 'normal' studies or will be guided towards an education more useful for the Crown, eg do military education like her sister or study a subject like law or economics.
The Spanish Royal Family is now almost reduced to three people able to travel long trips, king and queen and now Leonor. Queen Sofia is now at a stage that she needs to slow down, but she still covers social events that are not so intense. And princess Sofia is not even ready until she follows the steps of Leonor, since if something happened to the king, she would be the new princess of Asturias.

The king's sisters are out of representing him since they are no longer working royals. Until Leonor and Sofia age a bit and become more involved in activities the heavy representation duties fall on Felipe and Letizia.

When I read comments from fellow Spaniards in some of the twitter links complaining on Felipe's trips, reminds me he is as head of state, and the queen, are covering same exact duties as a president and first lady in any republic. And no one ever complains.

But in the case of a monarchy the king and queen are not just covering representation duties but embodying a direct line from the king of Asturias that started to recover the peninsula, microstate by microstate over a millennia ago. No elected president or first lady can even come close to the historical relevance of a royal family's duty to the country their ancestors basically formed into one nation.

In private industries no one ever complains when the company passes from parent to child, they don't see they too copy the monarchy system at a family level.
 
Imo shortage on royals is a good thing as long as the three main players all are in working age and healthy, as we see in every royal family, more is not merrier. It only creates problems, best thing for Sofia is to get a proper education that she has real interest in that she can do useful work with and support herself. As we have seen many times the heirs turn out fine and with a sense of duty but the spares creates alot of trouble if they have no real purpose in life.
 
According to this blog Sofia will do one year of military training after finishing school next year. I am not sure what the source of this news is.
 
According to this blog Sofia will do one year of military training after finishing school next year. I am not sure what the source of this news is.
This information must be based on rumors on social media or in the Spanish press itself. Nothing has yet been confirmed by the royal house.
 
In December, Infanta Sofía will preside "Heritage Objective. Infanta Sofia Photography Contest", a new competition that Patrimonio Nacional has created in her name and which seeks to share images of the assets owned by the State that come from the legacy of the Crown.

 
Infanta Sofía will present the “Objetivo Patrimonio, Infanta Sofía Photography Competition” Photography Awards, organized by National Heritage.

Live:

More photos:


Other video:
 
Infanta Sofía will present the “Objetivo Patrimonio, Infanta Sofía Photography Competition” Photography Awards, organized by National Heritage.
Photos



 
Last edited:

A big year for Infanta Sofia - 18 in April, graduation in Wales in May, what comes after this?
Unlike her sister, I don't see military training as part of Sofia's future. Most likely then, it will be university after the IB.

The question is whether she will return to Spain or do her bachelor's degree abroad (maybe in an English-speaking country such as the UK or the US?). Being the spare, I suppose the Infanta will have more freedom than her sister to make her own choices regarding hrer education.
 
Last edited:
Both King Felipe and his sisters studied at Spanish universities, and Leonor and Sofia will follow that path, first in Spain and then a Master's degree abroad.

It may be understandable that they study one or two years abroad because it is a necessary part of their education and allows them to live their youth with a little more freedom, but spending 6 or 8 years studying abroad would be seen as something strange that distances them from the knowledge and understanding of what is happening in their country.

There is a part of the role of royalty that cannot be learned at a university in Great Britain or the United States, no matter how prestigious it may be... and that is getting to know your country, its citizens, its customs, who is who in society and how the State works. Hence the need to find a balance between studying in Spain and abroad.
 
Clearly Elena & Cristina wouldnt have done military training back then, different time and it certainly wasnt straight forward for women back then. But now? I am curious if they will do a limited version of Sofia in the military, it would send a great message, but not sure if this makes sense as it has to be tailor made for her.

Other than that I agree with lula they will not alter Felipes way, it will be study in Spain and a master abroad.
 
The approach may depend on the university studies that Infanta Sofía chooses. Princess Leonor has entered the officers' school without a previous university degree, and her classmates study university degrees within the army. But there is also the possibility of accessing the officers' school once you graduate from certain university degrees, and the military training would be shorter.

She could also undergo training as a voluntary army reservist.
 
Why did I think it had been announced by the royal house that Sofia was to complete a 1 year long military introduction I the armed forces following her time in school at Wales
 
I don't think Infanta Sofía has to follow her father's footsteps, she's not the heir, she should've freedom to follow her own path.
 
Both King Felipe and his sisters studied at Spanish universities, and Leonor and Sofia will follow that path, first in Spain and then a Master's degree abroad.

It may be understandable that they study one or two years abroad because it is a necessary part of their education and allows them to live their youth with a little more freedom, but spending 6 or 8 years studying abroad would be seen as something strange that distances them from the knowledge and understanding of what is happening in their country.

There is a part of the role of royalty that cannot be learned at a university in Great Britain or the United States, no matter how prestigious it may be... and that is getting to know your country, its citizens, its customs, who is who in society and how the State works. Hence the need to find a balance between studying in Spain and abroad.
Infanta Cristina's children went to university in England. I don't see why Infanta Sofia couldn't do it either if she wants to.

Again, I hope she is free to choose where she will go to school and that she is not bound by poltical constraints or outdated nationalist ideas that do not make sense in a globalized world.
 
Infanta Cristina's children went to university in England. I don't see why Infanta Sofia couldn't do it either if she wants to.

Again, I hope she is free to choose where she will go to school and that she is not bound by poltical constraints or outdated nationalist ideas that do not make sense in a globalized world.
But Infanta Cristina's children have no official duties, and are the King's family and not members of the royal family.
I believe that Infanta Sofia will go to university in Spain and then a master's degree abroad. Of course, her opinion counts, but she will also be advised on what she should do.
 
Sofía's position is not to be envied. She has to dedicate her life to the monarchy for the duration of her father's reign, i.e., until her sister ascends the throne than she will be cast away as 'no longer part of the royal family' (and therefore irrelevant) like her aunts. Nonetheless, both girls seem rather dutiful, so I expect her to follow the expectations put forward by her parents. Whether that includes a year (or longer) in the military will have to be seen but I wouldn't be surprised. It most likely includes university study both in Spain and abroad.
 
Sofía's position is not to be envied. She has to dedicate her life to the monarchy for the duration of her father's reign, i.e., until her sister ascends the throne than she will be cast away as 'no longer part of the royal family' (and therefore irrelevant) like her aunts. Nonetheless, both girls seem rather dutiful, so I expect her to follow the expectations put forward by her parents. Whether that includes a year (or longer) in the military will have to be seen but I wouldn't be surprised. It most likely includes university study both in Spain and abroad.
I think Felipe and Letizia want Infanta Sofía to work for the Royal House and have a role, and if everything goes well for the monarchy, she can continue with that role even when Leonor is queen. I doubt they want to do the same thing to Infanta Sofía as they did to Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina.
 
I don't think that's up to Felipe and Letizia. I understood that the removal from the Casa Real was 'automatic' and not necessarily a decision by the king (although I am not sure where the membership of the Casa Real is regulated). If there is any role left for a member of the king's family who is not an official member of the royal house is up to the then queen, not the former king.
 
Last edited:
The Spanish monarchy is new, flexible, and adapting. Felipe explicitly stated Sofia’s role will be to "help [Leonor]", which is more than we hear of spares in most countries and doesn’t sound as though they’re planning to cut her loose.

I am sure Sofia is fine with not having to be queen and having a touch more freedom so those are points to envy right there.

It just remains to be seen whether the “help” is official or unofficial, or even both.
 
Back
Top Bottom