The actual princesses of Europe have been preparing for their
royal destinies since birth. So, which princess is preparing for a possible
end of the monarchy? Europe is in the hands of these future queens.
Princess Victoria was born in 1977 but has been heir to the Swedish
throne since 1980. Her father, Carl XVI Gustaf, assumed the throne in 1973,
but Princess Victoria's younger brother Carl Philip was initially named his heir.
However, when succession laws changed to permit women to take the throne,
the princess was named heir apparent. The king later said he felt it was
unfair that his son was stripped of his title as heir, but added that Princess
Victoria would be an excellent queen, telling local Swedish news channel SVT:
When it comes to her education, after going to several schools in Sweden,
the princess studied French at the Catholic University of the West's International Centre
of French Studies. She also studied political science and history at Yale University in
the U.S. before completing a degree in conflict resolution and international
peace promotion at Uppsala University in Sweden. Princess Victoria even completed
military training with the Swedish Armed Forces according to the Swedish Royal Court.
Princess Victoria is married to Daniel Westling and the couple has two children,
Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar. As for her future as queen, the princess
is committed to the role. As she once said in an interview to Sweden’s News Agency, TT:
Second in line to the Swedish throne is Princess Victoria's eldest daughter,
Princess Estelle. Born in 2012, the young princess will likely assume the
throne after her mother. According to the official website of the Swedish Royal Court,
Princess Estelle attended a preschool near Stockholm that focused on outdoor education
and nature appreciation. As her mother, Princess Victoria explained in an interview with Svenskdam:
She then went to preschool and primary school at Campus Manilla in Stockholm.
As Princess Victoria told Svenskdam, she has tried to involve Princess
Estelle in her royal duties since she was young, just as her parents did with her.
Even as a young child, Princess Estelle showed interest. During
Princess Victoria’s 2017 trip to Japan, she explained to Svenskdam:
Princess Leonor, the eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain,
is currently first in line to the throne. According to Hello! magazine,
she will be the nation's first queen since the 1800s. Born in 2005, Princess Leonor is quickly
becoming one of the most stylish young princesses in Europe according to Tatler.
Princess Leonor gave her first speech on her 13th birthday, and since then,
she has appeared at several events and made several royal appearances.
For instance, during the coronavirus pandemic, she and her younger sister released a video
thanking healthcare workers for their hard work. In December 2022, the princess also
made an appearance in Madrid, where she met Red Cross volunteers according to the Daily Mail.
She is currently studying at UWC Atlantic College in Wales where she is taking part in
the International Baccalaureate program to finish off her high school according to Hello! magazine.
Princess Ingrid of Norway is currently second in line to the throne. Her father,
Crown Prince Haakon, is set to assume the throne after his father, King Harald V. Since her birth,
Princess Ingrid has been included in important Norwegian royal events,
attending the annual Constitution Day children's parade and celebrating World Environment Day.
In 2016, Princess Ingrid lit the flame at the opening ceremony of the Youth Olympics
in Lillehammer. For her 18th birthday, Princess Ingrid was given an office at
the palace in preparation to take on a more active role as a royal. Her
interests reportedly include the environment and sports as reported by The Royal House of Norway.
In her first interview with NRK, Norway’s state TV channel, Princess Ingrid opened up about her
life as a future queen, and how learning to be a queen isn't always easy, saying:
Nevertheless, she explained that she was excited about the opportunity to
rule and realized her opportunity to do a lot with the cards she’s been dealt.
Princess Catharina-Amalia, known as Princess of Orange, is next in line
to the throne in The Netherlands as the eldest child of King Willem-Alexander.
Born in 2003, the Dutch princess was a member of the student council at school and a participant
in the Model United Nations of the International School of The Hague. After graduating from high
school, she took a gap year to volunteer at the Orange Fund, an independent charity organization.
In September 2022, Princess Catharina-Amalia moved to Amsterdam to study politics, psychology, law,
and economics at the University of Amsterdam according to the Royal House of The Netherlands.
While Princess Catharina-Amalia is next in line for the Dutch throne, it may be many
years before she takes on the role. In fact, in a 2021 biography, the princess revealed that she
didn't yet feel ready and that if her father were to die suddenly, she would want her mother to step
into the role first. Princess Catharina-Amalia is also willing to accept the possibility that
the monarchy may be abolished in the years to come, saying in her biography titled, ‘Amalia’:
Nevertheless, her mother Queen Máxima believes that she'll
eventually be ready, as she explained in an interview with Hello! magazine:
The final future European queen is Princess Elisabeth of Belgium.
As the daughter of King Philippe, she is first in line to the throne. Born in 2001,
Princess Elisabeth has been preparing to assume the throne for most of her life.
She attended a Dutch-speaking high school in Brussels before completing a year at the Royal
Military Academy in Belgium. She then went on to study history and politics at Oxford University.
According to the official website of The Belgian Monarchy, her hobbies range from skiing and tennis
to traveling and reading. She can also speak Dutch, French, German, and English fluently.
For her 18th birthday, the princess gave a speech in which she announced her plans
to prepare for assuming the throne, saying: