Royal kids being primed as Kings and Queens – ‘Hippie Hogwarts’ pupil and surf champ
Prince George has begun taking his first steps into royal life after turning nine last month – and there are also a group of youngsters across Europe who are also being prepped to become Kings or Queens of their countries one day
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New photograph marks Prince George’s ninth birthday
Prince George turned nine last month – and there are already signs he is being primed to be a future King.
This year he has hit several royal milestones – from attending the annual royal Easter church service to riding in a carriage at Trooping the Colour. He’s also made his first appearance at Wimbledon, completed his first royal engagement with his parents and played a pivotal role in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. But he’s not the only one being prepared for a life of royal service – several kids across Europe will also one day be King or Queen of their own countries.
Prince George with his great-grandmother the Queen
Image:
( UK Press via Getty Images)
Here we take a look at the royal youngsters who have very important futures ahead…
Princess Leonor of Spain
She may only be 16, but Princess Leonor of Spain is already heir to the Spanish throne.
Leonor is the oldest child of King Felipe and Queen Letizia and has a younger sister, Princess Sofia.
She was bumped up the line of succession in 2014 when her grandfather King Juan Carlos abdicated and her father took the crown.
Princess Leonor who is heir to the Spanish throne
Image:
( Getty Images)
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Already, Leonor has carried out several solo engagements and three years ago, gave her first speech.
Last year, she was pictured saying an emotional goodbye to her family as she flew off to start college in the UK.
She is spending two years studying at the UWC Atlantic College in Llantwit Major, Wales, which has been dubbed the ‘Hippie Hogwarts’.
Leonor says goodbye to her parents King Felipe, Queen Letizia and sister Princess Sofia before starting school in Wales
Image:
( Getty Images)
UWC Atlantic College is set in the 12th century St Donat’s Castle on the southern Welsh coast and campus facilities include a library, woodland, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, and classrooms within historic buildings.
Students are offered activities and subjects like Tai Chi, leadership and Tibetan literature alongside traditional classes.
It was founded in 1962 by German educationalist Kurt Hahn, who also set up Gordonstoun boarding school in Scotland, where Prince Charles and Prince Philip attended.
Prince Jacques of Monaco
Prince Albert of Monaco with his young twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella and wife Princess Charlene
Image:
( Getty Images)
The youngster set to one day take over the Monaco throne is seven-year-old Prince Jacques.
He is the son of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco and also has a twin sister Princess Gabriella.
The twins were born in 2014 at the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco with Gabriella arriving two minutes before her brother.
Despite being slightly younger, Jacques is in fact heir to the Monaco throne due to preference being given to males.
The twins also have an older half-brother and half-sister from their father’s previous relationships. However, as Albert never married their mothers, they are not in Monaco’s line of succession.
Like most kids his age, Jacques had been attending school and last September he and Gabriella were taken for their first day at the private L’Institution François d’Assise-Nicolas Barré school by Albert and looked smart in their uniforms.
Jacques and Gabriella with their aunts Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie
Image:
( POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
However, in December, Albert revealed he was temporarily pulling the twins out of school so they could study at home instead.
Like young royals in other countries, Jacques and Gabriella have only made rare public appearances. These have included on the balcony of the Prince’s Palace on Monaco’s national day each December.
The past year has been a particularly difficult one for the young prince as he spent large periods of time separated from mum Charlene.
Charlene travelled to her home country of South Africa last year but suffered an ear, nose and throat infection while she was there. She had to undergo surgery and was unable to travel back to Monaco, forcing her apart from her children.
Charlene eventually returned to Monaco in early November and her reunion with her children was described as being “filled with joy and emotion”.
Princess Estelle of Sweden
Princess Estelle – second-in-line to the Swedish throne
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( Getty Images)
Estelle with her mum Crown Princess Victoria and brother Prince Oscar
Image:
( Getty)
Princess Estelle is second-in-line to the Swedish throne and is just 10 years old – a year older than Prince George.
Her parents are heir to the Swedish throne Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel while she has a younger brother Prince Oscar. Her grandfather is King Carl XVI Gustaf.
She is the first female in Swedish history to be born with the right to inherit the crown due to a change in primogeniture laws.
She’s made several high-profile public appearances and currently attends the Campus Manilla School in Stockholm.
Princess Ingrid-Alexandra of Norway
Princess Ingrid Alexandra during her summer holidays in 2020
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( LISE ASERUD/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Princess Ingrid-Alexandra will become Norway’s second female monarch when she ascends the throne.
She is second-in-the line of succession behind her father Crown Prince Haakon, whose father is King Harald.
Ingrid-Alexandra has an older half-brother as her mum Crown Princess Mette-Marit has a son from a previous relationship. She also has a younger brother Prince Sverre Magnus.
The 18-year-old has made many public appearances – and in 2010 was a bridesmaid for her godmother Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
She also gave a guided tour of the Palace Park in Oslo to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they were in Norway on an official visit in 2018.
The sporty princess is also known as an avid surfer and even won a gold medal at the Norwegian surfing championships for juniors in 2020.
Prince Christian of Denmark
Prince Christian of Denmark with his parents Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary
Image:
( Getty Images)
The second-in-line to the Danish throne is 16-year-old Prince Christian – the oldest child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary and a grandson of Queen Margrethe.
As a young boy, he became the first Danish royal to attend nursery school and later the first royal to attend a public state school.
He has carried out several royal engagements with his parents – and earlier this year attended a memorial alongside his father for the victims of the Copenhagen Mall shooting in June.
Christian had been attending the prestigious boarding school Herlufsholm, south of Copenhagen – however, earlier this summer his parents pulled him out of the school after it was hit with bullying allegations.
They also revealed that their daughter Princess Isabella, 15, would not join the school as planned after the summer holidays.
It came as the school, described as Denmark’s version of Eton, was the subject of a TV documentary in the country where former pupils alleged they were subject to bullying and abuse.
After it was broadcast, the school’s head teacher was sacked and his successor issued an “unreserved” apology. Prince Christian was not in any way connected to the allegations.
Princess Catharina-Amalia of The Netherlands
Princess Catharina-Amalia with her dad King Willem-Alexander
Image:
( WireImage)
Princess Catharina-Amalia has been heir to the throne in the Netherlands since 2013 when her father King Willem-Alexander became King.
She has two younger sisters Princess Alexia, who attends the same school as Princess Leonor of Spain, and Princess Ariane.
Catharina-Amalia, 18, graduated from school last summer and is currently on a gap year.
Last year, it was revealed that the princess would be turning down a €1.6 million (£1.4 million) yearly allowance she would be entitled to when she turned 18.
She wrote a letter to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, saying she will not accept any money until she takes up royal duties.
Catharina-Amalia said she would feel uncomfortable with receiving a high amount of money and not giving back to her country.
She also said other students have had a tougher time than her during the coronavirus pandemic, so she decided to reject the allowance.
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