Sofía was born at the Ruber International Hospital in Madrid during the reign of her paternal grandfather,
King Juan Carlos I. She has received the same education as her sister, being educated at the Santa María de los Rosales School and, in 2023, she started an
International Baccalaureate at the
UWC Atlantic College in
Wales, United Kingdom.
Early life and family
Infanta Sofía was born on 29 April 2007 at 16:50 (
CET) at the Ruber International Hospital in
Madrid by means of a
caesarean section, two days after due date.[2] Like her elder sister, her birth was announced by the royal family to the press via
SMS.[3] It was announced that her
umbilical cordstem cells would be sent to a European private bank in Belgium and to a Spanish public one.[4][5] The parents, then the
Prince and
Princess of Asturias, did the same with Leonor's cells: they were taken to a private center in Arizona, which caused controversy in Spain.[6]
Sofía was named after her paternal grandmother,
Queen Sofía. She was christened on 15 July by the Archbishop of Madrid,
Antonio María Rouco Varela, in the gardens of the
Palacio de la Zarzuela.[7] Her godparents are Paloma Rocasolano (her maternal grandmother) and Konstantin, Prince of Vidin. Like her sister, she was given one name, with the additional name of de Todos los Santos (of All the Saints), at her christening, a Bourbon tradition.[8]
She received her
First Communion on 17 May 2017 at the parish Asunción de Nuestra Señora, and was accompanied by her parents, her older sister, her grandparents, her maternal great-grandmother
Menchu Álvarez del Valle, her step-grandmother Ana Togores, and her godfather Konstantin-Assen of Bulgaria, Prince of Vidin.[9][10] On 23 May 2023, she received the sacrament of confirmation.[11]
Education
Like her older sister, in 2009 Sofía started her education at the Escuela Infantil Guardia Real, the daycare for the children of the
Spanish Royal Guard.[12] On 13 September 2010, she began her first year of primary school at the Santa María de los Rosales School in Madrid.[13] In August 2023, she began studying a 2-year
International Baccalaureate program at the
UWC Atlantic College in the
Vale of Glamorgan,
Wales.[14]
Activities
As Infanta of Spain, it is very common to see her in official events with her parents and sister, such as the opening of Parliament, the
National Day parade or the
Princess of Asturias Award and Princess of Girona Award ceremonies. At the age of 3, she attended her first event, an official reception at the
Royal Palace on the occasion of the victory of the
Spanish national football team in the
2010 FIFA World Cup.[15]
While her sister was studying abroad, she took center stage by accompanying her parents to different events, such as the 2021[16] and 2022[17]National Day parades or the
2023 Copa del Rey final.[18]
Since her birth, Sofía has been an
Infanta of Spain, with the style of
Royal Highness. Although with the same dignity and status as a
prince, Sofia does not hold the title of
princess, because in Spain only the heir to the Crown is allowed to carry that title.[26]
Sofía's full title is: Her Royal Highness Infanta
Doña Sofia.[27]