In the fall of 2025, 19-year-old Princess Sofia, the second daughter of the Spanish royal family, officially began her university life in Paris, France. Diverging from the traditional path of European royals who favor centuries-old prestigious universities like Oxford or Harvard, she chose an atypical study abroad route: enrolling as a commoner under a pseudonym at Forward College, an innovative institution founded just five years ago, and moving into a standard student dormitory with a monthly rent of 700 euros.
Undercover Commoner Enrollment
When applying to Forward College, Princess Sofia did not use her prominent royal title. Instead, she completed the exact same interview process as ordinary applicants under the civilian name “Sofia de Borbón y Ortiz”. The school’s founder, Boris Walbaum, revealed that it took the school several weeks after the semester started to realize that this female student, who interacted actively in class and made Spanish potato omelets in the communal kitchen after school, was actually the second in line to the Spanish throne.
Although the royal family requested that the princess be treated as a regular student, absolute “normalcy” is hard to fully achieve. The Spanish royal family still provided her with close personal security, though the security protocol was strictly limited to an “absolutely low-profile” state, to the point where even some faculty members were unaware of the security detail.
15-Square-Meter University City Life
Regarding accommodation, Princess Sofia moved into a student building located within the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris in the 14th arrondissement. Her personal room is only about 15 square meters, with extremely basic furnishings: a single bed, a desk, a simple wardrobe, and a small but fully equipped en-suite bathroom.
The monthly rent for the room is 700 euros, which is considered mid-range in the Parisian student housing market. Despite the compact room, relying on the public resources of the university city, she can share the 34-hectare campus facilities with ordinary students, including libraries, theaters, and swimming pools, completely detached from the traditional royal provisions of private butlers and chef services.
Innovative Education and Royal “Hands-Off” Strategy
Forward College, chosen by Sofia, is a highly experimental educational institution. The school partners with the London School of Economics (LSE) to award degrees, and its three-year undergraduate program spans three cities: Lisbon, Paris, and Berlin. The school abandons traditional lecture halls in favor of a 15-person small-class “flipped classroom” model, with an annual tuition of 18,000 euros (excluding accommodation).
Behind this choice of study abroad is the meticulous planning of her mother, Queen Letizia. According to analysis by Spanish media, Queen Letizia personally oversaw the details of the school selection and accommodation but deliberately avoided accompanying her daughter during registration, intending to cultivate her independence. This strategy of “letting go while keeping a close eye” is seen by outsiders as the royal family’s modern solution to the “second child dilemma,” aiming to pave a development path for Sofia that retains royal dignity while offering relative freedom.
Leading the New Trend in European Royal Education
Princess Sofia’s educational path is triggering a “bandwagon effect” in European royal circles. After finishing her high school studies at UWC Atlantic College in Wales, she turned to this “laboratory” model focusing on interdisciplinary education such as political science, data science, and psychology. In August 2026, Prince Sverre Magnus, second in line to the Norwegian throne, similarly applied under a civilian name, stood out from 2,500 applicants, and successfully enrolled in Forward College’s Lisbon campus.
Observers point out that the “second children” of modern European royal families are weaving their own “soft diplomacy” networks through these innovative, cross-country study abroad experiences. From being a quiet supporting figure behind her older sister Leonor to demonstrating poised elegance in a public speech in Zaragoza in July 2026, independent life in Paris is clearly profoundly reshaping this young Spanish princess.
