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ROYAL FAMILY

Princess Leonor, Spain’s future queen, to attend boarding school in Wales

Princess Leonor, heir to the Spanish throne, will attend boarding school at a medieval castle in Wales, the royal household said on Wednesday.

Published: 10 February 2021 14:24 CET
Princess Leonor, Spain's future queen, to attend boarding school in Wales
Photo: AFP

The 15-year-old daughter of King Felipe will begin her International Baccalaureate in the autumn at the UWC Atlantic College, located 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of Cardiff, it said in a statement.

The school, housed at the 12th-century St Donat’s Castle, is one of 18 United World Colleges (UWC) that span from Canada to Swaziland.   

Founded by German educationalist Kurt Hahn, UWC schools blend rigorous education and community service and are “characterised by their open and critical spirit”, the statement said.

The two terms at the school will cost £67,000 (76,500 euros, $92,000) which will be covered by the annual allowance that King Felipe and his wife Letizia receive from the state, it added.

With students selected on merit and most on scholarships, UWC schools are funded by governments, ex-students and philanthropists.   

Their alumni include fellow royals like King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and the Belgian heir to the throne, Princess Elisabeth.

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WORKING IN SWEDEN

Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

The King’s mounted Royal Guards will no longer be able to wear their iconic ceremonial helmets on parades, after the Swedish Work Environment Authority warned of serious safety concerns.

Published: 7 July 2023 13:53 CEST
Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

“We take the safety of our employees extremely seriously and we are going to address this immediately,” colonel Stefan Nacksten, head of the Royal Guards, wrote in a statement. 

Employed by the Armed Forces, the Royal Guards are the King’s cavalry and infantry units and are a well-known sight at ceremonies in Sweden, including at the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace of Stockholm every day in summer – a popular spectacle for Stockholmers and tourists alike.

The helmets will no longer be used by Royal Guards on horseback from July 7th, as they do not conform to safety standards for riding helmets, although guards parading on foot will still be permitted to wear them.

They are part of the 1895 parade uniforms and were last modified in 2000. The Armed Forces will now create an entirely new helmet which looks the part, but is also safe for riding.

“We’re working on finding an alternative solution as quickly as possible which meets safety requirements and can also be used during parades,” Nacksten said.

“We’ve been working long-term with this issue but now that it has been assessed [by the Swedish Work Environment Authority] we need to take measures immediately,” he added.

“This is good, and now we’re working to make sure something good comes out of this and we can get a safe riding helmet for parades in place as soon as possible.”

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