The future is female: 5 European princesses to inherit the throne

Currently, only men are ruling in Europe. But women are next in line for the throne in several European countries.

Five countries are ready to see women ascend to their thrones in the coming decades. Today, OBOZ.UA will tell you about the future queens of Sweden, Spain, Belgium, Norway, and the Netherlands.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden and the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, was born in 1977. Victoria is to become the fourth Queen of Sweden and the first female ruler of the country since the early 18th century.

Victoria has studied in France, the United States and Sweden, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from Uppsala University. She has also worked in various government agencies and completed basic military training in the Swedish Armed Forces.

In 2010, Victoria married Swedish fitness trainer Daniel Westling, now known as Crown Prince Daniel. They have two children: Princess Estelle, 11, and Prince Oscar, 7. Estelle is the second in line of succession after her mother, the first Swedish princess to be appointed heir from birth. Until 1980, boys were in the line of succession to the crown even if they had older sisters. Carl XVI Gustaf, for example, became king in 1973 even though he has four older sisters. The law changed when the Swedish parliament passed the 1979 Act of Succession to promote gender equality in royalty.

Princess Leonor of Spain

Leonor is the eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who also have a younger daughter, Sofia. However, Leonor is not the undisputed heir to the country: in Spain, primogeniture remains at the center of inheritance law. She is considered a likely heir because she could be displaced if her parents have a son. However, given that the king and queen are now in their fifties, the chances of a prince coming into the family are becoming less obvious. So, Leonor is likely to become the first reigning queen of Spain since Isabella II, who ruled in the mid-19th century.

Since her 18th birthday, Leonor has spoken at public events on behalf of the royal family on numerous occasions. The princess made her first speech at the age of 13 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution.

The Princess completed a two-year high school course at UWC Atlantic College in Wales. And now she is undergoing military training, which will last 3 years. The princess is following the same path as her father, who underwent similar training before becoming king. It is expected that after completing military training, she will receive a higher education.

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium

Princess Elisabeth will make history ascending the throne as the country's first reigning queen. Ten years before she was born, the law was changed to allow for female succession, and she will be the first to benefit from this change. If the law had not been passed, her younger brother, Prince Gabriel, would have become the next king. So now 23-year-old Princess Elisabeth, the eldest daughter of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde (the royal couple has four children in total: two sons and two daughters), has been preparing for the role of the first Queen of Belgium since her teenage years.

After graduation, she completed a year of military training at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels, following in the footsteps of other heirs to the throne. She is currently studying at Lincoln's College, University of Oxford, where she was a member of the rowing team. Elizabeth is a confident public speaker who has been practicing since she was a little girl: her first speech was at the age of nine when she opened a children's hospital named after her. Her fans also praise her taste in clothing and rush to buy what she wears, comparing Elizabeth to the Princess of Wales.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway

Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20, is second in line to the throne of Norway after her father, Crown Prince Haakon. She is expected to become the second queen of Norway, although she will be the first female monarch of Norwegian descent. Since Norway amended its constitution in 1990 to respect absolute primogeniture, Ingrid Alexandra is eligible to receive the crown ahead of her younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus.

The princess attended a local public elementary school with her older brother. However, a few years later, the Norwegian royal family announced that Ingrid Alexandra was moving to a private English-language international school in Oslo. This choice was made in order to improve the princess's English language skills. In 2020, Ingrid began further studies at Elvebakken High School in Oslo, graduating in 2023. In early 2024, Ingrid Alexandra began a 12-month military training in the engineering battalion of the Nord Brigade. When she ascends to the throne, she will become the commander of the Norwegian army.

In her spare time, the princess enjoys surfing, skiing and kickboxing. In 2020, the princess won a gold medal at the national junior surfing championship. Ingrid Alexandra also made her first skydive right after her 19th birthday.

Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands

20-year-old Catharina-Amalia, the Dutch heir to the throne, is the eldest child of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. She will be the fourth queen since her great-great-grandmother Wilhelmina became the first queen of the Netherlands in 1890. Amalia, who has two younger sisters, Princesses Alexia and Ariana, is the first Dutch princess whose place in the succession was secured from birth.

Amalia has tried to find a delicate balance between fulfilling her royal duties and "normal" activities for someone her age. When Amalia turned 18 in 2022, she became a member of the Dutch Council of State. At the same time, the princess refused the annual allowance of $1.8 million to which she is entitled from the government as an heir, saying that she was not doing anything to earn it now. That same year, Amalia began studying at the University of Amsterdam to earn a degree in politics, psychology, law, and economics.

However, the girl had to return to her parents in the royal palace in The Hague near Amsterdam. This was due to constant threats to kidnap and kill her from a Dutch criminal group. Now the princess attends lectures accompanied by security. She admits that she misses the freedom she had as a student and living on her own.

In addition, the princess constantly tries to keep up with the modern problems: she speaks openly about mental health, revealing that she sometimes visits a therapist, and, without making direct comments on this, she was the focus of new legislation that means that LGBTQIA+ royals will be able to marry whomever they wish without losing their right to the throne.

In 2021, an official biography called Amalia was released, where the girl admitted that she did not yet feel ready for the role of queen. Therefore, she asked her father to eat well and play sports in order to live and rule for a long time.

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