In just over a month, the Infanta Sofía will travel to Wales, following in the footsteps of her sister, Princess Eleanor, to start the first year of the International Baccalaureate at the Atlantic College of Wales (United Kingdom), a center belonging to the educational institution United World Colleges (UWC). This Friday, the Kings, the Princess and the Infanta have received, in Zarzuela, the patronage of the UWC Spain Foundation whose members attended, in addition to the sponsors of the scholarships, with some of the scholarship students. A group, like Leonor, who has already completed their studies this year, in Wales and in other centers in the same educational network, and another group who, like the Infanta Sofía, plan to start their baccalaureate studies next August.
Infanta Sofía and Princess Leonor have met, separately, with the students of their promotion. Those who will share studies, although not all go to Wales, with the young daughter of the Kings, and those who have graduated this year like Leonor. Subsequently, the two groups of young people have joined and the older ones have joined them: the Kings, the foundation board and some of the sponsors of the scholarships. Going outside for the family photo, Sofia has guided a blind young woman who will be a fellow student at the Welsh boarding school.
To receive her colleagues, Leonor wore a white dress printed in fuchsia, blue and green tones from Zara, combined with the Llonga model espadrilles, from the San Sebastian firm Clooui, made of leather, have a V-shaped design and a braided fabric heel. , esparto wedge 10cm high and leather anklet closure. Infanta Sofía has chosen a fuchsia minidress by Sfera and Fifty Flower ballerinas by the Galician firm Adeba, made of cotton fabric with multicolored miniflowers on a black background and decorated with a leather-wrapped rectangular buckle. The Queen, more sober, has opted for a midi model with a pencil silhouette by Hugo Boss and low-heeled shoes by Massimo Dutti. The King has worn a gray summer suit, light blue shirt and blue and gray diagonal striped tie.
The UWC institution is distinguished by assigning 70 percent of its places to scholarship students, either partially or totally, since the selection to enter any of the 18 centers that are spread throughout the world, is based on merit and the potential of the candidate, regardless of their economic capacity.
The Infanta Sofía, like Princess Leonor in her day, underwent, a few months ago, the selection process required by the Spanish committee of UWC Spain, which consists of an initial pre-selection phase, carried out anonymously, and of a final phase, carried out electronically with different tests.
Since 2010, when she was just over 3 years old, Infanta Leonor, who will turn 17 next April, has been a student at the Santa María de los Rosales School in Madrid, where she has attended preschool, primary and ESO.
Sofía, like her sister and like the rest of the students, will live as a boarding school for the next two courses. The Atlantic College has, within its campus, several buildings in which students are divided into groups, sharing dormitories and common areas.
Sofía de Borbón will study in Wales International Baccalaureate and her stay in a boarding school, like that of Princess Leonor, will cost 74,000 pounds sterling (about 82,000 euros for the two courses, five thousand more than what each course cost for Leonor ) which, like the studies of the heiress, will be paid for by the King and Queen with the allocation they receive from the budget of the King's House.
UWC (United World Colleges Education Network) is a global movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.
The Spanish Committee of the United World Colleges Foundation (UWC Spain) was established on November 11, 1996, under the patronage of the then kings Juan Carlos and Sofía. The Foundation is in charge of raising the necessary funds so that each year a greater number of Spanish students can attend the United World Colleges. At the same time, it is responsible for selecting applicants according to the guidelines set by the international office.
In addition, its main mission is to promote the ideals of international understanding in Spain, involving society in general and not only students and their families, an action carried out through short summer and winter programs.
