The decision of the name of the princess
The story behind Princess Eleanor’s name has been the subject of speculation since her birth. According to journalist Jaime Peñafiel, Felipe VI initially intended to give his first daughter a specific name. However, Letícia, with her influence on the final decision of the princess’s name, chose to change her husband’s plans.
Initially, Felipe wanted to name his first-born Sofia, in honor of his mother and with the vision of having a future queen with the same name. But Queen Leticia did not like this name. There were two simple reasons. For one thing, he didn’t want his daughter to be called his mother-in-law, with whom he has never had a good relationship. For another, he wanted to avoid whether or not there was another Queen Sofia. He wanted to set her apart from her ancestors.
The name change
Princess Eleanor was not going to be called Eleanor. According to Peñafiel, Letícia pushed until the end to name her first daughter Elionor, even though it was initially planned that she would be called Sofia. This name change was considered an act of rupture and distancing from the existing royal family. It reflected a personal decision by Letícia to mark her own identity and that of her eldest daughter.
Peñafiel’s revelation about the original name planned for Princess Eleonor and its subsequent change by Letícia has sparked debate about the dynamics within the Spanish royal family. Some see in this action an indication of the tensions between Letícia and Queen Sofia, while others interpret it as a strategy by Letícia to assert her position within the monarchy, and also to distance her daughter from her Bourbon past .
The future of Princess Eleonor
There is a possibility that Eleanor will resign her position or abdicate in the future, due to the controversies surrounding the royal family. This scenario has been raised as a possibility. If Eleanor decided not to take the throne, her sister, the Infanta Sofia, could become the next queen of Spain, which would change the course of the dynastic history planned by Felipe VI and Letizia, and truncate the entire strategy set up by the consort.
Other possible names
In addition to Eleanor’s name, there has also been speculation about possible names for a male child of Felipe VI and Letizia. According to some sources, Leticia had the name “Pelayo” in mind in case her first child was a boy. However, this information was never officially confirmed, and some suggest that it was a strategy to detect information leaks within the Royal House.
