Queen Letizia takes a trip down memory lane at her former school in Spain

Queen Letizia stepped back into her school days when she returned to her former school in Oviedo, Asturias, for the opening of Spain’s new academic year.

The Queen visited the Colegio Público Gesta on Thursday, September 17, where she met pupils, teachers and staff before enjoying a particularly personal part of the visit: a reunion with former teachers and classmates who knew her when she was a pupil there.

The school, which opened in the 1957-58 academic year, now has 308 pupils across infant and primary education.

A return to familiar surroundings

Letizia was in Oviedo to officially open the 2026/2027 school year, accompanied by Spain’s Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Milagros Tolón.

She was welcomed by Asturias president Adrián Barbón, Oviedo mayor Alfredo Canteli and other regional and educational authorities before touring the school.

During the visit, the Queen saw how pupils are being taught using a mixture of traditional classroom activities and newer educational technology.

One stop took her to the school’s Future-STEAM classroom, where sixth-year pupils were learning to create 3D designs using applications including TinkerCad and hologram computers.

She also visited a four-year-old infant class, where pupils were taking part in games designed to encourage language development, before meeting seven-year-old children working in a bilingual Social Science lesson.

Queen joins pupils for yoga

The visit also gave Letizia an opportunity to see the school’s approach to wellbeing.

She attended a yoga session in the gym as part of the Gesta Inspira programme, which provides pupils with alternatives to the traditional playground during breaks, including yoga, mindfulness and time in the library.

Official photographs show the Queen chatting with children throughout her visit, watching classroom activities and sharing smiles with pupils.

The children also prepared some personal gifts for her.

Pupils from the infant class presented Letizia with a book containing drawings they had made, while children in the second year of primary school gave her a box filled with letters and birthday messages.

The Queen was also photographed receiving a hug from one of the young pupils.

A special reunion

The most nostalgic part of the visit came towards the end, when Letizia met former teachers and classmates who had known her during her own time at the school.

According to Casa Real, the Queen took the opportunity to remember her time at the centre while catching up with some of the people from those school years.

The reunion added a personal dimension to what was otherwise an official visit marking the beginning of a new academic year.

Letizia also met representatives of the school council and parents’ association before posing for a group photograph with pupils, teachers and other members of staff.

The visit was not the first time the Spanish royal family has visited the school. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia previously visited the centre together in 2008, when it celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Spain’s new school year begins

This year’s official opening ceremony took place in Asturias, where 96,858 pupils across infant education, primary, secondary education and Bachillerato began the new academic year.

Across Spain, the expected number of pupils in non-university general education for 2026/2027 is 8,204,237, according to figures published by Casa Real.

The country has 28,762 schools and education centres, including 19,436 public and 9,326 private institutions.

For Letizia, however, the visit offered something beyond the formal start of another school year, bringing her back to the classrooms and people connected with an earlier chapter of her life.