Princess Leonor crowns 'inteligentes naturales' as her favorite influencers at Girona awards

The 2026 Princesa de Girona Awards ceremony, held at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, was marked by Princess Leonor's unexpected personal confession about her favorite influencers. In her speech, she declared that her true inspirations are not social media stars but the awardees themselves, whom she dubbed 'inteligentes naturales' (natural intelligents). The ceremony, presided over by King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and Infanta Sofía, honored six young talents: Hatim Azahri (Social), Patricia Aymà (CreaEmpresa), Gemma Blasco (Arte), Rafael Luque (Investigación), Mercedes Bidart (Internacional CreaEmpresa), and José Eduardo Méndez (Internacional Investigación). Source: lavanguardia, abces

A new format and royal family participation

King Felipe VI opened the ceremony with a light-hearted tone, joking that he was not the presenter and expressing hope that the Spanish football team would win their World Cup semifinal that evening. Source: elconfidencial He then ceded the stage to the awardees and their mentors. The event also featured a dialogue between singers Luz Casal and Soleá Morente. Source: elmundoes Princess Leonor, as president of honor of the foundation, closed the ceremony with a bilingual speech in Catalan and Spanish, where she made her surprising revelation.

Leonor's discourse and fashion

Leonor stated: 'Ya sé que, en principio, no conviene que revele ciertos aspectos de mi intimidad, de mis gustos personales, pero creo que ha llegado el momento de que hable de mis influencers favoritos.' Source: abces She described them as people who 'entrenan bacterias, se enamoran de problemas con la intención de solucionarlos' and practice rigor, discipline, and critical thinking. Source: mileniomx The royal family's attire also drew attention: Queen Letizia wore a black Carolina Herrera top with embroidery, Princess Leonor a white Bleis Madrid suit with a borrowed Tiffany & Co. clutch, and Infanta Sofía a frambuesa-colored two-piece set from Momonì.