HEIR to the throne Princess Leonor has made it through the rigorous selection process to get into an élite Welsh sixth-form college based in a 12th-century castle.
The young Royal, 15 – whose father is King Felipe VI of Spain – had to get through a tough pre-selection process for the United World College of the Atlantic (UWC Atlantic), which is always carried out anonymously, meaning none of the board or staff viewing it has any idea who the candidate is.
This way, there can be no danger of 'ordinary' civilians being screened out and prevented from studying in what is described as an institute providing a 'liberal, progressive and radical education', with a 'global ethos' and 'strong focus on local and global sustainability'.
Once Leonor cleared the first hurdle, she had to sit a series of tests, given online.
Founded in 1962, the UWC Atlantic College is based in St Donat's Castle in Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, a short distance from Barry and close to Cardiff and the Bristol Channel.
It is set within rolling, emerald fields and woodland, with its own valley and seafront promenade, a spacious garden with café tables, and dining halls that would not look out of place at Harry Potter's famous wizarding school, Hogwart's.
Although élite in terms of its limited places – 350 at a time – and the exceptional level of education provided, it is not 'exclusive' in terms of only being available to the world's richest families: Most would-be pupils are selected through UWC National Committees, which offer scholarships covering all or part of the fees.
In fact, around six in 10 students at the UWC Atlantic are on scholarships.
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