Five years is a long time in the royal watching world and since 2019, many of the next generation of European royals have left school, moved cities or are preparing for their roles as future monarchs.
Crown Prince Christian of Denmark became first in line to the Danish throne in January when his father, King Frederik, succeeded his mother, Queen Margrethe.
Princess Catharina-Amalia of The Netherlands attended her first state banquet with the Spanish royal family, while Belgium's Princess Elisabeth will begin a two-year Master's degree in public policy at Harvard University later this year.
Spain's Princess Leonor began her three-year military training course last year, while her younger sister, Infanta Sofia, has just completed her first year at UWC Atlantic College in Wales.
With the young royals growing up before our eyes, HELLO! takes a look back at the sweetest photos of them from five years ago to now.
© GettyDanish royals
Life has certainly changed for the Danish royal family in recent months, following the accession of King Frederik. His eldest son, Prince Christian, 18, has become Crown Prince of Denmark and has already acted as regent while his parents, King Frederik and Queen Mary, have been out of the country on state visits in recent months.
Christian and his younger sister, Princess Isabella, 17, both currently attend Ordrup Gymnasium in Copenhagen. Meanwhile, Frederik and Mary's 13-year-old twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, have just entered their teenage years. Vincent attends school at Tranegårdsskolen in Gentofte, but Josephine moved to Kildegård Privatskole last summer.
© GettyDutch royals
It's been a difficult couple of years for future queen, Princess Catharina-Amalia, 20, who was forced to leave her university accommodation in 2022 due to kidnap threats. It was recently revealed that the royal was forced to live in Spain for a year in order to complete part of her studies, but she has since reportedly returned to Amsterdam to continue her degree in politics, psychology, law, and economics.
In 2023, she carried out her first official overseas tour, accompanying her parents, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, on a visit to the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, Princess Alexia, 18, passed her International Baccalaureate course at UWC Atlantic College in May 2023, while Princess Ariane, 17, enrolled at WC Adriatic in Italy, last summer.
© GettyMonaco royals
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene's twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, often join their parents at large-scale events, such as Monaco's national day and Sainte Devote, and the nine-year-old royals are already learning the ropes for their futures.
Charlene revealed that her children had been placed in different classes at the start of the school year, saying of their personalities: "Gabriella is pretty spontaneous, she’s quite confident. I think it’s the difference between boys and girls at that age, when girls are perhaps more expressive. They complement each other in a way and are learning about their new environment. But they’re still young and are changing day by day."
© Getty / ShutterstockSpanish royals
Proud parents Queen Letizia and King Felipe have seen eldest daughter and future queen, Princess Leonor, 18, enroll at military school, while Infanta Sofia, 17, moved to UWC Atlantic College last summer to study for her two-year International Baccalaureate programme.
© GettySwedish royals
Prince Oscar was just a toddler in this family snap from 2019. Roll on five years and now the young prince, now eight, is the image of his father, Prince Daniel, and attends Campus Manilla on Royal Djurgården alongside his big sister, Princess Estelle, 12. Meanwhile, future queen Estelle is the absolute mirror image of her mother, Crown Princess Victoria, at a similar age.
