After military training and college at the Autonomous University of Madrid, then-Crown Prince Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia came to Georgetown and graduated from the MSFS program in 1995.
“All of us at MSFS are truly excited that Prince Felipe is becoming king of Spain,” said MSFS director Anthony Arend (SFS’80). “Felipe is a great gentleman and has been a constant supporter of Georgetown. We are delighted that he has been able to serve as an honorary member of the MSFS board of advisors.”
After graduation, the prince participated in and contributed to the deliberations of the Georgetown Leadership Seminar, a premier executive education program conducted by SFS annually, on several occasions as well as attended other events. “Through his service both within Spain and across the global stage, His Royal Highness has distinguished himself as a leader dedicated to the vibrancy and health of his nation and its people,” said Georgetown President John J. DeGioia.
His classmates found him to be both admirable and humble, including Jonathan Baliff (MSFS’95), CEO of Bristow Group. “Although we knew Felipe was, well, Prince Felipe, he was from the very beginning, just another one of our classmates,” Baliff says, adding that he wasn’t well known then in Washington, D.C., and could walk around unnoticed. “But principally it was because … that is how Felipe wanted to be treated.” Baliff noted that his princely friend “has been an outstanding alumni of MSFS, and stays in touch with many of his former classmates these past 20 years.”
John Bailey, professor emeritus in SFS and the government department says Prince Felipe did a tutorial with him on Latin American politics. “He was very interested in reaching a good level of understanding about institutions and policy problems,” Bailey says. “I saw a seriousness of purpose, along with a good sense of humor.”
