OFFICIAL ACTIVITIES
The Queen's priorities are her family and supporting the institutional work of His Majesty the King. Therefore, she takes care of her daughters personally and seeks to harmonise her duties as a mother and her work alongside King Felipe at certain official events.
Furthermore, since 2007 she has her own agenda, which takes place in the framework of the official activities of the Royal Household of His Majesty The King, and of the Secretariat of His Royal Highness The Prince of Asturias. Her main areas of work are children and youth, and, most especially, areas related to their education and health.
In education, her priorities are education between the ages of 6 and 16, and, particularly, promotion and support for Vocational Training.
Promoting reading and reading comprehension as a fundamental pillar for students' intellectual development is another area in which the Queen is working actively, to combat educational failure and early school-leaving.
Another facet of education in which Queen Letizia is involved is the acquisition of healthy habits from early childhood, as she is convinced that good physical and mental health has its foundation in these habits, which will be fully effective if they are promoted in early childhood. Among these healthy habits are nutrition, physical activity and the development of social skills as a weapon against early addictions at critical ages.
In the area of health, the Queen has devoted herself to encouraging and giving visibility to those suffering from infrequent conditions, known as "rare diseases", and their families, and to the fight against cancer. For her commitment to infrequent diseases, in 2010 she was invited by Mrs. Eva Köhler, wife of the German Federal President, to attend a research awards ceremony in Berlin, Germany; this was the first of her activities abroad.
In September 2010, the Queen assumed the Honorary Presidency of the Spanish Association Against Cancer and of its Scientific Foundation. This was the first time she accepted a Presidency of this nature on a permanent basis, and she did so given the impact of this disease on society, and the Association's importance in the fight against cancer through its research, information, prevention campaigns and volunteerism. Hers is an active, committed Presidency. Therefore, besides participating in specific activities in the mentioned areas, she holds regular working meetings to learn about the Association's activities, programmes and projects.