In her childhood, Ursula von der Leyen spent more time in Brussels than in Germany. She was born on October 8, 1958 in Ixelles - a district of the Belgian capital - and today, 68 years later, she continues to head the European Commission. She is the first woman to hold this position and has already been elected for a second term, which runs until 2029.
Von der Leyen was born with the surname Albrecht and is the third of seven children. Her father, Ernst Albrecht, was an official of the European Communities and later became Prime Minister of the German state of Lower Saxony. It was the European environment in Brussels that left an early mark on the future politician. She studied at the European School, where children from different countries and linguistic backgrounds met.
A year in London under the name Rose Ladson
One of the most unusual episodes in her youth is connected with London. In 1978, she enrolled at the London School of Economics under the name Rose Ladson. The pseudonym combines her family nickname Röschen – – – – and the surname of her American great-grandmother.
The reason is related to security. At that time, left-wing terrorist groups were active in West Germany, and her father was worried about his daughter. Von der Leyen herself later described the London year not as a period of diligent study, but as a time of personal freedom: "I lived more than I studied," she told "Zeitung," quoted by the "Guardian."
Doctor, mother and politician
After London, she changed direction and chose medicine. She graduated from the Medical School in Hanover, worked as a doctor in a women's clinic, and in 1991 received her doctorate in medicine. Between 1992 and 1996, she lived with her husband Heiko von der Leyen and their children in Stanford, California. There, she attended university classes and did analysis for hospital administration. She later completed a master's degree in public health.
With Heiko von der Leyen, also a doctor, they have seven children, born between 1987 and 1999. Her political career began relatively late - at the age of 43. She then held successive positions in regional government and the German government, including Minister for Family Affairs, Minister for Labor and Social Affairs, and Minister of Defense.
The first woman to head the European Commission
In 2019, von der Leyen was elected President of the European Commission - the first woman in the history of the institution to hold this position. Her second term begins in 2024, and in September 2026 she will present the Union's priorities for the coming year to the European Parliament.
„Europe has chosen to forge its own path. "And now a stronger and more independent Europe is emerging," Ursula von der Leyen declared in her State of the European Union speech in 2026.Thus, the biography of the woman born in the European heart of Brussels returns to its starting point: from the child of a European official to a politician who today speaks on behalf of the largest supranational institution on the continent.
Sources: theguardian.com, amp.dw.com