Meet Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth, who’s off to Harvard soon: the future queen, who rocks Dries Van Noten, has been compared to Kate Middleton – and is reportedly dating a Brit she met in England
- It was recently announced that King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium’s eldest daughter Princess Elisabeth will attend Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government
- The 22-year-old Duchess of Brabant has already studied at Oxford, returns home for royal duties such as meeting Barack Obama and attending military school, and says Queen Elizabeth is her role model
The firstborn child of Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde has just been accepted to Harvard University to do a Master’s degree in public policy, according to Vanity Fair.
Princess Elisabeth, who turns 23 this October, is currently completing her three-year undergraduate degree in history and politics at Lincoln College, Oxford. So as she prepares to further her education stateside this autumn, what else do we know about this smart queen-in-the-making?
Princess Elisabeth’s royal roots and duties
As the eldest, the princess – also known by her title the Duchess of Brabant – follows her father in the line of succession and is poised to become Belgium’s first queen regnant one day. King Philippe, 64, and Queen Mathilde, 51, are also parents to Prince Gabriel, 20, Prince Emmanuel, 18, and Princess Eléonore, 16.
It’s customary for those directly in the line of succession in Belgium to train with their national military, according to People magazine, and in 2020, Elisabeth underwent a year’s course in social and military sciences at the country’s Royal Military Academy. The young princess currently lives in the UK, but still frequently travels back to Belgium, per the same source.
Princess Elisabeth’s academic achievements
The 22-year-old’s academic prowess is further illustrated by the fact that she’s going to Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government on a prestigious Fulbright scholarship. And while the princess is preparing to become Belgium’s constitutional head one day, she didn’t buy her way into these top universities.