Meet Belgiums Princess Elisabeth, whos off to Harvard soon: the future queen, who rocks Dries

Posted by Larita Shotwell on Friday, July 12, 2024

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.

In March this year, Princess Elisabeth joined her dad at Brussels’ Palace of Laeken to receive former US president Barack Obama, keeping up with her royal duties.

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.

When Princess Elisabeth applied to study at Oxford, it seems she was not given special treatment. According to British media, quoting Belgian newspaper Le Soir, she completed a written exam anonymously to ensure her position wouldn’t influence her admission by swaying it in her favour.

Before her stint at Oxford, the Duchess of Brabant obtained her International Baccalaureate at UWC Atlantic College in Wales, UK, and attended the Yale Young Global Scholars Programme at Yale University. She is also multilingual and fluent in Dutch, French, German and English – and has even taken Mandarin Chinese classes, according to British media.

She has style

On May 7, the palace of the small European nation announced the Harvard news alongside a glam birthday portrait of the princess. Just like Princess Leonor of Spain, Elisabeth knows how to nail royal chic.Her style has been compared to that of the Duchess of Cambridge. Think belted dress-coats for formal events with matching accessories. She also regularly wears feminine designs by Belgian designers such Dries Van Noten, per Vogue.

The late Queen Elizabeth was her role model

According to Hola, the late Queen Elizabeth was the Belgian princess’ role model. She wrote in a book of condolences: “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been a role model and a source of inspiration for many of us, young and old. I join the millions around the world in mourning an extraordinary personality, whose exemplarity has had a profound impact on younger generations.”

What does Princess Elisabeth like to do when she’s off-duty?

The Belgian monarchy’s official website states that the princess likes to spend time with her brothers Gabriel and Emmanuel and her sister Eléonore during her free weekends. Favourite sports, according to site, include skiing, rowing and sailing, but she’s not only sportive – she’s also adept at playing the piano. Talk about multitalented!

Who is Princess Elisabeth dating?

The princess has been romantically linked to fellow history student Nick Dodd at Oxford University, according to a Belgian newspaper. Per UK media, the lucky man is a redhead from Rochdale, a city near Manchester, UK.

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