Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant

Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant (Dutch: Elisabeth Theresia Maria Helena; French: Élisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène; born 25 October 2001) is the heiress apparent to the Belgian throne. The eldest child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, she acquired her position after her grandfather King Albert II abdicated in favour of her father on 21 July 2013.[1]

For her great-great grandmother, the consort of King Albert I, see Elisabeth Gabriele of Bavaria.

Princess Elisabeth
Duchess of Brabant
Elisabeth in 2023 at Buckingham Palace
BornPrincess Elisabeth of Belgium
(2001-10-25) 25 October 2001
Erasmus Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
HouseBelgium
FatherPhilippe of Belgium
MotherMathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz
ReligionRoman Catholicism
Education

Birth

The first child of the then Duke and Duchess of Brabant, Philippe (now King) and Mathilde, Elisabeth was delivered by Caesarean section at 21:58 CET on 25 October 2001 at the Erasmus Hospital, the teaching hospital of Université libre de Bruxelles in Anderlecht, Brussels.[2] She was baptized on 9 December 2001 in the chapel of Ciergnon Castle in the Belgian Ardennes, by Godfried Cardinal Danneels, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. Her godparents are Archduke Amedeo of Austria-Este (paternal cousin), and Countess Hélène d'Udekem d'Acoz (maternal aunt).

Education and military training

Elisabeth studied at St John Berchmans College in Brussels from 2004 until 2018.[3][4] This is a significant change in the habits of the royal family, as it is the first time that a future Belgian monarch's education has begun in Dutch. In 2018, she continued her secondary education at UWC Atlantic College in Wales under the name "Elisabeth de Brabant" and received her International Baccalaureate Diploma in May 2020.[5][6] She also attended the Yale Young Global Scholars Program at Yale University.[3]

In May 2020, the Belgian Royal Court announced that Elisabeth would undertake military training.[7] On 31 August 2020, Elisabeth started her military training at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels, studying social and military sciences.[8][3] She was part of the 160th promotion and received her blue beret in September 2022.[9] Elisabeth completed her one year military training on 9 July 2021.[10] For the next two years, she attended the Royal Military Academy's annual three-week summer camps and other practical and theoretical military classes.[11][12] She took the officers' oath on 26 September 2023 and received the commissioned rank of second lieutenant on the same day.[13][14]

Elisabeth began studying history and politics at Lincoln College, University of Oxford in October 2021 and rowed for Lincoln College Boat Club in Torpids, an Oxford rowing race, in February 2023 under the name "Elisabeth de Saxe-Cobourg".[3][15]

Elisabeth speaks Dutch, French, German and English,[16] and also took classes in Mandarin Chinese.[17]

Activities
Elisabeth meets Charles III of the United Kingdom at a reception at Buckingham Palace the evening before his coronation, 5 May 2023

Elisabeth's first public appearance was on 21 July 2006, when she accompanied her parents during a Te Deum for National Day celebrations in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula.[18] A year later, on 13 June 2007, Princess Elisabeth and her parents attended the opening of a new Technopolis youth interactive at Mechelen.[19] In 2009, Elisabeth gave her name to the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Station, a Belgian scientific polar research station.[3]

In September 2011, the nine-year-old princess gave her first public speech (in Dutch) at the opening of Princess Elisabeth Children’s Hospital, part of Ghent University Hospital in Ghent.[20] She gave her first official self-written speech in 2014 during commemorations of the centenary of the outbreak of World War I in Nieuwpoort.[21][18] Princess Elisabeth read the prayer intentions at her great-aunt Queen Fabiola's funeral in December 2014.[22] Princess Elisabeth became godmother of a patrol vessel named Pollux P902 on 6 May 2015 in Zeebrugge.[3] In April 2019, Elisabeth joined her father King Philippe on a visit to the firefighters of Brussels.[23] She attended the funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg in May 2019.[21] In June 2019, the Duchess of Brabant and her mother traveled to Kenya for the United Nations Children's Fund, where they visited the Kakuma refugee camp.[24] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Princess Elisabeth had conversations over the phone with elderly people in residential care centers in order to encourage and support them.[3] On 21 July 2021, she was among the fellow students of the Royal Military Academy Belgium to parade during the Belgian National Day.[25]

On 12 May 2022, Princess Elisabeth accompanied her aunt Princess Astrid on a visit to St Hilda's College.[26] There, she and her aunt met St Hilda’s Principal Professor Dame Sarah Springman and Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford Professor Louise Richardson.[26] On 17 June 2022, together with her mother the Queen, she was among the royal guests invited to the celebrations of the 18th birthday of Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway.[27] She carried her two first solo official engagements in the following week by christening the Belgian oceanographic research vessel RV Belgica and inaugurating KU Leuven's Princess Elisabeth Additive Manufacturing Lab.[28][29] In December 2022, Princess Elisabeth and her brother Prince Emmanuel participated in the Warmathon in Brussels.[30][31] In March 2023, Elisabeth and her mother Queen Mathilde traveled to Egypt, where they visited archaeological sites.[32] On 5 May 2023, Elisabeth accompanied her father to a reception held at Buckingham Palace the evening before the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom.[33] In June 2023, she and her father attended the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Rajwa Al Saif.[34]

Elisabeth volunteers to help children with learning difficulties, the elderly, the homeless and disabled people.[7]

Position

Ten years prior to Elisabeth's birth, a new act of succession was put into effect which introduced absolute primogeniture, meaning that she comes first in the line of succession because she is the eldest child. On 21 July 2013, once Elisabeth's father had taken the oath of office as King of the Belgians (his father, King Albert II, having abdicated shortly before), she became heir apparent to the throne and as such bears the title of Duchess of Brabant.[35] If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Belgium's first female monarch.[36]

Eponym
  • Princess Elisabeth Antarctica (2009)
  • Princess Elisabeth Children's Hospital (2011)[37]
  • Princess Elisabeth Park (2019)[38]
  • Microcostatus elisabethianus[39][40]
  • Athénée Royal Princesse Elisabeth
  • Princess Elisabeth Additive Manufacturing Lab (2022)[29]
  • Princess Elisabeth Island[41]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

Elisabeth was originally styled "Her Royal Highness Princess Elisabeth of Belgium". Since her father's accession on 21 July 2013, she has been known as "Her Royal Highness Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant".[3]

Military ranks

Honours
See also: List of honours of the Belgian Royal Family by country

Arms
Coat of arms of Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant
Notes
As Duchess of Brabant the Princess is entitled to use a coat of arms which was stipulated in the Royal Decree of King Philippe in 2019.[44]
Adopted
12 July 2019
Coronet
Princely crown of Belgium
Escutcheon
On a lozenge, sable, a lion rampant or, armed and langued gules (Belgium), on the shoulder an escutcheon barry of ten sable and or, a crancelin vert (Wettin), overall a label of three points or.
Supporters
Two lions guardant proper each supporting a lance or with two banners of the Duchy of Brabant.
Motto
French: L'union fait la force
Dutch: Eendracht maakt macht
German: Einigkeit macht stark
Other elements
The whole is placed on a mantle purpure with ermine lining, fringes and tassels or and ensigned with the Royal crown of Belgium.

See also

References
  1. Brumfield, Ben (21 July 2013). "Belgium's King Albert II gives up throne to son". CNN. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  2. "Les premières déclarations du Prince Philippe" (in French). 26 October 2001. Le Prince Philippe a annoncé, dans la nuit de jeudi à vendredi à la presse, que la Princesse Élisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène était née à 21h58 par césarienne.
  3. "Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant". The Belgian Monarchy Official Website. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022.
  4. "Lieve terugblik: royals tijdens hun eerste schooldag" [Sweet throwback: royals on their first day of school]. Blauwbloed (in Dutch). 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  5. "Prinses Elisabeth officieel afgestudeerd in middelbaar" [Princess Elisabeth officially graduated from high school]. De Standaard (in Dutch). 23 May 2020. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  6. "Princess Elisabeth of Belgium to study in Wales". BBC News. 22 March 2018. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022.
  7. "Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, 18, Enrolls in Military Academy: 'The Country Can Count on Me'". People. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  8. Belgian Monarchy (20 May 2020). "Bijna klaar voor de Koninklijke Militaire School..." [Almost ready for the Royal Military School...]. Twitter (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  9. Hurtado, Alexandra (16 September 2020). "PRINCESS SWAPS DRESSES FOR MILITARY FATIGUES: SEE THE ROYAL TEEN IN ACTION". Hola!. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023. The phase will end on Sept. 25 with a blue berets ceremony. Students who pass the training will receive their blue beret in front of their family members.
  10. Chini, Maïthé (9 July 2021). "Belgian Crown Princess Elisabeth completes her military training". The Brussels Times. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  11. Belgian Monarchy. "Dans le cadre de sa formation militaire, la Princesse Elisabeth participera cet été au camp annuel de @KMS_ERM_RMA avec les étudiants de sa promotion. Pour s'y préparer, elle a suivi des cours au camp de Leopoldsburg ce week-end" [As part of her military training, Princess Elisabeth will take part this summer in the annual @KMS_ERM_RMA with the students of her class. To prepare for it, she attended classes at the Leopoldsburg camp over the weekend.]. Twitter (in French). Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  12. Chini, Maïthé (19 May 2023). "Belgian Crown Princess Elisabeth learns to shoot with assault rifle". The Brussels Times. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  13. "Kroonprinses Elisabeth legt eed af als officier, exact 43 jaar na koning Filip" [Crown Princess Elisabeth takes oath as an officer, exactly 43 years after King Philippe]. HLN (in Dutch). 26 September 2023. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  14. "« Je jure fidélité au Roi, obéissance à la Constitution et aux lois du peuple belge ! »" [« I swear loyalty to the King, obedience to the Constitution and the laws of the Belgian people! »] (in French). Belgian Royal Palace. 27 September 2023. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023 – via Instagram. Elle est commissionnée au grade de sous-lieutenant de l'armée belge. [She was commissioned at the rank of second lieutenant in the Belgian army.]
  15. Cardoen, Sandra (26 February 2023). "Royals op zondag - Prinses Elisabeth in roeimodus in Oxford en koning Harald aanvaardde vaas van president Poetin" [Royals on Sunday - Princess Elisabeth in Oxford rowing mode and King Harald accepted vase from President Putin]. vrt.be (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  16. "Remarquable: la princesse Elisabeth s'exprime parfaitement dans les trois langues nationales (vidéo)". 18 October 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  17. Fu, Jing (31 July 2016). "European royals turning their hand to Mandarin". China Daily. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  18. "Princess Elisabeth of Belgium's destiny already mapped out". RTL. 12 September 2014. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  19. "Belgium Royals Open Technopolis New Youth Center". Getty Images. 13 June 2007. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  20. "PHOTOS: Princess Elisabeth of Belgium Gives A Speech". HuffPost. 12 September 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  21. Mertens, Pascal (25 June 2023). "Hoe prinses Elisabeth sinds haar geboorte is klaargestoomd voor de troon: 7 kantelmomenten" [How Princess Elisabeth has been prepared for the throne since birth: 7 turning points]. vrt.be (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  22. Belga (12 December 2014). "Death of Queen Fabiola : funeral marked by "simplicity" and "joy"". The Brussels Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  23. Belgian Royal Palace (26 April 2019). "Spectaculaire demonstraties in het opleidingscentrum van de Brusselse brandweer. ..." [Spectacular demonstrations in the training center of the Brussels fire brigade. ...]. Twitter (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  24. "Belgian princess in Kenya for first official trip abroad". Brussels Times. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  25. "Prinses Elisabeth marcheert in het militair defilé". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 21 July 2021. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  26. "HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium visited St Hilda's College as part of a Belgian economic mission to the UK". St Hilda's College. 12 May 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  27. Petit, Stephanie (17 June 2022). "Four Future Queens (and a Grand Duke!) Gather at Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway's Birthday Gala". People. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  28. "Prinses Elisabeth vervult eerste koninklijke solo-opdracht". De Standaard (in Flemish). 26 June 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  29. "Prinses Elisabeth krijgt eigen labo bij KU Leuven". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  30. Hurtado, Alexandra (21 December 2022). "ROYAL SIBLINGS RUN MARATHON FOR A GOOD CAUSE". Hola!. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  31. "Princess Elisabeth Of Belgium And Prince Emmanuel Participate In The Warmathon As Part Of the Warmest Weekî". Getty Images. 21 December 2022. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  32. Schildt, Amélie (16 March 2023). ""C'est vraiment passionnant": en voyage en Egypte, la princesse Elisabeth répond pour la première fois seule aux questions des journalistes" ["It's really exciting": on a trip to Egypt, Princess Elisabeth answers questions from journalists for the first time alone]. RTL (in French). Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  33. Bickerstaff, Isaac (5 May 2023). "Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, 21, joins her father King Philippe at Buckingham Palace Coronation reception". Tatler. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  34. "Filip en Elisabeth naar huwelijk kroonprins Jordanië". Vorsten (in Dutch). 26 May 2023. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  35. Text in French of the 1991 amendment: « Le titre de Duc de Brabant ou de Duchesse de Brabant sera toujours porté, à l'avenir, par le Prince ou la Princesse, fils aîné ou fille aînée du Roi, et, à défaut, par le Prince ou la Princesse, fils aîné ou fille aînée du fils aîné ou de la fille aînée du Roi. »
  36. "The King, the Queen and their Family". Monarchie.be. The Belgian Monarchy. Retrieved 12 June 2018. In the past, only boys could become Kings. The Constitution was changed in 1991: Princesses can now also ascend the throne and become Queen. Princess Elisabeth, who is the eldest of four children of King Philippe, is therefore the heiress of the Belgian monarchy. When she succeeds her father King Philippe, Princess Elisabeth will be the first woman to become Head of State in Belgium.
  37. "Palácio em festa pelo 18º aniversário da princesa Elizabeth". Luxemburger Wort - Edição em Português (in Portuguese). 24 October 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  38. Times, The Brussels. "New windmill zone named after Princess Elisabeth". www.brusselstimes.com. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  39. "Daar is de microcostatus elisabethianus: nieuwe algensoort genoemd naar kroonprinses". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 28 November 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  40. "Microcostatus elisabethianus, une nouvelle algue baptisée du nom de la princesse Elisabeth". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  41. "Princess Elisabeth Island". www.elia.be. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  42. Dehandschutter, Wim (26 April 2022). "Nieuwe foto's van prinses Elisabeth in militair uniform duiken op" [New photos of Princess Elisabeth in military uniform emerge]. Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023. En opeens duiken nieuwe foto's van kandidaat-officier Van België in kaki uniform op? [And suddenly new photos of candidate officer Van België in khaki uniform appear? ]
  43. "Koninklijk besluit betreffende de toekenning van een eervolle onderscheiding aan Hare Koninklijke Hoogheid Prinses Elisabeth, Hertogin van Brabant, Prinses van België" [Royal Decree on the award of an honorable decoration to Her Royal Highness Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, Princess of Belgium]. Moniteur Belge (in Dutch). 29 July 2023. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  44. Philippe, Koning der Belgen (12 July 2019). "Koninklijk besluit houdende vaststelling van het wapen van het Koninklijk Huis en van zijn leden" (PDF). Moniteur Belge/ Belgisch Staatsblad. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
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