Belgium's royal family celebrates National Day in style as Princess Elisabeth's Harvard future remains uncertain
Belgium's royal family has attended its National Day celebrations in style, appearing in a bright array of colours while greeting crowds in Brussels.
King Philippe, 65, and Queen Mathilde, 52, lead the spectacle with a morning service inside Brussels Cathedral, before watching a military parade.
Princess Elisabeth, who is heir to the throne, began the day wearing a bright green chiffon gown by Natan before changing into her military uniform.
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(L to R) Princess Eleonore, Prince Gabriel, Queen Mathilde, King Philippe, Princess Elisabeth and Prince Emmanuel of Belgium on Monday. Getty
The royal family watched the military procession from a dais as they do each year.
Joining them for the occasion was Princess Delphine, the current King's half sister and the illegitimate child of the country's former King, Albert II
Princess Delphine's mother is Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, an aristocrat who was reported to have had an 18-year affair with Albert before he took the throne.
Princess Delphine watches the official military parade on Monday. AP
Delphine, who is an artist, was finally recognised as Albert's daughter in October 2020 and later won the right to be known as Princess Delphine of Saxe-Coburg.
She wore a studded red leather outfit with a corset and red heart sunglasses.
Delphine was in the same colour as Queen Mathilde, who was dressed in a lace gown by Natan.
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Belgium's royal family have celebrated the country's National Day on July 21. AP
The King and Queen's other daughter, Princess Eléonore, 17, was dressed in green like her older sister, choosing a design by Diane von Furstenburg.
They were accompanied to the event by their two brothers, Prince Gabriel, 21, and Prince Emmanuel, 19.
This year, Prince Gabriel took part in the parade as he is currently doing his military training.
Princess Eleonore and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium attend the military and civil parade on July 21. Getty
Princess Elisabeth completed her own military training in 2020 at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels.
She swore the officers' oath on September 26, 2023 being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Belgian Army.
The 23-year-old recently returned from the United States where she had been studying at Harvard University.
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Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant, pictured at Harvard University's Kennedy Campus in September, 2024. Max Bueno/Belgian Royal Palace
She has completed her first year of a two year Master's degree in public policy at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
But it's unclear if the princess will be able to return for the second year, due to Donald Trump's ban on all international students at American universities.
The case is pending and another hearing in the matter is scheduled for this week in Boston.
Recently, Belgian media reported that the princess did not want to use her royal status or "preferential treatment" in being able to return to Harvard.
Journalist Wim Dehandschutter said via Belgian news site Het Laatste Nieuws "Both Philipe and Mathilde and Elisabeth herself have indicated that they do not want preferential treatment, HLN has learned from well-informed sources.
"The Crown Princess believes it is important to 'show solidarity with other foreign students.' She started her studies with them, has made many [international] friends and runs with some of them in the running club of her university."
He added: "Elisabeth also realises how sensitive it is to profit from her status as future queen. It would send the wrong signal to all 'ordinary' students. Moreover, higher interests are at stake.
"Every decision that the queen-in-training has to make herself at this stage could have a political or diplomatic resonance and possibly influence the relations between Belgium and the United States."
Princess Elisabeth is likely to be able to complete the degree remotely, if needed.
Princess Elisabeth and her brother Prince Emmanuel of Belgium arrive for the Te Deum service on National Day, July 21. Getty
In 2024, the future queen graduated with a bachelor's degree in History & Politics at Lincoln College, a college of Oxford University in the UK.
Princess Elisabeth had been following in her father's footsteps by studying in the US. King Philippe studied political science at Stanford, another esteemed university in the country.
When the time comes, Elisabeth will be the first woman to rule Belgium in her own right, as previous queens were always consorts, the wife of the king.
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