Belgium's future queen joined by parents as she graduates from Harvard University

King Philippe of Belgium and his wife, Queen Mathilde, were in proud-parents mode as they travelled to the US for their daughter's graduation.

The royal couple stood alongside Princess Elisabeth, 24, in events held ahead of her graduation from Harvard University's Kennedy School on Wednesday (Thursday AEST), where she's completed her master's in public policy.

On graduation eve, the family met with the school's dean and the princess attended a class of 2026 awards ceremony dressed in a white linen two-piece.

Elisabeth, who will become Belgium's first queen regent - as in a queen by birth, not by marriage - also posed for a range of photos around campus.

The Duchess of Brabant, as she's also known, showed off some of the places she's grown to love over her time in Boston, including coffee shops and libraries.

The royal chose the prestigious university's two-year course for a number of reasons.

Not only did it allow her some anonymity while studying before being thrust into royal life but it also follows in her father's footsteps by choosing the US for further education.

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King Philippe got his masters in political science from Stanford University in 1985.

Belgium's official royal household social media accounts shared black and white photos from the king's graduation this week, ahead of his daughter's big day.

During her time studying abroad, Princess Elisabeth was given the Fulbright Honorary Award by the US State Department in recognition of her academic achievements and exceptional education background.

Since the Belgian royal had explicitly stated she didn't want to receive any sort of preferential treatment while stateside, the award was given as an "honorary" one.

Prior to arriving at Harvard for her masters, Elisabeth studied her undergraduate course at Oxford University, earning a bachelor's degree in history and politics from Oxford's Lincoln College.

The future queen has also undergone military training.

As a result of wanting to be a regular student while at university, Elisabeth did not do any interviews during her time at Harvard.

There was a time during the course when the 24-year-old faced uncertainty about being able to finish her degree.

But US President Donald Trump's international student ban was ultimately blocked by a federal judge, allowing her studies to continue as planned.