Princess Elisabeth's subtle nod to mum Queen Mathilde on solo outing

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium looked so poised earlier this week as she carried out a rare solo engagement at the Royal Palace in Brussels.

Stepping into the royal spotlight, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde's daughter, 23, welcomed around ten young patients from the Princess Elisabeth Children's Hospital.

During the engagement, the group enjoyed a private tour of the palace, a harp and music workshop, as well as a sit-down meal with the Princess.

For the special occasion, Princess Elisabeth wore an elegant white shift dress embroidered with a geometric blue pattern. To echo the navy details in her dress, the future Queen of Belgium spruced up her look with a pair of deep blue strappy heels.

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As for accessories, Elisabeth dipped into her mother Mathilde's wardrobe, borrowing not one, but two different designer items. Ramping up her simple white dress, the young royal borrowed her mother's floral-shaped earrings by Carolina Herrera, in addition to her mother's timeless Dior handbag in cream leather.

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Mathilde has been spotted with the bag on several occasions, including in 2021 when she carried out a royal engagement in Libramont. In October last year, meanwhile, she was spotted carrying the exact same Dior bag in a rich burgundy hue as she carried out a state visit to France.

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The iconic bag, originally known as the "Chouchou" first entered the spotlight back in the 1990s when the former first lady of France, Bernadette Chirac, gifted a small black leather bag to Princess Diana.

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The timeless leather accessory quickly became a firm favourite of Diana's and was later renamed "The Lady Dior" in her honour.

Princess Elisabeth's uncertain future

The Belgian royal recently completed her first year of a graduate school program at Harvard University, and is now back in Belgium for the summer.

But her ability to continue at Harvard may be possibly jeopardised under the Trump administration ban on foreign students.

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The President has revoked the school's ability to enrol foreign students attending the school on Visa, with Harvard pushing back with a lawsuit, meaning that the rule was blocked temporarily.

The case is set to go before a federal judge in Boston, who will decide whether to continue the Trump administration's policy.

In May, the palace's communications head, Xavier Baert, said: "We are looking into the situation, to see what kind of impact this decision might have on the princess, or not. It's too early to say right now." He added: "And we'll have to see what happens next [school] year".