Princess Elisabeth took another step forward in her training to become queen this week as she joined her father, King Philippe, at an audience with the leaders of the European Union.
The 24-year-old Belgian royal, dressed impeccably in a navy Giorgio Armani dress, is set to return to the US in coming weeks to complete the final year of her master's degree at Harvard University this summer.
Elisabeth spent the Christmas break with her parents, King Philippe, 65, and Queen Mathilde, 52, and her three siblings, Prince Gabriel, 22, Prince Emmanuel, 20, and Princess Eleonore, 17, back in Brussels.
The audience at the royal palace on Tuesday included European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot.
"Her participation was not only symbolic but also educational," Belgian royal journalist Wim Dehandschutter tells us at HELLO!. "The Princess closely follows international current affairs for her studies. The audience was a unique opportunity to combine theory and practice. Today, she was able to put what she learns in the Harvard classrooms to the test in reality."
Before travelling back to the Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Elisabeth will participate in the New Year's reception for NATO leaders on Thursday.
"Elisabeth is thus shifting her preparation for kingship into a higher gear, with a more political focus," Wim adds.
The royal began her two-year master's degree in public policy in September 2024, after studying history and politics at Lincoln College, Oxford.
"Elisabeth is about to embark on her breakthrough year," Wim says. "She will graduate from Harvard University in the US in May and will then most likely take up her active role in the royal family. On 25 October, she will celebrate her 25th birthday. A symbolic age that marks her new status within the monarchy."
Despite only a handful of public appearances in Belgium last year amid her studies, Wim says that the princess's popularity is "unprecedented" in the royal family's recent history.
Once Elisabeth plays an active role in public life, Wim explains that she will have her own office in the palace, as well as a team of advisors, and her court and staff, as well as an endowment of around one million euros.