Princess Elisabeth of Belgium cut an elegant figure as she began her degree in history and politics at Oxford University.
The eldest daughter of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, who is heir to the Belgian throne, started the three-year course earlier this week at the prestigious university’s Lincoln College.
The Belgian royals shared a series of photographs taken last week of the 19-year-old exploring the city and campus after she arrived in the UK.
In the snaps, Elisabeth, dressed casually in jeans, cosy colourful jumpers and smart blazers as she went punting with friends and took up studying in the library.
Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, 19, appeared like any other student as she began her degree in history and politics at Oxford University
The Belgian royals shared a series of photographs taken last week of the 19-year-old exploring the city and campus after she arrived in the UK (left, going punting with friends, and right in the library)
In the snaps, Elisabeth, dressed casually in jeans, cosy colourful jumpers and smart blazers as she began student life in Oxford
She was photographed alongside some of her new classmates in some of the college’s most iconic locations, including the Lodge, the Front Quad, the Grove and Radcliffe Square.
The Belgian royals announced the news in a statement on its Instagram page last month, adding that the princess will ‘regularly return to Belgium and remain involved in Belgian public life’ while she studies in the UK.
The post was accompanied by a photo of Elisabeth, dressed casually in jeans, a white shirt and a fawn jacket, smiling with her eyes looking away from the camera.
According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, the princess completed a written entrance exam in history ‘anonymously’ so that her social status would not affect her marks.
In one of the photographs, the teenager could be seen walking through the university campus in a white shirt and casual jeans
Elisabeth is believed to have chosen the course herself, in agreement with her parents, and reportedly consulted with alumni from various universities and made her decision based on what would be most useful to her in her role as queen later in life.
The princess completed her secondary education at UWC Atlantic College in South Wales – based at a 12th-century castle and dubbed the ‘Hippie Hogwarts’ – where she boarded for 18 months.
She then headed home to Brussels in March ahead of the government lockdown, which she spent with her parents and siblings Prince Gabriel, 17, Prince Emmanuel, 15, and Princess Eléonore, 13.
She then enrolled at the Royal Military Academy – where her father studied for three years as a teenager – in September 2020.
Getting to know the local haunts! In another snap, the royal enjoyed a coffee with classmates in an Oxford cafe
The princess, who received her International Baccalaureate Diploma last summer, completed a one-year course in social and military sciences.
The course is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence; Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical.
King Philippe, 60, spent three years at the esteemed institution between 1978 to 1981.
The photographs, which were taken last week, show the heir to the Belgian throne exploring the city and university campus
In July Princess Elisabeth was photographed at the Lagland camp in Arlon, where she marched in uniform in formation with her fellow cadets.
For the officer cadets of the Royal Military Academy (RMA), the camp is part of the last training phase for first year students, and constitutes part of the Initial Military Phase.
Officially known as Princess Elisabeth, the Duchess of Brabant, she became heir apparent after her grandfather Albert II abdicated in 2013.
The princess, who received her International Baccalaureate Diploma last summer, completed a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy
A change in the law a decade ago made it possible for the eldest child, male or female, to ascend the throne in Belgium. She will become the country’s first Queen Regent if she takes up the role.
In July this year, she took part along with her fellow Royal Military Academy Belgium students in the National Day parade.
National Day marks the anniversary of the investiture of King Leopold I, the country’s first monarch, in 1831.
The Belgian royal family, from left, Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, King Philippe, Princess Eleonore, Queen Mathilde and Prince Emmanuel during a royal visit to the Bokrijk park and open-air museum in Genk, Belgium in June last year