Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant (Dutch: Elisabeth Theresia Maria Helena; French: Élisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène; born 25 October 2001), is the heir apparent to the Belgian throne. The eldest child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, she acquired her position after her grandfather King Albert II abdicated in favour of her father on 21 July 2013.[1]
Birth
The first child of the then Duke and Duchess of Brabant, Elisabeth was delivered by Caesarean section at 21:58 CET on 25 October 2001 at the Erasmus Hospital, the teaching hospital of Université libre de Bruxelles in Anderlecht, Brussels.[2] She was baptized on 9 December 2001 in the chapel of Ciergnon Castle in the Belgian Ardennes, by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. Her godparents are Archduke Amedeo of Austria-Este (paternal cousin), and Countess Hélène d’Udekem d’Acoz (maternal aunt).
Life and education
Princess Elisabeth studied at Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in the Marollen district of Brussels, which had been attended by her older cousins, the children of her paternal aunt, the Archduchess of Austria-Este. This is a significant change in the habits of the royal family, as it is the first time that a future Belgian monarch’s education has begun in Dutch. Elisabeth speaks Dutch, French, German and English.[3]
In 2006, she attended the Te Deum in honour of Belgian National Day. In 2007, she accompanied her father to the opening of Technopolis, a science museum.[4][5] She also attended the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition and the presentation at the Royal Palace of a model of the Belgian Antarctic station which bears her name, Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.[6]
She was a bridesmaid to the weddings of her maternal aunts: Elisabeth, when she married Margrave Alfonso Pallavicini in 2006[7] and Hélène (also her godmother), when she married Baron Nicolas Janssen, the son of Baron Daniel Janssen, in 2011.[8] In 2014, she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin and godfather, Prince Amedeo.[9]
On 21 July 2013, once her father had taken the oath of office as King of the Belgians (his father, King Albert II, having abdicated shortly before), Princess Elisabeth became heir apparent to the throne and as such bears the title of Duchess of Brabant.[10]
Elisabeth is currently studying at UWC Atlantic College, with the goal of completing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in the May 2020 session.[11]
Position
Ten years prior to Elisabeth’s birth, a new act of succession was put into effect which introduced absolute primogeniture, meaning that Elisabeth comes first in the line of succession because she is the eldest child. If she ascends the throne as expected, she will be Belgium’s first queen regnant.[12]
European Royals 