Background
The eldest child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, she acquired her position and ducal title after her grandfather King Albert II abdicated in favour of her father on 21 July 2013.
The eldest child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, she acquired her position and ducal title after her grandfather King Albert II abdicated in favour of her father on 21 July 2013.
The first child of the then Duke and, Elisabeth was delivered by caesarian section at 9:58 pm at the Hôpital Erasme (Erasmus Hospital) in Anderlecht, Brussels. She has two younger brothers, Prince Gabriel and Prince Emmanuel, and a younger sister, Princess Eléonore. 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 also attends dance classes conducted in Dutch at the Municipal Music Academy in Asse, in Flemish Brabant.
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.
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. She speaks Dutch, French and German.
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 In October 2014, Elisabeth gave a speech in honour of the First World War commemoration.
On 6 May 2015, Elisabeth made a speech before christening a ship Pollux. 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.
25 October 2001 – 21 July 2013: Her Royal Highness Princess Elisabeth of Belgium
21 July 2013 – present: Her Royal Highness The.