King Filip and the rest of the royal family attended the graduation ceremony of Crown Princess Elisabeth at Oxford University (UK) earlier today. The crown princess has completed a three-year undergraduate course in history and politics at Lincoln College, Oxford.
Prof Irene Tracey, vice chancellor of Oxford University and Prof Henry Woudhuysen, rector of Lincoln College, were on hand to welcome the King of Belgians and his family.
Crown Princess Elisabeth has been studying at Lincoln College for the past 3 years. It is one of Oxford's smaller colleges, where about 300 students take classes each year. "Diversity" and a "strong sense of community" are paramount values at this college according to the college website. Sports facilities including rowing facilities are available on the grounds and, in its own words, Lincoln College boasts "one of the finest libraries in Oxford."
Next stop: Harvard
From the UK to the US: after studying "History and Politics" at Lincoln College, Crown Princess Elisabeth switches to Harvard University, one of the most prestigious universities worldwide. There she starts at the end of August.
Crown Princess Elisabeth will attend the Harvard Kennedy School and hopes to obtain a master’s degree in public policy. The university website states that the Kennedy School's mission is to "improve public policy and leadership so that people can live in safer, freer, more just and prosperous societies."
"The princess was also selected for an honorary award from the Fulbright Program, the U.S. State Department's international education exchange program," the palace added.
Crown Princess Elisabeth's school career in a nutshell:
2004 - 2018: Princess Elisabeth starts her school career as an infant at the Sint-Jan Berchmans College, in Brussels. Here she remains until her fourth year in secondary school.
2018 - 2020: the last two years of her secondary schooling the princess completes at Atlantic College in Wales (UK), where she takes a so-called International Baccalaureate to prepare her for further university studies.
2020 - 2021: after college, she returns briefly to Belgium to study "Social and Military Sciences" at the Royal Military Academy (KMS) in Brussels for one year.
2021 - 2024: She begins her university studies at Lincoln College, Oxford. There she pursues a three-year bachelor’s degree in history and politics.