Prince Gabriël celebrated his 23rd birthday on Thursday. To mark the occasion, the Palace has shared four new photographs of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde’s eldest son, taken in the Alps during a mountaineering course.
Gabriël was born on 20 August 2003 and is second in line to the throne after his sister, 24-year-old Crown Princess Elisabeth. The royal couple also have two other children: Emmanuel, 20, and Eléonore, 18.
Since 2022, Gabriël has been undergoing military training at the Royal Military Academy, where he is studying social and military sciences in Dutch. He is due to graduate this month. What he will do next has not yet been officially announced, and a career in the armed forces is a distinct possibility. Following a recent change in the law, members of the royal family who do not receive an allowance can take up a paid position in the army.
Prince Gabriël during his mountaineering course
Prince Gabriël during his mountaineering course
Prince Gabriël during his mountaineering course
One of the new photographs released this week was taken at the Albert I Refuge, a mountain hut named after the former King, who was a keen mountaineer. Albert opened the hut in the Mont Blanc massif a few years before he was killed in a climbing accident in 1934.
