Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium celebrated her 25th birthday at the weekend. To mark this festive occasion, the Royal Palace released a new photograph of the Belgian Crown Princess. The Royal Mint and postal services provider Bpost are also celebrating the birthday with a commemorative coin and a new postage stamp.
In a short video posted on social media, Elisabeth thanks everyone, in two of Belgium’s three national languages, for the many birthday wishes she has received through various channels. “It has warmed my heart” she said.
A year’s break after her student days
Crown Princess Elisabeth is the eldest child – and daughter – of King Filip and Queen Mathilde and will be the first woman to ascend the throne in Belgium. She has held the title of Duchess of Brabant since 21 July 2013.
In May, Elisabeth graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School in Boston, one of the most prestigious universities in the world, with a master’s degree in public policy.
She had previously completed a bachelor’s degree in ‘History & Politics’ at Lincoln College, a college that forms part of Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
In an interview on the day of her graduation, the Crown Princess left it open as to when she would start working full-time for the Royal Family. “My time at university was very intense; I threw myself into it completely. I’m now going to try to take a step back and lay a solid foundation for what lies ahead. Nothing in a hurry; everything in its own time” the princess said.
“I’d like to take a year or so to think about it. For the time being, I want to develop myself in a different way. How exactly? I don’t know yet.”
As Crown Princess, Elisabeth will in the future lead Belgian trade missions abroad. At present, this is still a job for Queen Mathilde. When Elisabeth takes on her role as active Crown Princess, she will also be given her own royal household and an allowance.
Commemorative coin and stamp
Both Belgium’s Royal Mint and postal services provider Bpost are honouring the Crown Princess with a special issue.
The Royal Mint is launching Elisabeth’s first commemorative coin. The euro coin, with a face value of 12.5 euros, is the only gold commemorative coin to be issued this year. Only 2,500 copies will be produced.
Alongside the portrait of the Crown Princess, the number 25 and her monogram, the reverse of the coin also features Elisabeth’s father, King Filip, together with the face value and ‘Belgium’ in the three national languages.
Bpost is issuing a stamp sheet featuring Elisabeth’s brand-new black-and-white portrait by photographer Bas Bogaerts. Only a limited edition of 41,970 sheets will be printed.
This is not the first time Princess Elisabeth has been honoured with her own stamp. This happened in 2002, on the occasion of her first birthday, in 2016 (featuring the whole family) and in 2019, to mark her 18th birthday. Her latest stamp will, however, be the first special self-adhesive stamp dedicated to a member of the Belgian royal family.