The House of Saxe-Coburg is riding one of the sweetest stretches in its recent history, with a new generation of royals stepping further into the spotlight. Weeks after King Philippe and Queen Mathilde flew to Massachusetts to watch Princess Elisabeth collect her diploma from Harvard University, they’re swapping the Ivy League for their home turf. On August 27, the family will gather at Belgium’s Royal Military Academy for one of the defining days in the life of their second-born, Prince Gabriel — with Elisabeth herself set to play a meaningful role in the proceedings.
Gabriel’s turn in the spotlight
Weeks after the heir to the Belgian throne had her showcase moment at the Harvard Kennedy School, where she completed a master’s in public policy, it’s her younger brother’s turn to take center stage at his own commencement. This time the setting will be far removed from the US Ivy League campus. Gabriel is graduating from the Royal Military Academy in Brussels.
According to a detailed statement from the Belgian Royal Household, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will be there, as will Princess Elisabeth. Her presence carries its own weight: it was back in 2023 that Elisabeth herself swore the officer’s oath in a similar ceremony at the same academy, a rite of passage that awaits her younger brother. With Gabriel closing out this chapter of his training and preparing for whatever comes next in his military career, having Elisabeth on hand serves as a reminder that the Crown’s future is anchored, quite literally, in uniform.
Years in uniform, well beyond the classroom
© WireImageGabriel’s military education has kept him in the public eye for months now, and last autumn marked a milestone in that arc, when he wrapped up his bachelor’s degree in social and military sciences.
His time at the Royal Military Academy hasn’t been without its share of institutional debate — notably because, while he was enrolled, Belgium pushed through a legislative shift that raised more than a few eyebrows. But what stands out most is simply how demanding his training has been: unlike his sister, whose military schooling was comparatively brief, Gabriel has logged a far longer and more intensive run through the ranks. Case in point: an Erasmus exchange at France’s Saint-Cyr Military Academy, where he earned his parachutist wings after three punishing weeks at the Airborne Troops School.
© Getty ImagesThe prince also completed a combat training stint at the Equatorial Forest Training Center in French Guiana — a two-week gauntlet designed to push cadets to their physical and mental limits while teaching them jungle survival and combat tactics.
That grueling post effectively closed out a military journey that has already reshaped Belgian law: Gabriel is now in line to become the first member of the Belgian royal family to pursue a salaried career within the Ministry of Defense.
A legal first, timed to the moment
That possibility exists because of a legal amendment championed by Defense Minister Theo Francken, which upends the traditional status of Belgium’s royals by allowing those who receive no state allowance to work professionally within the armed forces and draw a salary for it.
It’s a striking coincidence of timing: the reform lands just as Gabriel wraps up this stage of his life, putting him squarely at the center of attention as his parents and Belgium’s future queen look on.
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