Bruegel had a royal intern this summer. On July 17, the Belgian Royal Palace revealed that Princess Elisabeth of Belgium had been interning at the independent research center, sharing pictures of the heir to the throne busy at work. The palace’s post coincided with the final day of the Princess’ internship.
“Last day of internship for Princess Elisabeth! 👋💡 For 7 weeks she was part of the team of Bruegel, an independent research center in Brussels, specialized in research of (European) economic policy,” the palace shared (translated to English). “This voluntary internship framed her master’s degree in public management and policy at Harvard University.”
Queen Mathilde and King Philippe’s 23-year-old daughter recently completed her first year of grad school. The Princess is pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Elisabeth began her studies at the school in the United States last year.
After Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem orderedk in May to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification — meaning “Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status” — RTL reported that palace spokeswoman Lore Vandoorne said (translated to English), “Princess Elisabeth has just completed her first year,” adding, “The impact of this decision—or if there is one—will only be clarified in the coming days or weeks. We are currently studying the situation.”
According to royal journalist Wim Dehandschutter, Elisabeth does not want preferential treatment and will not use her royal status to continue her studies at Harvard University.
Prior to studying in Massachussets, Elisabeth obtained her bachelor’s degree in history and politics from Lincoln College, University of Oxford, which she graduated from in July of 2024. The palace announced in May of 224 that Elisabeth would be heading to the states for grad school. At the time, the palace said (translated to English): “After having recently successfully completed the admission tests, Her Royal Highness Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, will begin a master’s degree in public policy this summer at Harvard University (Harvard Kennedy School) in Boston.”
“This two-year course will complete her university education following her bachelor’s degree in History and Politics at the University of Oxford (Lincoln College),” the palace continued. “The Princess was also selected for an ‘Honorary Award’ from the Fulbright program, the international exchange program in the field of education of the United States Department of State.”
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