How Princess of Elisabeth of Belgium Dresses Like a Future Queen—and Harvard Student
The Duchess of Brabant will become the first female monarch of Belgium.
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle aren't the only royal style stars out there, and one up-and-coming princess on the fashion scene is Belgium's 23-year-old future queen, Princess Elisabeth.
The eldest child of Queen Mathilde and King Philippe—who celebrated her birthday on Friday, Oct. 25—has found the perfect mix of casual and formal looks for her busy schedule as she juggles royal events with studying for her master's degree in public policy at Harvard.
The future queen of the Belgians has led quite the accomplished life so far, graduating from the University of Cambridge in July and also having completed a yearlong course at the Royal Military Academy in Belgium.
From laid-back outfits like cargo pants and sweater vests to elegant caped gowns, Elisabeth has shown that dressing like a princess means you can rock both camo and couture. Below, we're taking a look at five of her recent best style moments.
Royal wedding glam
The Belgian princess made a bold statement in a caped fuchsia gown by Essentiel Antwerp at the wedding of Jordan's Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah and Princess Rajwa in 2023.
For the occasion, Elisabeth—who was joined by the likes of Princess Kate and Prince William and a number of other European royals—chose a flowing bright pink dress with caped detail, adding matching pumps and a coordinating clutch. She later delivered even more glamour by changing into a stunning blue beaded gown and diamond tiara for the reception.
Keeping it casual
In June 2020, the princess joined her family for a visit to the Bokrijk park and open-air museum in Genk, Belgium, and she showed off a summer ensemble that was both sporty and polished.
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Elisabeth went for a high street look for the occasion, wearing olive green skinny cargo pants by H&M with a white scalloped sleeveless crop top by royal go-to Zara. She teamed the outfit with classic white sneakers and gold hoop earrings as she biked through the park with Queen Mathilde, King Philippe and her siblings.
Royal student
A photo posted by on
Elisabeth showed off some classic American style as she started her two-year program at Harvard in September 2024. The future queen looked like any college student as she posed in front of a campus building (and an American flag for good measure) while wearing wide-legged Tommy Hilfiger jeans with a sleeveless brown top.
The princess, who wore her hair down in casual waves, gave her look an extra touch of casual cool with green suede Adidas sneakers and a gold Maje necklace displaying her astrological sign, Scorpio. While her exact jeans are no longer available, this Tommy Hilfiger pair below will give you a similar look.
Regal in red
Like many royals, Princess Elisabeth showed sartorial diplomacy while choosing her outfit for Belgium's National Day in 2022, wearing a bold red dress that represented one of the colors of her country's flag.
She sported a scarlet-hued Victoria Beckham dress with cold shoulder detail for the occasion, pairing it with a custom red headband by Emily London that would look right at home on Princess Kate's head. She finished off her look with dangling gold statement earrings and nude pumps, borrowing one of her mom's favorite gold clutches for a little touch of queenly glamour.
Birthday energy
Princess Elisabeth birthday post
A photo posted by on
For her 23rd birthday, Elisabeth stepped out in a very Missoni-like style by Princess Kate-approved brand Ba&Sh. She rocked the look as she strolled along a leaf-covered Boston street in an Instagram post from the Belgian royal palace that read, "Princess Elisabeth is 23 springs young today! Thanks (from the US) for all the birthday wishes!"
In the photos, she wore a colorful short-sleeve wrap top in shades of sapphire blue, brown, black and white stripes, pairing it with a matching midi skirt with a slit up the front. She finished off her modern princess birthday look with black knee-high boots, gold hoops and a long pendant necklace.
Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.”
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