Belgium’s future queen set to return to Harvard after concerns

It seems Princess Elisabeth is set to return to the US this autumn to continue her studies at Harvard, after a summer of confusion and upheaval regarding the status of international students at the prestigious university.

But now, according to the Belgian Royal Court’s spokesman, Xaiver Baert, the future queen of the Belgians is aiming to return for her second year of a master’s degree in public policy.

“I can confirm that, for now, all the conditions seem to be in place for the princess to continue her studies at Harvard,” Baert confirmed.

The news comes after a summer of speculation that perhaps the future queen wouldn’t be able to resume her studies after the US administration put a ban on international students at Harvard.

After the announcement in May, the Belgian Royal Court told reporters that “the impact of the decision will only become clearer in the coming days and weeks. We are currently investigating the situation,” with Baert adding, “A lot can still happen in the coming days and weeks.”

Over the summer, it was further revealed that Princess Elisabeth did not want to use her status as a future queen to influence whether or not she could return to Harvard. In the meantime, she completed a seven-week internship with Bruegel research centre, looking into European economic policies.

“This voluntary internship framed her master’s degree in public management and policy at Harvard University,” the Belgian Royal Court shared on social media.

Princess Elisabeth began her two-year degree last autumn. Public Policy is a “cross-disciplinary core curriculum that exposes you to the analytic methods, conceptual frameworks, and habits of mind that empower you to craft solutions for real-world public problems,” according to Harvard’s website.