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The benefits of going to college are myriad, not just from the perspective of career opportunities but also because of the people you meet and the life skills acquired. Many European royals have taken advantage of the great range of courses at Ivy League colleges and equivalent universities in the US to broaden their knowledge and meet people they wouldn’t have normally crossed paths with. From Princess Victoria of Sweden who studied Political Science at Yale, where she could have brushed shoulders with the likes of Lupita Nyong’o to King Felipe of Spain who got a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Take a look through our gallery of intellectually blessed celebrities and royals.
© GettyImagesYale University - Princess Victoria of Sweden
The heir to the Swedish throne spent five semesters at the prestigious Connecticut college studying Political Science and History from 1998. During her time in the US, Princess Victoria also completed two periods of work experience at the United Nations in New York.
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© GettyImagesYale University - Lupita Nyong’o
Other famous faces to have graced Yale’s hallways include Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o and Hollywood legend Meryl Streep – both of whom attended Yale Drama School. Homeland actress Claire Danes also studied a psychology major there, but dropped out after two years to focus on her acting career.
© GettyImagesBrown University – Lady Gabriella Windsor
Prince Charles ’s second cousin Lady Gabriella Windsor studied Comparative Literature and Hispanic studies at Brown University, graduating in 2004. Other royals who studied at the Rhode Island university include Prince Nikolaos of Greece and his little sister Princess Theodora.
© GettyImagesBrown University - Emma Watson
Harry Potter star Emma Watson studied English Literature at Brown University and graduated in 2014. On trying to blend in with her fellow students, she told The Sunday Times: “On the first day, I walked into the canteen and everyone went completely silent and turned to look at me, I had to say to myself, ‘It’s okay, you can do this. You just have to take a deep breath and gather your courage.’”
Other famous alumni from Brown University include John F Kennedy Jr, Eva Amurri and André Leon Talley
RELATED: How Emma Watson went from Hogwarts to global activist
© GettyImagesHarvard University – Prince Frederik of Denmark
The future king of Denmark studied Political Science at the Cambridge, Massachusetts university. When interviewed just after his arrival at the university he said: “These two weeks I’ve been here have shown...I’m not that famous here!”
Empress Masako of Japan also studied at Harvard, graduating with great distinction in economics. Her former professor recalled what she was like while there, saying: “She was a very quiet and serious girl, very different from the usual talkative American high school students.”
© GettyImagesHarvard University – Natalie Portman
She found success at an early age in the 1994 hit movie Léon: The Professional but Natalie Portman was keen to step away from the limelight for a while and focus on expanding her horizons. She graduated from Harvard with a psychology degree in 2003.
Other famous faces who have sharpened their pencils – and minds – here include Tyra Banks, Rashida Jones and Matt Damon (who dropped out in 1992).
© GettyImagesGeorgetown University – King Felipe of Spain
Although not classed as an Ivy League school, Georgetown University is still prestigious and has had its fair share of famous alumni. King Felipe of Spain acquired a master‘s degree at the Foreign Service school and was a roommate of his cousin Prince Pavlos of Greece.
RELATED: How King Felipe protected his daughter Princess Leonor as he renounced his $58 million inheritance
© GettyImagesGeorgetown University – Bradley Cooper
Other famous alumni of this private university in Washington, D.C. include Bradley Cooper who graduated with distinction with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis also studied here as did her niece Maria Shriver.
