Princess begins classes at university in England© Bas Bogaerts/Royal Palace, Belgium

Princess begins studies at university in England

New pictures of the future Queen were released to mark her first day of classes


OCTOBER 4, 2021 11:08 AM EDT

 Princess Elisabeth  of Belgium has begun her studies at Oxford University’s Lincoln College. The Belgian Royal Palace marked the future Queen’s first day of school on Monday, Oct. 4, with new photos of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde’s eldest child on campus.

© Bas Bogaerts/Royal Palace, Belgium

The Princess is studying at Lincoln College in Oxford

The 19-year-old royal was pictured strolling the Front Quad at Lincoln College, meeting with classmates at The Grove, punting with friends and drinking coffee. The photos were taken in Oxford last week (Sept. 27 and 28) prior to Elisabeth starting her three-year course in history and politics.

© Bas Bogaerts/Royal Palace, Belgium

Elisabeth is first in line to the Belgian throne

The palace announced in August that the Princess would be returning to the UK for school. Elisabeth “already knows the UK well,” the palace said in a statement at the time, adding that she “will return regularly to Belgium and will remain involved in Belgian public life.”

© Bas Bogaerts/Royal Palace, Belgium

Princess Elisabeth and two friends were pictured punting on the River Cherwell in Oxford

In 2020, Queen Mathilde’s firstborn obtained her International Baccalaureate from the UWC Atlantic College in Wales, where Princess Leonor of Spain and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands are currently studying. This past July, the royal teen completed her year in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy in Belgium.

Elisabeth isn’t the only member of the Belgian royal family studying in the UK. The Princess’s younger brother  Prince Gabriel also moved to England to study at the National Mathematics & Science College in Warwickshire.