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Prince Gabriel of Belgium is following in his big sister Princess Elisabeth’s footsteps. On his 19th birthday (Aug. 20), the Belgian Royal Palace announced that King Philippe and Queen Mathilde ’s eldest son would begin attending the Royal Military Academy in Belgium starting Monday, Aug. 22.
According to the palace’s website, the Belgian Prince is studying social and military sciences in Dutch at the Royal Military School (162nd Promotion).
On Wednesday, the academy shared photos of students, writing, “At dawn on 22 and 23 August, the gates of the Royal Military Academy swing open to welcome the new students of the 162nd Promotion in Social and Military Sciences and the 177th Promotion in Polytechnics. Together with them, the candidate officers of the auxiliary cadre and the Special Division walk into the school. A quick wave to their loved ones and then - one recruit more confident than the next - the new batch of ‘tomorrow’s leaders’ enter a still unknown world.”
Gabriel’s sister Elisabeth joined the Royal Military Academy in 2020 for one-year of training in social and military sciences. This summer, the future Queen of Belgium, 20, participated in the academy’s annual summer camp as part of her military training. The Prince and Princess’ father, King Philippe, is also a Royal Military Academy alum.
Gabriel, who is second in line to the Belgian throne, previously studied mathematics, further mathematics and physics at the National Mathematics & Science College in Warwickshire, England after obtaining his international baccalaureate at the International School of Brussels.