Crown Princess refuses to use royal status in surprising move

Princess Elisabeth, heir to the Belgian throne, has made a defying decision for her better tomorrow.

Crown Princess of Belgium, who's studying in the US, has refused to use her royal status as she does not want to secure exceptional treatment at Harvard University.

The 23-year-old is one of 7,000 other international students facing potential exclusion following President Trump's attempted ban. 

It comes after Trump responded to a question about foreign visas for students in the US, reportedly saying Harvard has been 'a disaster'.

Elisabeth recently completed her first year of a master's degree in Public Policy. The royal has told palace officials she wants to "show solidarity with the other foreign students", according to well-informed sources.

The future Queen has made clear she will not seek exceptional measures to continue her studies at the institution, Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws reported.

Both King Philippe and Queen Mathilde have reportedly supported their daughter's stance against preferential treatment.

A Massachusetts judge has temporarily blocked Trump's decision to revoke Harvard's ability to enrol foreign students, but the verdict remains pending, leaving Elisabeth and thousands of others in limbo.

The Royal Palace of Brussels has previously acknowledged the uncertain situation, with communications head Xavier Baert stating: "We are looking into the situation, to see what kind of impact this decision might have on the princess, or not. It's too early to say right now."

Elisabeth is said to recognise that accepting special measures could damage Belgium's diplomatic relations with the United States and send the wrong message to ordinary students facing the same predicament, HLN reported.

The stunning royal graduated from Lincoln College at Oxford University in 2024 with a degree in history and politics before beginning her Harvard studies, with her annual tuition costing £45,800, or 53,100 euros.