Princess Elisabeth of Belgium has begun her training at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels. The 18-year-old heir to the Belgian throne appeared in a video shared by the Belgian Defence, which showed the 170 officer candidates on their first day as they enrolled at the facility.
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The Royal Military Academy is the military university in Belgium, and is responsible for the education of officers in the four components of Belgian defence; Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical. As the future monarch, Elisabeth will emerge from the academy with an in-depth understanding of her country's military powers.
The Belgian royal family pictured on their summer break
The teenager is following in the footsteps of her father, King Philippe, who attended the academy from 1978 to 1981. Earlier this year, the Belgian royal palace shared a photo of Elisabeth out running to prepare herself for her training at the military school.
Elisabeth previously studied at UWC Atlantic College in Wales, returning to Belgium in March ahead of the coronavirus lockdown. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde's eldest child was accepted into the sixth form college in March 2018.
Princess Elisabeth out running
At the time, the palace announced that Elisabeth had passed the entrance exam and would complete her Internationale Baccalauréat in Wales in 2020. The college teaches the rigorous IB system for 16 to 19 year olds. It was founded in 1962 by German educationalist Kurt Hahn, who also set up Gordonstoun boarding school in Scotland, famously attended by Prince Charles.
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Elisabeth, who turns 19 in October, also has three younger siblings – Prince Gabriel, 17, Prince Emmanuel, 14, and Princess Eléonore, 12. When she ascends the throne, Elisabeth will be Belgium's first queen regnant, following a change in the law in 1991 that allowed females to keep their place in the line of succession over younger brothers.
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