Princess Elisabeth of Belgium has one year of grad school under her belt. The future Queen, 23, began her studies at Harvard Kennedy School last year, but now the royal palace is waiting to see whether the Princess will return to the school in the states.
On May 22, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem ordered the Department of Homeland Security to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, meaning "Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status."
“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” Secretary Noem said in a statement. “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”
The DHS noted in its press release that "Harvard is being held accountable for collaboration with the CCP, fostering violence, antisemitism, and pro-terrorist conduct from students on its campus."
According to RTL, the royal palace has reacted to the Trump administration's order with palace spokeswoman Lore Vandoorne saying (translated to English), "Princess Elisabeth has just completed her first year," adding, "The impact of this decision—or if there is one—will only be clarified in the coming days or weeks. We are currently studying the situation."
Meanwhile, Xavier Baert, the palace's communications director, said, "We must look at the situation calmly and wait. So many things can still happen."
Reuters reported on May 23 that a U.S. judge "blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students" on Friday. Harvard announced on May 23 that it had asked a federal judge on Friday morning to block the Trump administration's order. On Instagram, the school posted: "Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.Yesterday, the federal government announced that it has revoked Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and stripped the University of its authority to sponsor F- and J- visas for international students and scholars for the 2025-26 academic year. The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government’s illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body.We have filed a complaint, and a motion for a temporary restraining order will follow. As we pursue legal remedies, we will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars."
Elisabeth, who is the eldest of Queen Mathilde and King Philippe’s children, is pursuing a master's degree in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Last September, the Belgian Royal Palace shared photos of the heir to the Belgian throne at her new school in Cambridge. " "Hello USA! 👋 ," the palace wrote alongside the pictures (translated to English). "Princess Elisabeth began her master's degree in public policy at the @harvardkennedyschool. 🙌."
Elisabeth obtained her bachelor's degree in history and politics from Lincoln College, University of Oxford, which she graduated from in July of 2024. It was announced last May that Elisabeth would be heading to the states for grad school. At the time, the palace said (translated to English): “After having recently successfully completed the admission tests, Her Royal Highness Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, will begin a master’s degree in public policy this summer at Harvard University (Harvard Kennedy School) in Boston."
“This two-year course will complete her university education following her bachelor’s degree in History and Politics at the University of Oxford (Lincoln College),” the palace added. “The Princess was also selected for an ‘Honorary Award’ from the Fulbright program, the international exchange program in the field of education of the United States Department of State.”