Prince Gabriel of Belgium took his oath as an officer at the Royal Military Academy in the presence of his parents and younger sister. Queen Mathilde and King Philippe attended the swearing-in ceremony on Sept. 30, along with their 17-year-old daughter Princess Eléonore.
During the ceremony, the 22-year-old Prince swore his "allegiance to the King, obedience to the Constitution, and the laws of the Belgian people." Per the Belgian Royal Palace, every year after obtaining their bachelor's degree, the officer students at the Royal Military Academy are appointed Sub-Lieutenant or Ensign Second Class.
The palace shared photos from Tuesday's ceremony, writing on Instagram (translated to English): “'I pledge allegiance to the King, obedience to the Constitution and to the laws of the Belgian people! ' ✌️👏 Prince Gabriel just took his oath as an officer at the Royal Military School (KMS) in front of the King, the Queen and Princess Eléonore.👀."
The palace added, "After his bachelor's in Social and Military Sciences, he is now fully going for a master's degree at the KMS in the same direction." In a separate post earlier in the day, the palace noted that Gabriel, who now holds the rank of sub-lieutenant, is currently continuing his studies at the Royal Military Academy Belgium as part of his master's degree.
Gabriel is the Belgian King and Queen's second child. The Prince began studying social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy in 2022. He previously completed a one-year preparatory program at the National Mathematics & Science College in Warwickshire and obtained his International Baccalaureate from the International School of Brussels.
Gabriel's older sister Princess Elisabeth is also currently pursuing a master's degree. The heir to the Belgian throne is in her second year at Harvard University. Elisabeth began her master's degree in public policy last year after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in history and politics from Lincoln College, University of Oxford.
Queen Mathilde recently visited her daughter at her school in the United States. Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, the mom of four traveled to Massachusetts to see her firstborn. Alongside pictures of the mother-daughter duo, the palace wrote (translated to English): "🤩 A quick detour to Boston before the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York... The Queen took advantage of her trip to New York last week to meet Princess Elisabeth on the campus of@harvard. 🤍👋."