It was a night of glittering glamour as Princess Elisabeth of Belgium and Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands stepped out for a gala dinner marking the accession of Luxembourg's new Grand Duke to the throne. The Belgian and Dutch Princesses arrived at the Grand Ducal Palace on Friday following the arrival of Elisabeth's parents, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. Inside, the daughters of two European Kings were seen curtseying to Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stéphanie.
Elisabeth, 23, and Amalia, 21, shined in sparkling gowns and tiaras for the dinner, with Amalia wearing a green long-sleeve, off-the-shoulder design by Monique Lhuillier and Elisabeth a silver number with a structured neckline, said to be by Jenny Packham (via UFO No More). The Princess of Orange completed her dazzling look with Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara, per The Court Jeweller, while Elisabeth wore the antique tiara that she reportedly received as a gift from her parents for her 18th birthday.
Earlier in the day, Amalia and Elisabeth attended Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg's abdication ceremony. Guillaume ascended the throne on Oct. 3, upon his father Henri's abdication. Henri announced in December that he would be abdicating the throne in favor of his firstborn.
Amalia and Elisabeth are both future monarchs. The Princess of Orange, who is Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands' first child, is first in line to the Dutch throne. Like Amalia, Princess Elisabeth is the eldest child of a reigning King, and is first in line to the Belgian throne.
King Philippe was asked earlier this year if he planned on abdicating in favor of his daughter Elisabeth. “A King steps back, but is not retired,” Philippe answered, translated to English. “I will continue to work for Belgium and I must give my daughter time to enjoy her youth, develop herself and see the world and I support her 100 percent in that and I will do everything I can to give her all the time she needs to do.”
Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant is currently pursuing a master's degree in public policy at Harvard University in the United States. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in history and politics from Lincoln College, University of Oxford last year. This past July, Amalia celebrated her graduation from the University of Amsterdam's Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE) program. The Princess of Orange, who is studying for a bachelor's degree in Dutch Law, began her training at Defensity College on Sept. 30.
Amalia has said in the past that she hopes to one day “become a good queen." During a 2021 press conference, Amalia said, “There is no school for becoming a queen, not like there is for a lawyer, teacher, baker or you name it.”
The Princess added, “I think that means I have to look very much into the past, but at the same time also have to move with the times.”