P. Elisabeth, P. Gabriël, P. Emmanuel and P. Eléonore - News and Pictures Part 3


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Not a hope in hell they might stretch to a birthday cake and candles ;)
 
Moonmaiden23 said:
In my wildest fantasy Philippe and Mathilde will give their beautiful eldest daughter a formal ball at Laeken to mark her 18th birthday, with the cream of the younger generation of Royals in attendance and tiaras an absolute requirement.

It won't happen but I can dream!;):lol:
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I don’t expect Elisabeth to be given a new 18th birthday gift tiara. I believe, however, that she is likely to get a brand new wedding gift tiara one day. If she ever requires a tiara before she gets married, I expect her to borrow her mother’s Laurel Wreath, or perhaps her grandmother’s Art Deco bandeau if it is available to her.
 
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Moonmaiden23 said:
In my wildest fantasy Philippe and Mathilde will give their beautiful eldest daughter a formal ball at Laeken to mark her 18th birthday, with the cream of the younger generation of Royals in attendance and tiaras an absolute requirement.

It won't happen but I can dream!;):lol:
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Very unlikey. and if there is a Ball or something it will be private and we will not get to see pics. Like we didn't know that there was a Ball for the 50th birthday of Philippe in 2010 hosted by his parents and only got to know about it at some point later.

For a big Ball we will probably have to wait till Ingrid Alexandra or Christian will turn 18 as there where Balls when their fathers turned 18.
 
I actually think it's very likely a private ball is hosted for Elisabeth's 18th birthday. The reason all this is private in Laeken is because Philippe will get slaughtered by the leading political party for any extra glam or expense - actually any excuse will do for them. We're living in populist times.

But maybe Elisabeth herself doesn't want a ball because she's a thoroughly modern young woman? Maybe she'll have a big bash with her friends (and royal friends/cousins) and then that too will be private.

I do expect something special, more than a photoshoot. Maybe a short interview? Who knows, apart from her majority it isn't a very special point in her life as she already is the crown princess and she'll still be studying (at various international institutions) for the next couple of years. Her life will remain 99,9 % private for quite a while.
 
maria-olivia said:
Since King Baudouin being King the law changes . Majority is now at the age of 18.
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What a difference between those two lives, right? Baudouin at 21 as a traumatized young adult: his mother's death, the war where he was sure he was going to die in German captivity, the political & public animosity against his father, the burden of kingship at such a young age... And then Elisabeth today, a relaxed intelligent young woman who has all the chances to develop herself and to take her time to learn and explore the world, surrounded by parents who love and support her.
 
:previous: I thought Baudouin was barely 20 years old when he was compelled to take the throne against his will?

No matter. Poor guy...no wonder he wanted to enter a Trappist order before he met Fabiola!:sad:

And yes. Princess Elisabeth leads a charmed life in comparison to her great uncle Baudouin
 
Moonmaiden23 said:
:previous: I thought Baudouin was barely 20 years old when he was compelled to take the throne against his will?

No matter. Poor guy...no wonder he wanted to enter a Trappist order before he met Fabiola!:sad:

And yes. Princess Elisabeth leads a charmed life in comparison to her great uncle Baudouin
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Baudouin was roughly 1 1/2 month short of his 21st birthday. Born September 7, 1930 - ascension to the Belgian throne July 17, 1951.

I have seen footage of his ascension and, what you say, poor guy. He really was barely an adult.


But I do think Elisabeth and her siblings have learnt a lot from Baudouin (and Fabiola), through the latter and their parents.
 
Fun picture (they clearly had fun)!
 
Skippy said:
Baudouin was roughly 1 1/2 month short of his 21st birthday. Born September 7, 1930 - ascension to the Belgian throne July 17, 1951.

.
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He had been serving as de facto Regent though since August 11, 1950, i.e. almost one year before his father's abdication.
 
HereditaryPrincess said:
A lovely photo of the children - It's sweet to see Gabriel with his arm around Eleonore and I love their smiles! Eleonore's dress is also beautiful - she looks really grown up in this photo.
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They are always that touchy... I remember last summer during the annual photo shoot Gabriel holding hands with his younger brother, playing unconsciously with his fingers, which I find quite surprising and, to me, unfamiliar for boys, Gabriel being almost a young man, behaving like that in public. But I found this was a very sweet and touching scene to look at!:flowers:
 
When Princess Elisabeth turns 18 will there be any special event? Will she also swear the constitution as it does in other monarchies?
 
Blog Real said:
When Princess Elisabeth turns 18 will there be any special event? Will she also swear the constitution as it does in other monarchies?
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I asked the same question and was quickly told that the BRF are fairly lowkey in how they celebrate milestone events, so I doubt we'll see a large party that will be publicised, however I suspect there will be a private party for Elisabeth to enjoy with her family and close friends from Belgium (and also perhaps some new friends she's made from Wales).
I don't know about swearing in to the constitution, one of the Belgian members or those who are more knowledgeable about the BRF's traditions will have to fill us in on that!
 
http://m.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20190330_04291676

The King has announced that Elisabeth will not receive a dotation yet.
She could have from her 18th birthday. But Philippe and Mathilde decided they want their daughter to be able to live a life without obligations for now.
Elisabeth will study at the Atlantic College until the summer of next year and will presumably continue to university and military training after that.
 
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Thanks cdm!

Wise decision from the King and the Queen!
 
Duc_et_Pair said:
I don't think so. As only Belgian citizen Elisabeth is not free to pursue her own life and career. The dotation is linked to purely that position as constitutional successor to the King. It was wiser when Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent, waaaaay down in the succession, would end their donations and leave the arrangement for the Heir intact.

Now Philippe looks weak, not giving in to decades-long complaints about the "absurd" donations for his siblings, but he has no difficulty in using his daughter in a populist move. With this he has set a dangerous precedent. No longer the pure constitutional position of the succesor results in a donation but "when he/she is ready". With this an objective legal arrangement had been swapped for a subjective personal consideration, depending on the mood of the day. Very unwise.
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I actually agree with all you've written.

Elisabeth is the heir and when Elisabeth is 18, like it or not, she's has a constitutional role. If King Phillipe were to drop dead when Elisabeth is 18 years and 1 day, she's Queen.

King Phillipe delaying her dotation to ensure "further privacy" and to appease polticial opponents is very unwise.
 
:previous: Thank you for sharing eya. Eleonore is a very sweet little girl and she's gotten a lot taller! She reminds me more and more of her sister Elisabeth each time we see a new photo.
 
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HereditaryPrincess said:
Were there any large/official celebrations for Philippe when he turned 18?
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An Ard Ri said:
His uncle was king when turned 18,his father the then Prince of Liège was next in line to the throne.
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Stefan said:
We can't compare it to when Philippe turned 18 as he was not the direct Heir. His father was before him.
The last time a direct heir got adult was Baudouin but i don't what the age then was in Belgium. 18. or 21.
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But was there an official celebration of Prince Philippe's coming of age? If yes, it would only be logical for one to be held for Princess Elisabeth. On the other hand, conditions have altered since 1978.

Mbruno said:
Under the Belgian constitution, the heir is eligible to succeed upon attaining the age of 18. I don’t know either if that was already the case when Baudouin came of age.

EDiT: I checked the Wikipedia and it appears that Baudouin became regent when he was still 20 and took the oath as King a few months before he turned 21 , so 21 could not be the majority age back then.
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I checked the 1831 constitution and it also contains the stipulation that the King comes of age at 18, which seems to hint that a higher age of majority applied to the princes and princesses. On the other hand, it also stipulates that the heir to the throne becomes a senator at 18.

maria-olivia said:
Since King Baudouin being King the law changes . Majority is now at the age of 18.
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What was the age of majority prior to that?
 
Tatiana Maria said:
But was there an official celebration of Prince Philippe's coming of age? If yes, it would only be logical for one to be held for Princess Elisabeth. On the other hand, conditions have altered since 1978.



I checked the 1831 constitution and it also contains the stipulation that the King comes of age at 18, which seems to hint that a higher age of majority applied to the princes and princesses. On the other hand, it also stipulates that the heir to the throne becomes a senator at 18.



What was the age of majority prior to that?
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I suppose that it was 23, as Belgium was part of the Netherlands before 1831. Before 1901, in the Netherlands one didn't reach maturity (calendar-wise) until 23.


So when Belgium became independent, they made their own constitution and stipulations > 18 years is majority.
 
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I wonder when the Duchess of Brabant will be invested with some Belgian orders?
 
An Ard Ri said:
I wonder when the Duchess of Brabant will be invested with some Belgian orders?
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The English Wikipedia says that Philippe was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold only in 1990 when he was already about 30 years old.



If the same pattern applies to Princess Elisabeth, the chances of her getting a Belgian order on her 18th birthday or anytime soon are close to none. In any case, it is a decision that doesn't depend on the King alone. I believe any Royal Decree awarding orders in Belgium has to be countersigned (thus approved) by Belgian ministers.
 
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