Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel & Princess Eléonore: News & Events, Oct. 2019 -

[Mbruno]

Belgian Prince Gabriël, who turns 18 today, moves to England. The second child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde has been admitted to the National Mathematics and Science College (@Natmatsci) in Warwickshire, in the West Midlands.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1428582062693527553

New pictures
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E9NYoSBXEAQ4kj9?format=jpg&name=medium
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E9NW3HKXMAIOVNr?format=jpg&name=360x360
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E9NW3HMXoAQsvMS?format=jpg&name=small

I am glad to see that Prince Gabriel appears to have a chosen a STEM field for his future education, which is not very common for European royals. Hopefully he will become a scientist or an engineer in the future and inspire other young people to follow the same path.

The same legal freedoms and restrictions on whom they may or may not marry apply to them as to any other Belgian citizen, but as public figures they will inevitably be viewed with suspicion if they marry a controversial person, whether that person is an aristocrat or commoner, and that may have consequences for their public role.

There is an additional restriction that applies to them and not to ordinary Belgian citizens. Being in the line of succession to the throne, they need the King's consent to marry if they also want to keep their succession rights. Since the King's consent is given in Belgium in the form of a royal decree, I assume that also implies the consent of the government as royal decrees have to be countersigned by one or more responsible ministers.

 

[muriel]

I am waiting for the announcement about Elisabeth's education so it's a surprise to hear Gabriel's first (I just forget he also turns 18 this year).

Seems that UK will have a few more princes and princesses Also isn't there a rumour that Elisabeth might study at university in UK like her father? Maybe the oldest two will go to UK together.

It is a testament to the vibrant education system in the UK that it continues to attract international students in large numbers, at the secondary school and university level. That 4 children of 3 European monarchs are or will be in education in Britain only confirms this, IMO.

 

[Prinsara]

Isn't it a testament to the fact royals with non-native English need to be fluent as well?

 

[rominet09]

How time flies, I remember so well when he was born... such a big beautiful baby... and now a very handsome Prince !

 

[Mbruno]

Isn't it a testament to the fact royals with non-native English need to be fluent as well?

I think that is a given regardless of studying in an English-speaking country or not. It is impossible to have an international career nowadays in most areas (business, science, diplomacy, etc.) without knowledge of English.

Going to school in an English-speaking country certainly helps in that respect, but I don't think the language is the only factor why so many international students choose to study in the UK or the US. The quality of education in those countries, especially at the graduate and postgraduate level, is also an important factor. In the case of the UK, I would assume the geographical proximity is also a factor to make it attractive to ypung continental European royals.

 

[leidi]

I am glad to see that Prince Gabriel appears to have a chosen a STEM field for his future education, which is not very common for European royals. Hopefully he will become a scientist or an engineer in the future and inspire other young people to follow the same path.





There is an additional restriction that applies to them and not to ordinary Belgian citizens. Being in the line of succession to the throne, they need the King's consent to marry if they also want to keep their succession rights. Since the King's consent is given in Belgium in the form of a royal decree, I assume that also implies the consent of the government as royal decrees have to be countersigned by one or more responsible ministers.

If I'm not wrong, the last ones to do so were the late Prince Friso of the Netherlands and Prince Kyril of Bulgaria (although the latter eventually started working in hedge funds).

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Would there have been any public commemoration of Prince Gabriel's 18th birthday if not for the pandemic?

Belgian Prince Gabriël, who turns 18 today, moves to England. The second child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde has been admitted to the National Mathematics and Science College (@Natmatsci) in Warwickshire, in the West Midlands.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1428582062693527553

Does that mean that Prince Gabriel will probably not take military training like previous princes of the royal family, or will that stage probably follow after his graduation from the college?

Will he take the standard two-year A-level program or the one-year fast-track program?

https://natmatsci.ac.uk/alevelprogramme/
https://natmatsci.ac.uk/fast-track-a-level/

Seems that UK will have a few more princes and princesses Also isn't there a rumour that Elisabeth might study at university in UK like her father? Maybe the oldest two will go to UK together.

All of Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz's children have studied in England.

I am glad to see that Prince Gabriel appears to have a chosen a STEM field for his future education, which is not very common for European royals. Hopefully he will become a scientist or an engineer in the future and inspire other young people to follow the same path.

Recently, Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway chose the Information Technology and Media Production program for his high school education.

https://www.theroyalforums.com/foru...d-marius-discussion-11543-21.html#post2413845

STEM fields would indeed be a very suitable path for senior royals who must work for a living. In comparison to many other fields, there is lower risk of being accused, fairly or unfairly, of capitalizing on one's royal status for publicity.

It is a testament to the vibrant education system in the UK that it continues to attract international students in large numbers, at the secondary school and university level. That 4 children of 3 European monarchs are or will be in education in Britain only confirms this, IMO.

I imagine the foremost consideration is that English is taught in primary and/or secondary schools in Belgium and many other countries, and their students have acquired a working proficiency in the English language when they choose their destination for upper secondary or tertiary education.

Thank goodness weddings are not arranged by families anymore in royal circles.

It may be rare in European royal circles, but is evidently not unusual in royal circles in, for instance, Dubai.

 

[W.Y.CII]

I think it's possible that he might not take military training considering he enrolled in a college specialises in STEM, and it's not necessary for him to do so (of course unless he wishes to).

I forget that Astrid's children also studies at UK, but it is different, there will be 3 (or even 4?) children of foreign European monarchs .

I think of Sverre Magnus too, it's great that these two boys find out something they're interested, and plan to pursue a career in future.

 

[Marchesina]

IMO one thing doesn't exclude the other. He can pursue a scientific academic career and then move to the military where one can apply the scientific knowledge in the aeronautics, for instance.
But I am completely fine if he doesn't and just want to become an engineer, a chemist or whatever he wishes.
This is a completely new situation in Belgium, so it will be interesting to see in what way he will be representing the RF in the future, considering he has to earn a living on himself.

 

[muriel]

I imagine the foremost consideration is that English is taught in primary and/or secondary schools in Belgium and many other countries, and their students have acquired a working proficiency in the English language when they choose their destination for upper secondary or tertiary education.

Whilst proficiency in English is, without doubt, a pre-requisite, depending on the school or university one chooses to apply to, strong academic performance can be a very key criterion.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I thought perhaps might have received an order to mark is 18th birthday?

 

[Stefan]

I thought perhaps might have received an order to mark is 18th birthday?

Wondered too if he was awarded the Order of Leopold but then i don't know if this is usually awarded in Belgium when turing 18 or not.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Wondered too if he was awarded the Order of Leopold but then i don't know if this is usually awarded in Belgium when turing 18 or not.

I believe his sister the duchess of Brabant did and I know it was possibly because she's 1st in line.

 

[Stefan]

I believe his sister the duchess of Brabant did and I know it was possibly because she's 1st in line.

Yes Princess Elisabeth got her order of the Leopold ion her 18th birthday. but i don't know when for example King Philippe, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent got theirs. When they turned 18 or later.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Princes Laurent was received the Grand Cross May 13, 2000 but not sure about Princess Astrid, Archduchess of Austria Este.

https://boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2000-8985

 

[Prinsara]

There's no particular reason to give it to Gabriel, though, and certainly not right now. Elisabeth is the heir and he's not.

Besides, is it Order of LI or LII? Isn't there discussion about changing the latter?

 

[Stefan]

There's no particular reason to give it to Gabriel, though, and certainly not right now. Elisabeth is the heir and he's not.

In other royal Houses (NL, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Spain) it used to be the case that children of the monarch got an Order when the turned 18 also when they where not the heir/heiress.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

The Grand Ribbon of the Order of Leopold was awarded to Prince Laurent on August 6, 1993 and to Princess Astrid on July 6, 1997.

https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/c..._date=1998-01-16&caller=list&numac=1997015254

I wonder why Prince Laurent received it ahead of Princess Astrid.

There's no particular reason to give it to Gabriel, though, and certainly not right now. Elisabeth is the heir and he's not.

Besides, is it Order of LI or LII? Isn't there discussion about changing the latter?

The Order of Leopold .

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Grand Ribbon of the Order of Leopold was awarded to Prince Laurent on August 6, 1993 and to Princess Astrid on July 6, 1997.

https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/c..._date=1998-01-16&caller=list&numac=1997015254

I wonder why Prince Laurent received it ahead of Princess Astrid.




The Order of Leopold .

Very strange seeing as Princess Astrid displaced Prince Laurent for the number 2 spot in 1991 following the change of the line of succession allowing females.

 

[Mbruno]

There's no particular reason to give it to Gabriel, though, and certainly not right now. Elisabeth is the heir and he's not.

Besides, is it Order of LI or LII? Isn't there discussion about changing the latter?

The highest Belgian order, which is the one normally given to members of the Royal Family, is the Order of Leopold, which was created in the reign of Leopold I. The Order of Leopold II is a different order, which ranks below both the Order of Leopold and the Order of the Crown. The Order of Leopold II was actually an order of the Congo Free State originally, but became a Belgian national order in 1908 when the Congo Free State became the Belgian Congo.

 

[Prinsara]

Doesn't Gabriel need his own thread now?

 

[Somebody]

Would there have been any public commemoration of Prince Gabriel's 18th birthday if not for the pandemic?

Does that mean that Prince Gabriel will probably not take military training like previous princes of the royal family, or will that stage probably follow after his graduation from the college?

Will he take the standard two-year A-level program or the one-year fast-track program?

https://natmatsci.ac.uk/alevelprogramme/
https://natmatsci.ac.uk/fast-track-a-level/

Great question. I assume he is taking the 'fast track'. If I am not mistaken, he just completed his IB (he attended the International School of Brussels since 2019). Starting another 2-year program to complete your secondary education doesn't seem likely. If he would have wanted that, I would think that he would have joined this school 2 years ago instead of changing schools but staying in Brussels at that time.

Edit: The Belgian Royal Family indeed confirmed that Gabriel graduated from his IB program. So, quite sure it will be the fast-track program:

Our intensive one-year course is designed for students who have a clear and demonstrable ability to fast-track their studies and complete A levels to grade A*- A in one year. This is typically for students who have completed studies to the equivalent of A Level internationally, but wish to undertake A levels to apply to a top tier UK university.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

In other royal Houses (NL, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Spain) it used to be the case that children of the monarch got an Order when the turned 18 also when they where not the heir/heiress.

In Sweden the Seraphim is already by birth. The same counts for the Golden Lion of the House Nassau, which is the highest State Order in Luxembourg and the highest House Order in the Netherlands: sons of the heads of the Houses of Nassau and of Orange-Nassau automatically have the Grand-Cross in said Order.

I assume King Philippe will grant the Léopold to Prince Gabriel in due time.

 

[JR76]

In Sweden the Seraphim is already by birth.

That's correct. I recently found a very interesting quote in a written history of the Swedish Royal Orders from the 1940s implying,just as you say, that the Swedish princes were considered born as knights.

 

[W.Y.CII]

Previous generation probably isn't a nice reference/comparison as things seem pretty random for Albert's children. Besides the orders for Astrid and Laurent, Philippe got his order until he's 30.

It isn't a surprise that they handle Gabriel (and the young siblings in future) differently to differentiate heir and non-heir. Maybe they would wait until the children complete their studies and participate in state visit?

 

[Yashal]

Honest question, I don't really understand the point of this specialization course he's taking instead of attending university.

He's already completed the IB which is an internatonal curriculum taught in English and Maths, Physics and another science were probably among his 6 electives.
Most if not all UK universities make offers based on IB results too and even on other international and foreign qualifications (I remember reading that some Oxbridge courses required a 95 score minimum at Italian Maturità)

So why is he undertaking this fast track A levels course instead of directly applying to some university? Is he not feeling ready for that despite having completed secundary education? Doubt it is to improve his English skills.

It is a testament to the vibrant education system in the UK that it continues to attract international students in large numbers, at the secondary school and university level. That 4 children of 3 European monarchs are or will be in education in Britain only confirms this, IMO.

Well, that's not really a surprise. Brexit and higher fees were never going to prevent rich people from enrolling there, just like for Swiss boading schools.

 

[Laurelle59]

Honest question, I don't really understand the point of this specialization course he's taking instead of attending university.

He's already completed the IB which is an internatonal curriculum taught in English and Maths, Physics and another science were probably among his 6 electives.
Most if not all UK universities make offers based on IB results too and even on other international and foreign qualifications (I remember reading that some Oxbridge courses required a 95 score minimum at Italian Maturità)

So why is he undertaking this fast track A levels course instead of directly applying to some university? Is he not feeling ready for that despite having completed secundary education? Doubt it is to improve his English skills.

I also didn't understand this initially, but my guess for now would be his IB subjects combinations didn't accommodate him for what he ended up wanting to do. Though the IB requires its students to take subjects in Maths and Science along with Languages and Humanities, admissions to university programs in the UK relies heavily on what subjects students took at Higher Level since IB Higher Level course is the most equivalent to A Levels, especially with Tech / Engineering degree where Maths and Physics are almost compulsory.

What I imagine is, he initially wanted to pursue Sport-related (or any other) career but then later he changed his mind and wanted to do Engineering / Tech instead (what I assume he will do considering what subjects he will take at the College), for example. The typical subject combinations for those areas can be completely different, and don't forget the chosen level in IB also plays a big deal.

 

[Stefan]

In Sweden the Seraphim is already by birth.

But it wasn't for the children of King Carl Gustaf who only got it at their 18th birthday and that was only possible after a change in law.

 

[Mbruno]

Honest question, I don't really understand the point of this specialization course he's taking instead of attending university.

I assume that the subjects that he took in the IB in Belgium might not be enough to apply to a top UK university in a STEM field. He may not have taken Mathematics HL or Physics HL for example and nonetheless still graduated from the IB. That is actually very likely if his original goal was to study Business or another non-STEM major.


Or, alternatively, maybe his IB grades were not high enough. In any case, it is clear to me that he is doing A-levels now to make his prospective applications to UK universities more competitve. He won't get any special treatment as a Belgian prince.

 

[maria-olivia]

It is better to study abroad for the belgian Princes and Prince Gabriel who don't like that much to be an official will be happy and free. All the Astrid Children studied abroaod and Prince Amadeo works abroad too , his wife did not like living in Belgium.
As for the Order of Leopold he will have it when he will attend official Events later ...
The Baptism of Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde 4 Chlldren were always private !