These Limburgers preceded Princess Elisabeth at Harvard: “You are there together with the top of the world”

The Palace officially announced the news last Tuesday: Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium (22) recently passed the entrance tests and will start a two-year master’s degree in Public Policy at the prestigious Harvard University in Boston from September. This master’s degree follows her bachelor’s degree in History and Politics from the University of Oxford. With her studies at Harvard, Elisabeth follows in the footsteps of no fewer than eight American presidents, including Kennedy and Obama, 188 living billionaires, including Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, 162 Nobel Prize winners, 110 Olympians and at least two Limburgers.

Family bond

“Of course I am proud,” says Riemste resident Werner-Édouard de Saeger van Nattenhaesdonck, recently elected chairman of the Harvard Club of Belgium. “ The Crown Princess starts at Harvard with a so-called fulbrightprogram, the U.S. Department of State’s international educational exchange program. Like the other students, she followed the strict selection procedure, including tests, an essay and a personal interview. I also remember how, during my own time at Harvard in the 2010-11 academic year, her mother Queen Mathilde took a short course in leadership. And her cousin Prince Joachim, the son of Princess Astrid, also previously graduated from Harvard Business School. The royal family therefore clearly has a relationship with Harvard, which is still number one in the world ranking of the best universities.”

Tough mentality

“Princess Elisabeth will end up in an environment where people work very hard,” De Sager continues. “With a library that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, very interactive lessons and a lot of assignments. Harvard is known for its hard work mentality. Moreover, she will study among some of the very best students from all corners of the world, who have also gone through the particularly strict selection process. I hope that the current turbulent period of student protests and tent camps in response to the situation in Israel-Palestine will have calmed down by then. This would provide a more stable and peaceful learning environment for all students.”

Tom Hanks

Toon Dictus (28) from Diepenbeek lives in Manhattan, New York, where he works as a lawyer at the well-known law firm Cleary Gottlieb. Dictus graduated from Harvard Law School two years ago. “It’s a pity that I missed Princess Elisabeth by a few years. I would have really enjoyed spending the year with her. Because Harvard Law where I studied has some classes together with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where Elisabeth will take classes. Moreover, Belgians in Harvard hang out more often, for example having a drink together in the bars on Harvard Square after classes.”

What does a day at Harvard look like? Toon Dictus: “Compared to Leuven, Ghent or Brussels, the lessons are slightly different. Instead of large auditoriums with professors who explain everything ‘ex cathedra’, Harvard is much more interactive. You prepare the lesson and discuss with fellow students and professors in small groups of twelve. It is mainly about challenging each other’s ideas in order to gain new perspectives. The students participate actively, because everyone is incredibly ambitious and enthusiastic about the subject. You are there together with the top of the world, something that became very clear to me on the day of graduation. In May 2023, all Harvard students came together for the commencementceremony, which concluded with a speech by Tom Hanks. Then you feel that you are in a very special place.”