The Belgian Prince Gabriël, the eldest son of King Philippe, turned 23 on Thursday. To mark the occasion, the Palace released four new photographs of him. The pictures were taken high up in the Alps during a mountaineering course.
Prince Gabriël was born on 20 August 2003, as the second child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. He is second in line to the throne, after his elder sister, Crown Princess Elisabeth (24).
Now, Gabriël has completed alpine training in the Mont Blanc range in France, visiting a place dear to the Royal Family's heart. He underwent training in and around the valley of Chamonix, a historically significant place for the Belgian Royal Family.
In 1930, the Club Alpine Belge opened a mountain hut near the village and named it after King Albert I, a mountaineer and alpinist himself.
The King had only one condition: he should be the first guest to stay in the hut.
Mark Sebille, author of 'The Playground of Kings', described to Het Nieuwsblad how Albert managed to buy himself an evening of peace and calm in the Alps.
"King Albert I wanted to remain incognito, especially in Chamonix, where he no longer went because everyone there knew him. The day before the opening, he travelled to Chamonix by train and spent the night in the hut. The next day, he disappeared down a steep path, while a delegation of dignitaries and journalists was making its way to the hut via a different path."
The Albert Premier Hut was extensively renovated in 2014 and can be seen in the background of one of the pictures shared by the Royal Family. It houses 140 people and is a popular attraction with both mountaineers and hikers, as the hut can be accessed via both difficult and easy paths.
Albert I was far from the only Belgian royal passionate by climbing and mountaineering. His son and successor, Leopold III, held a reputation as a gifted climber, while his daughter notoriously climbed the Matterhorn.
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