Princess Elisabeth joined her father, King Philippe, on Thursday at the Royal Castle of Laeken for an audience with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde hosted NATO leaders, high-ranking military officials, and diplomatic representatives as part of their annual New Year’s reception.
Princess Elisabeth, the eldest daughter of the royal couple and heir to the throne, currently resides in Belgium but will soon return to the United States to complete her two-year master’s programme in public management and policy at Harvard University.
The audience with the NATO Secretary-General took place first in the King’s office. Following that, the King and Princess attended the New Year’s reception for NATO representatives.
The reception was attended by permanent NATO representatives, heads of mission at the North Atlantic Council, and members of the International Secretariat.
High-ranking military officials from NATO and SHAPE also participated, alongside various ambassadors, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, and Defence Minister Theo Francken. More than 100 guests were present.
Earlier this week, Princess Elisabeth attended an audience with the leaders of the three main European institutions: Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission, António Costa of the European Council, and Roberta Metsola of the European Parliament.
In the past, she has participated in an audience with former US President Barack Obama in 2014 and discussions with experts on the situation in Ukraine in 2022.
