The Belgian Crown Princess Elisabeth Begins Military Training. She Is Redefining What It Means To Be A Princess!
Tall, slender, pretty and perfect, are just a few adjectives off the top of my head that I remember being used to describe the Disney princesses we grew up watching. Twirling around in long gowns, with flowing hair and tender waists, they were a personification of grace itself. And when they weren’t that, they were the damsels in distress, tormented by the evil step mother, waiting to be saved by their knight in shining armours. But with Belgian Princess Elisabeth, things are a little different, in a good way.
You see, real life princesses aren’t the damsels in distress, or the trophy heirs to a kingdom that could only be ruled by their husbands, while they hosts galas and twirl for a living. Real life princesses are go getters. Much like their male counterparts, they are also the protectors and the enablers of their kingdom, working at the grassroot level to bring about change. And, Belgian Crown Princess Elisabeth is doing just that, as she begins her military training.
A graduate from high school in Wales, Princess Elisabeth, also referred to as the Duchess of Brabant has now commenced with studying Social and Military Sciences at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels. The school year, that has kicked in with some fierce and challenging military training, started on September 2nd, in Camp Elsenborn in the municipality of Bütgenbach in the Liège province. While the pictures have only been released recently, it is what we saw in them that left us proud and empowered.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CFL7TbVnWZT/?utm_source=ig_embed
Training just like any other pupil in the school, Elisabeth stands to learn about values of defence, such as discipline, respect, commitment and courage, as well as shooting, marching, and camouflage techniques, according to the Academy. Major Isabel Vanhavermaet, who supervises the first years said, “It is an honour for us to have her with us, but we treat her just like any other pupil.”
He went on to share, “She is addressed by her family name, like all other pupils. That is ‘van België’ (“of Belgium”) because she is in a Dutch-speaking platoon. Her fellow pupils have also integrated her in the group very well. I do not think anyone realises on a daily basis that there is a princess in their platoon.” And the fact that she doesn’t lean on her privilege to skip her learning at school, says a lot about her values and integrity.
Op 31 augustus startte de prinses Elisabeth @MonarchieBe haar academiejaar aan de Koninklijke Militaire School (KMS). De afgelopen twee weken bevond ze zich in en rond het kamp van Elsenborn voor haar militaire initiatiefase https://t.co/cawFick25h pic.twitter.com/l40BJ5wVL7
— Belgian Defence (@BelgiumDefence) September 17, 2020
Prinses Elisabeth en haar medestudenten startten op 2 september met de militaire initiatiefase in het Kamp #Elsenborn te Bütgenbach. Het is een belangrijk onderdeel van haar opleiding (1ste jaar) Sociale en Militaire Wetenschappen aan de @kms_erm_rm.@BelgiumDefence pic.twitter.com/9yWQUTgXKj
— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) September 15, 2020
The 18-year-old princess can be seen in the videos shared on social media, giving her best in the hardcore training along with 170 other candidates, on the very first day. From taking part in marches, to shooting rifles, her training is intense and the netizens are more than impressed with the Belgian Princess’ vigour.
Major Isabel Vanhavermaet told that even though the Princess’s bodyguards are always present, they always mix well with the crowd and are not recognisable. The coronavirus has affected the school year, in the way that there are different platoons now, separated by a colour code. Elisabeth’s platoon colour is blue, further to which everyone in their training is required to wear masks, except while eating or exercising.
