Who is Prince Gabriel of Belgium? One of Europe’s most eligible royals has kept his private life entirely under wraps!
- Prince Gabriel, second-in-line to the Belgian throne, has turned 20
- Away from the military, the royal is an accomplished musician and sportsman
- For all the latest Royal news, pictures and videos click here
As he turns 20, Prince Gabriel of Belgium can reflect that, in his own modest way, he is a part of history.
For in any previous generation of the Belgian royal family, he would have been the direct heir to the throne.
The Royal Family adopted absolute primogeniture in 1991, which means that female heirs are allowed to ascend the throne over their younger brothers.
This makes Elisabeth, who is one year older, first in line behind their father, King Philippe.
Not that this appears to have in any way diminished his sense of duty.
Prince Gabriel at the Royal Garden Party to celebrate King Philippe’s 10th jubilee at Laeken Castle in Brussels, Belgium, in May
King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde with their children Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eleonore during the Belgian National Day 2022
Queen Mathilde with her newborn son Gabriel two days after his birth in August 2003
Prince Gabriel, currently entrolled at the Royal Military Academy of Belgium, appears to be a model student who is fluent in three languages, enjoys sports and plays his part for charity.
Whatever personal life he has cultivated so far has remained below the radar.
Gabriel Baudouin Charles Marie was born on August 20, 2003, in Anderlech.
He has two younger siblings, Prince Emmanuel, 17, and Princess Eléonore, 15.
The Prince was Christened at the spectacular Ciergnon Castle in Wallonia, the royal family’s country retreat.
His uncle Count Charles-Henri d’Udekem d’Acoz and second cousin Baroness Maria Cristina von Freyberg-Eisenberg were godparents.
The Belgian and British royal families have blood ties that stretch back to before Queen Victoria.
King Chares and King Philippe share a common ancestor: Franz, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
The Belgian Royal Palace recently shared a new portrait of Princess Elisabeth and Prince Gabriel before the National Day Parade in Belgium
Prince Gabriel at the opening ceremony of the academic year of the Royal Military School in October 2022
Mathilde and Philippe with their two eldest children Gabriel and Elisabeth in June 2005
Elisabeth, Eleonore, Gabriel and Emmanuel pose during a royal visit to the Giant’s Tomb in Bouillon, Belgium, in June 2020
He was the grandfather of Queen Victoria, as well as the father of King Leopold I of the Belgians.
Leopold I, first King in the comparatively new Belgian monarchy, was Queen Victoria’s uncle.
Princ Gabriel spent his earlier years studying at St John Berchmans College in Brussels before finishing his secondary education at the International School of Brussels, an English-language private school.
During this time he lived at the Royal Palace of Laeken in Brussels, the main residence of the Belgian Royal Family.
From September 2021, Gabriel undertook a one-year preparatory A-level course in mathematics, further mathematics, and physics at the National Mathematics and Science College, in Warwickshire.
A year later, the Palace announced that Prince Gabriel would enrol at the Royal Military Academy of Belgium to study social and military sciences.
Prince Gabriel attending Te Deum in Brussels during the Belgian National Day 2023
The Belgian Royal Family with their four children celebrating the New Year in December 2008
Gabriel and Queen Mathilde during the Blue Berets parade after he successfully completed the military initiation phase and was presented with a blue beret, in 30 September 2022
In September 2022, the Prince was presented with his blue beret after he successfully completed his military initiation phase under the name ‘Gabriël van Saksen-Coburg’.
During this year’s Belgian National Day, both Gabriel and Elisabeth joined their fellow Royal Military Academy students to parade through the streets of Belgium.
For the occasion, the Belgian Royal Palace released two new portraits of King Phillipe and his two oldest children where the senior members of the family donned formal military uniforms.
Elisabeth and Gabriel sported matching black uniforms with red stripes and gold embellishments, echoing their country’s colours.
This is not the only royal engagement by the Prince who is fluent in Dutch, French and English – as he has joined his parents on a number of public engagements.
The 20-year-old also regularly volunteers in his come country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Prince Gabriel had conversations over the phone with isolated elderly people in residential care centres.
Gabriel and Crown Princess Elisabeth pictured during the Blue Berets parade in Brussels
The Belgian Royal Palace shared a portrait of King Phillipe with his two eldest children, dressed in military uniform
Prince Gabriel and King Philippe pictured at the departure from the military airport in Melsbroek, Steenokkerzeel, in April
He is an accomplished pianist and sportsman with interests in hockey, sailing, skiing, cycling, tennis and sailing.
Although he is often found at the forefront of the public eye, Gabriel’s private life is kept very much under wraps .
Like his sister, Gabriel has renounced his yearly salary from the government until he begins working full time as a member of the Royal Family.
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