It’s not everyday a princess gets kicked out of college. But that’s the predicament Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, who has been studying at Harvard, was facing. President Trump issued a ban on foreign nationals studying at the university in June, putting her studies in jeopardy.
Will Princess Elisabeth of Belgium remain at Harvard after Donald Trump’s foreign student ban?
Thankfully, everything seems to have been ironed out. According to Belgian royal journalist Wim Dehandschutter, Princess Elisabeth, 23, will be allowed to return to Harvard in the fall. Elisabeth, who is first in line to the throne, began her post-graduate studies at the prestigious uni last year. She is half-way through her Master’s degree in public policy. She previously earned a Bachelor of Arts in history and politics from Oxford’s Lincoln College.
However, the future monarch’s studies at Harvard were thrown into uncertainty when Trump issued a ban on foreign nationals entering the U.S. to study at Harvard. Who knew intellectuals pose such a risk to the nation’s security? Following the directive, Dehandschutter noted that Elisabeth declined any special treatment during the debacle. We love a humble (future) queen.
Thankfully, she didn’t need any favours, anyway. Trump’s ban was blocked by a federal judge at the end of June. Speaking to HELLO! earlier this week, Dehandschutter said, “There are no concrete reasons why she would not be able to return to Harvard in September.”
The Belgian royal family is yet to make an official statement on the topic. Theorizing on why that could be, Dehandschutter added: “I think the royal palace is keeping communication understated because they don’t want to create a fuss or scandal. I suspect they don’t want to create tensions with the U.S. The ban on foreign studies was a decision of President Trump, a head of state like King Philippe and therefore a ‘colleague.’”
Trump’s treatment of immigrants has been thrown under the spotlight again in recent months. There has even been talk of a reality show in which hopeful foreigners compete for citizenship.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK TRUMP’S PROPOSED BAN WAS A GOOD IDEA?
