The Future Queen of Belgium Makes Her Mom's Lady Dior Bag the Star of Her Harvard Graduation Outfit
Princess Elisabeth and Queen Mathilde embraced flag dressing at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Princess Elisabeth marked a major milestone on May 28 as she officially became a graduate of Harvard University. Her parents, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, made the trip from Belgium for the 24-year-old future queen’s celebrations—and Elisabeth borrowed a special accessory from her mom, Queen Mathilde, for an awards ceremony ahead of the graduation.
On May 27, Princess Elisabeth toted a burgundy Lady Dior bag previously carried by her mother as she attended the Harvard Kennedy School's class of 2026 awards event. The classic quilted bag, which was named after Princess Diana, coordinated with Elisabeth's Maje slingback heels and the red flowers in her maxi dress. The royal chose Maje's $690 white silk design, pairing it with red cluster earrings by Bamboleira, with the shade honoring the red of the Belgian flag.
The Queen of the Belgians tried out the butter yellow trend for the awards while also nodding to the Belgian flag, wearing a pastel dress with a ruched waist by one of her favorite designers, Natan Couture.
Queen Mathilde, Princess Elisabeth and King Philippe attend a Harvard awards ceremony on May 27.
Princess Elisabeth wears a Maje dress and carries a Lady Dior bag.
Proud dad Philippe snaps a photo of Elisabeth and Mathilde.
Queen Mathilde continued to embrace flag dressing at the official graduation ceremony on May 28, wearing an elegant red pencil dress as she posed for a photo in the audience with King Philippe.
Oxford graduate Elisabeth, who is the heir to Belgian throne, has a Bachelor’s degree in history and politics and went on to study public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. She tossed an inflatable globe in the air as she posed for pictures with her fellow Harvard classmates, wearing a drape around her neck with the red, yellow and black of the Belgian flag.
Queen Mathilde and King Philippe are pictured at Harvard's commencement ceremony on May 28.
Princess Elisabeth celebrates with fellow classmates on May 28.
Before she takes on full-time royal duties, Elisabeth has some exciting plans in the works. The princess will be taking a gap year during which she'll embark on a sailing trip across the Atlantic Ocean—and perhaps she can take some tips from Princess Kate, who once worked a yacht deckhand.
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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.