Belgian crown princess praises Belgian-Egyptian cooperation in first-ever interview

On Thursday, the last of the Belgian royals' three-day official visit to Egypt, queen Mathilde and crown princess Elisabeth were shown around active excavations in Dayr-al-Barsha by archaeologists from Leuven University. In her first-ever interview, the future Belgian monarch praised the Belgian-Egyptian cooperation on the site and expressed her admiration for her namesake and great-great-grandmother, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (1876-1965).

Crown princess Elisabeth, who will be Belgium's first-ever female monarch when she succeeds her father, king Philippe, gave her first interview to Belgian media during the visit to Egypt. During the trip, the crown princess and her mother followed in the footsteps of Queen Elisabeth, who had a passion for the land of the pharaohs. The third and final day of princess Elisabeth and Queen Mathilde's official visit was dedicated to archaeology. The trip therefore aimed to highlight the role queen Elisabeth played in Egyptology.

Queen Mathilde and princess Elisabeth were shown around active excavations in Dayr-al-Barsha by archaeologists from the Belgian University of Leuven (KULeuven). Afterwards, the queen and her eldest daughter took some time to respond to questions from the accompanying press. Princess Elisabeth praised the cooperation between the Belgian and Egyptian delegations she witnessed at the excavation site.

"I also hope to learn from my mum. She is energetic, dynamic, and passionate about listening to people and highlighting their job."

Furthermore, she paid tribute to both her mother, queen Mathilde, and her great-great-grandmother, queen Elisabeth. "They are both inspirational figures for me. I admire queen Elisabeth very much. She was adventurous and had a passion for Egypt, but also for music. She was also socially committed. Gladly, I might want to be like her in the future. But I also hope to learn from my mum. She is energetic, dynamic, and passionate about listening to people and highlighting their job."

Notably, the crown princess gave her entire interview in flawless Dutch. The Belgian royal family is traditionally French-speaking, but the king's eldest daughter was raised bilingually (a first in Belgian royal history, ed.).

(BRV)

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