The future is heavily female when it comes to European heirs – and three crown princesses have formed a WhatsApp group chat to help manage the ‘hurdles’ that come with the title, it has emerged.
Princess Elisabeth, 24, the future queen of Belgium, gave insight into arguably the world’s most exclusive group chat, with Crown Princesses Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, 22, and Ingrid Alexander of Norway, 22, in a recent interview.
The royal, who last week graduated her two-year master’s degree at Harvard University, told HNL via People in her first major interview: ‘We’ve known each other for a long time and see each other occasionally at events.
‘In my generation, there are several women. You see a similar shift in other monarchies,’ she said, before adding, ‘we are all in the same situation. It’s a hurdle we will face together.’
In June last year, Catharina-Amalia also told journalist Wim Dehandschutter via Australia Women’s Weekly: ‘We stay in contact with each other because we are all living a very specific life and we don’t need much explanation to understand each other.’
She added: ‘It’s a good thing that I can chat with Elisabeth and Ingrid Alexandra about very simple things in our life which are difficult, different for us, friendships, privacy, social media. We discuss how we handle it.’
It’s thought Spain’s 20-year-old Leonor, Princess of Asturias, who graduated from UWC Atlantic in South Wales and is now training in the Spanish military, may also be included in the closely-guarded WhatsApp group.
However, Wim admitted he couldn’t be sure because her mother Queen Letizia of Spain is ‘very strict’ with her two daughters, meaning the heir to the Spanish throne is apparently less connected than the other three princesses.
Princesses Elisabeth of Belgium, Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, and Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands are all part of the exclusive group chat (pictured: From front L to R, Princess Estelle of Sweden, Catharina-Amalia, Ingrid Alexandra, Elisabeth and Prince Charles of Luxembourg at a gala dinner in 2022)
Further explaining the royal support network built by the future queens, the journalist revealed how Catharina-Amalia mentioned privacy as a topic of discussion for the princesses.
Wim questioned: ‘How do you handle privacy when you’re a public figure? How do you react when people want to become friends? Do they want to become friends because you are the future queen or do they really like you?’
The Princess of Orange is the eldest child of Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, and has recently begun to take on solo engagements and more responsibility within the royal household.
Catharina-Amalia, who is first in line to the throne ahead of her siblings Princess Alexia, 20, and Princess Ariane, 19, is said to speak fluent Spanish thanks to her mother, who is Argentine by birth.
She is currently studying for a degree in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at Amsterdam University.
In February last year, she attended her first royal event alone as she begins a long preparation to one day be queen.
The princess christened a new ship – the Dan Helder – before it set out on its maiden voyage.
The future European queen recently spent over a year living in Spain as a result of growing fears for her safety after being threatened with kidnap by Dutch organised crime gangs.
Pictured: Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium at a gala dinner for Prince Christian of Denmark’s 18th birthday, at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen in 2023
Officials would not confirm details of Catharina-Amalia’s initial departure from her studies in Amsterdam, but the move came weeks after reports that the royal and then prime minister Mark Rutte were mentioned in communications by organised crime groups – leading to fears of kidnappings.
Rutte said at the time: ‘I’m very sorry for her and I’m obviously very concerned about it.’
He added that Dutch authorities were doing everything to ensure that the princess is safe.
‘She can’t live in Amsterdam and she can’t really go outside [the palace]… It has enormous consequences on her life. There is no student life for her like others have,’ said an emotional Queen Maxima at the time.
Catharina-Amalia herself told reporters during a royal family tour of the Caribbean early last year that she missed ‘the normal life of a student’, having hoped she would be able to enjoy the student experience like her peers.
‘Sadly the reality was different,’ she said.
Dutch broadcaster NOS later said that Catharina-Amalia was able to return from Madrid to live and study in the Netherlands again – though the threat had not completely disappeared.
Catharina-Amalia had also been shielded for years from the public eye after being the victim of cruel body shaming on social media.
In July 2020, Portuguese magazine Cara issued an apology to her after they labelled the 16-year-old ‘plus-sized’ on a front cover and claimed she had ‘defended her figure of “real women”‘.
Princess Elisabeth, meanwhile, has been hailed as one of the brightest European royals. She recently graduated from a two-year Master’s program in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.
The palace told Brussels Times: ‘The Princess was also selected for an Honorary Award from the Fulbright Program, the US Department of State’s international educational exchange programme.’
According to the university’s website, the course aims to cultivate student’s skills in preparation for them having a ‘successful career in public service’.
The heir to the Belgium throne, daughter of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, completed her undergraduate degree at Oxford University.
Fiercely dedicated to not receiving special treatment thanks to her status, Elisabeth completed her entrance exam for Oxford ‘anonymously’ to ensure her royal status would not affect her chances of being offered a place, reported the Belgian newspaper Le Soir.
Elisabeth graduated in three years with a degree in History and Politics, something she reportedly chose because she felt it would be most useful to her in her role as Queen later in life.
Another member of the exclusive WhatsApp group, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, moved to Australia last year to start her three-year undergraduate degree at the University of Sydney.
‘Her Royal Highness Princess Ingrid Alexandra will begin her studies at the University of Sydney in August, enrolling in a Bachelor of Arts program,’ the Norwegian Palace said in a press release.
‘She has chosen a three-year degree with a focus on international relations and political economy.
‘The Princess will be studying full-time and reside in a student residence on campus. Her Royal Highness looks forward to dedicating herself to her studies in the years to come.’
Ingrid Alexandra’s decision to relocate to Australia comes amid what has likely been a difficult period for the Norwegian royal family after her step-brother Marius Borg Hoiby was arrested on a string of sex assault charges – including two rapes – last August. He has vehemently denied the charges.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship, often referred to as the ‘black sheep’ of the Norwegian royal family, is also under investigation for three further sexual assaults and other charges.
He does not have a royal title nor any claim to the throne, with Ingrid Alexandra second in the line of succession after her father Crown Prince Haakon.
At the same time, Mette-Marit’s previous connection to Jeffrey Epstein came to light. The Crown Princess later went on air to say she regrets her friendship with the disgraced financier, describing him as ‘manipulative’ in a tearful TV interview.
