As he turns 20, Prince Gabriel of Belgium can realize that, in his own humble way, he is part of history.
Because in every 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, meaning female heirs may ascend the throne over their younger brothers.
This puts Elisabeth, who is one year older, in first place behind their father, King Philippe.
Not that this seems to have diminished his sense of duty in any way.
Prince Gabriel at the Royal Garden Party celebrating King Philippe’s 10th anniversary 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 enrolled at the Royal Military Academy of Belgium, appears to be a model student who speaks three languages fluently, loves sports and is committed to a good cause.
Whatever personal life he has built so far has remained under 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 baptized in the spectacular castle of Ciergnon in Wallonia, the country residence of the royal family.
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 dating 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 ahead of the National Day Parade in Belgium
Prince Gabriel at the opening ceremony of the academic year of the Royal Military Academy 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, the first king in the relatively new Belgian monarchy, was Queen Victoria’s uncle.
Princ Gabriel spent his early years studying at Sint-Jan Berchmans College in Brussels before completing his secondary education at the International School of Brussels, an English-language private school.
During this time he lived in the Royal Palace of Laeken in Brussels, the main residence of the Belgian royal family.
From September 2021, Gabriel took a one-year A-level preparatory 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 enroll at the Royal Military Academy of Belgium to study social and military sciences.
Prince Gabriel visits Te Deum in Brussels during the Belgian National Day 2023
The Belgian royal family celebrates the new year in December 2008 with their four children
Gabriel and Queen Mathilde at the Blue Berets parade after successfully completing the military initiation phase and being awarded a blue beret, on September 30, 2022
In September 2022, the Prince received his blue beret after successfully completing his military initiation phase under the name ‘Gabriel of Saxe-Coburg’.
During this year’s Belgian National Day, Gabriel and Elisabeth paraded through the streets of Belgium with their fellow students from the Royal Military Academy.
For the occasion, the Belgian Royal Palace released two new portraits of King Philippe and his two eldest children, with the senior members of the family wearing formal military uniforms.
Elisabeth and Gabriel wore matching black uniforms with red stripes and gold trim, reflecting the colors of their country.
This is not the only royal engagement of the prince who is fluent in Dutch, French and English; he has joined his parents in a number of public engagements.
The 20-year-old also regularly volunteers in his home country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Prince Gabriel conducted telephone conversations with isolated elderly people in residential care centers.
Gabriel and Crown Princess Elisabeth in the picture during the Blue Berets Parade in Brussels
The Belgian Royal Palace shared a portrait of King Philippe with his two eldest children, dressed in military uniform
Prince Gabriel and King Philippe in the picture at the departure of the military airfield in Melsbroek, Steenokkerzeel, in April
He is an accomplished pianist and sportsman with interests in hockey, sailing, skiing, cycling, tennis and yachting.
While often found in the forefront of the public eye, Gabriel’s private life is largely kept under wraps.
Like his sister, Gabriel has waived his annual government salary until he starts working full-time as a member of the royal family.