Her return to the U.S. had been threatened by a presidential restriction on some foreign student visas, but a federal judge blocked that policy. Dehandschutter also noted Elisabeth declined special treatment because of her royal rank, preferring equal standing with fellow international students.
The Belgian royal Instagram shared campus images, including a September visit photographed by student Max Bueno when Queen Mathilde made a brief stop in Boston before the U.N. General Assembly. Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, is the eldest of four and is widely seen as Belgium’s likely first queen regnant.