Belgium’s heir to the throne could be forced to leave Harvard University after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a ban on foreign students at the prestigious institution.
Princess Elisabeth, who will be the next queen of Belgium, is enrolled in a two-year master’s degree in public policy at Harvard, one of the world’s most elite universities.
But the Trump administration revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll international students on Thursday, accusing the university of promoting violence and antisemitism and failing to comply with a request to hand over foreign students’ information that could lead to their deportation.
The move affects more than 7,000 currently enrolled students, around a quarter of the student body, Harvard said in a lawsuit to overturn the restrictions, adding that it would have a “devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in her letter announcing the ban that foreign students must transfer out of the university to maintain their visa statuses.
The 23-year-old princess, who is the eldest child of Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, has completed the first year of grad school but will not finish for another year. She graduated from the U.K.’s Oxford University last year.
She’s first in line to inherit the throne, after Belgium’s constitution was changed in 1991 to abolish male-only succession.
“The impact (if any) of this decision of the U.S .administration is unclear at this stage,” a spokesperson for the Belgian monarchy told POLITICO. “We’re investigating it now. It will become clearer in the coming days/weeks.”
The royal palace’s communications director told Reuters they were “analyzing” the situation “and will let things settle.”
The Trump administration’s ban marks an escalation of its pressure campaign on Harvard and higher education institutions across the country, which it has accused of being hotbeds of antisemitism and left-wing ideology, and has involved visa terminations and federal funding cuts worth billions of dollars.
This story has been updated.
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