Meghan was once named ‘cleverest’ member of The Firm, but a European Princess headed for Harvard puts all the British Royals in the shade – not to mention her Oxford degree, military training and speaking 4 languages!

Meghan Markle was once dubbed the ‘cleverest royal’ – and many have praised the Prince and Princess of Wales for their prestigious St Andrews University education.

But Belgium’s brainy Princess Elisabeth appears to be putting our Firm in the shade with her cerebral endeavours.

At 22 years old has attended the infamous Oxford University, a notoriously opulent college dubbed ‘hippie Hogwarts’ and has even undergone military training. 

And that’s not all for the heiress apparent – who is also setting off to Harvard University this year.

In 2021 a study revealed that the Duchess of Sussex topped the list as the smartest member of the English royal family thanks to her time reading theatre studies and international relations at Northwestern University. 

Oxford Royale, as reported by the London Economic, said: ‘Life as a royal isn’t always an easy job and involves a lot of dealing with extensive scrutiny and life in the public spotlight, and Meghan Markle’s academic strengths have equipped her perfectly for this role. 

‘While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may have resigned from their roles as working royals, they have captured the interest and attention of the world, and Meghan’s desire to use her platform to raise awareness over serious world issues reflects her intelligence, analytical mind and educational pedigree.’

The study looked at members’ A-level results and university place in the QS World University Rankings.

Kate Middleton came in second after Meghan, and was closely followed by her husband, Prince William.

But one European royal who can rival their academic prowess is the  eldest of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium’s four children – born on October 25, 2001.

When her father became King in 2013, Elisabeth became the heir to the throne and Duchess of Brabant.

Elisabeth – who speaks Dutch, French, German, English, and has also taken classes in Mandarin Chinese – began attending royal engagements from a young age and was just nine when she delivered a speech at the opening of the Princess Elisabeth Children’s Hospital.

Like a number of other European royals, including Princess Leonor of Spain and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, Elisabeth attended Atlantic College in Wales before moving on to Oxford.

Alongside her training, in October 2021, the Princess began studying History and Politics at Lincoln College, Oxford. There, she rowed for Lincoln College Boat Club under the name ‘Elisabeth de Saxe-Coburg’

She then completed a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy which is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence: Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical

Nicknamed ‘Hippie Hogwarts’, the school curriculum has included unusual activities such as Tai Chi and Tibetan literature.

It has a remarkable cliff-top location in a 12th-century castle in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Elisabeth enrolled on a £67,000, two-year course to study for her International Baccalaureate diploma at the school, which she has now completed.

Before her two-year course in Wales, she attended the Dutch-speaking secondary school Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in Brussels. The Princess also went to the Yale Young Global Scholars Program at Yale University.

She then completed a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy which is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence: Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical.

Alongside her training, in October 2021, the Princess began studying History and Politics at Lincoln College, Oxford. There, she rowed for Lincoln College Boat Club under the name ‘Elisabeth de Saxe-Coburg’.

Like a number of other European royals, including Princess Leonor of Spain and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, Elisabeth attended Atlantic College in Wales before moving on to Oxford

According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, the princess completed a written entrance exam in history ‘anonymously’ so that her social status would not affect her marks.

Elisabeth is believed to have chosen the course herself, in agreement with her parents, and reportedly consulted with graduates from various universities and made her decision based on what would be most useful to her in her role as queen later in life.

An accomplished 22-year-old by any measure, the official royal website says Elisabeth enjoys walking in nature, reading and playing the piano – although like ‘all youngsters her age’, writes the palace, ‘her taste in music is varied.’ 

Her next endeavour is the renowned Harvard University in Boston, where the Princess passed entrance tests to.

She will be completing a two year Masters degree in Public Policy, the Brussels Times reports, and will be at the college’s Kennedy School campus.

The palace told the outlet: ‘The Princess was also selected for an “Honorary Award” from the Fullbright Program, the US Department of State’s international educational exchange programme.’

An accomplished 22-year-old by any measure, the official royal website says Elisabeth enjoys walking in nature, reading and playing the piano. Pictured with Princess Amalia of the Netherlands last year

Elisabeth’s family – which includes multilingual Queen Mathilde, a former speech therapist who has a masters degree in psychology – aren’t the only European monarchs to have dazzling credentials when it comes to academia. Elisabeth pictured last year

And it seems that being brainy is in Elisabeth’s blood – her cousin Prince Joachim, 32, also went to the Ivy League to get  a degree in business administration.

And her father, the Belgian King, went to Stanford to study political science.

Elisabeth’s family – which includes multilingual Queen Mathilde, a former speech therapist who has a masters degree in psychology – aren’t the only European monarchs to have dazzling credentials when it comes to academia.

Before meeting her husband King Willem Alexander of The Netherlands, Argentinian-born Maxima was pursuing a high-flying career in finance. 

While studying for her degree in economics from the Pontifical Catholic University, she worked for for Mercado Abierto Electrónico SA, an electronic securities and foreign-currency trading market. 

She also balanced her studies with working in the sales department of Boston Securities SA in Buenos Aires, conducting research on software for financial markets.

After graduating, she took up a job with HSBC in New York where she rose to vice president of institutional sales for Latin America. 

Her next move was to Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in New York where she worked as vice president of the emerging markets division, before moving to Deutsche Bank in Brussels.

She is fluent in Spanish, her first language, English and Dutch and can speak conversational French.

In 2021 a study revealed that the Duchess of Sussex *pictured in 2018) topped the list as the smartest member of the English royal family thanks to her time reading theatre studies and international relations at Northwestern University

Kate Middleton  (pictured at St Andrews) came in second after Meghan, and was closely followed by her husband, Prince William

Thanks to her past career, Maxima was appointed as a UN Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development by former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2009.

She has also been honorary patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) since June 2011 where she works on advancing the G20’s work on inclusive finance.

Meanwhile, before marrying King Frederik X of Denmark, his wife Mary studied at the University of Tasmania and graduated with a combined Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degree.

After graduating she worked as an account executive for various firms before being appointed as account director for international agency Young and Rubicam in 1999.

After meeting Prince Frederik, Princess Mary worked for Belle Property as a sales director, before moving to Paris to teach English at a business school.

In 2002, she moved to Denmark permanently and was employed by Microsoft Business Solutions as a project consultant.

A career-driven woman, Mary worked up until her engagement to Frederik in 2003, when she officially left her prior life and career behind and became a royal.

She also studied Danish as a foreign language so she could embrace her husband’s native tongue. 

Meanwhile, before meeting the heir to the Spanish throne, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano whose father Jesús José Ortiz Álvarez and stepmother Ana Togores are both journalists, enjoyed a lengthy career in TV and newspapers.

She completed a BA in journalism, followed by a masters in audiovisual journalism. 

After a stint at Asturian daily paper, La Nueva España, she went on to work for ABC, a popular national newspaper that enjoys the third largest circulation in Spain.

Next came a stint at Spanish news agency EFE before a move to Guadalajara in Mexico saw her take on a role on local paper, Siglo 21.

Back in Spain a year later, she worked for the Spanish version of Bloomberg, a news channel and agency specialising in economics, before moving to CNN+.

By the time she met her husband King Felipe VI, Letizia was working for popular TV channel 24 Horas, where she anchored the popular Telediario 2 evening news bulletin.

She reported on a wide range of breaking news events, among them the 2000 US presidential elections and the 9/11 attacks.