King Philippe of Belgium has spoken about the potential of abdication for his daughter, Princess Elisabeth, in a rare candid admission.
The 65-year-old monarch addressed the topic in a new interview released by the Belgian Royal Palace, responding to public questions about his future role.
Philippe revealed he has no immediate plans to abdicate, stating he wants to give his daughter Princess Elisabeth time to "enjoy her youth" before considering stepping down.
"A King steps back, but is not retired," Philippe said, according to a translation shared by Hola!
The royal assured he would "continue to work for Belgium” during the heartfelt discussion.
“I must give my daughter time to enjoy her youth, develop herself and see the world.
“I support her 100 percent in that, and I will do everything I can to give her all the time she needs to do," he added.
The interview formed part of a lighthearted video in which the sovereign responded to 30 questions selected from 2,614 video messages sent for his April 15 birthday.
The Belgian king assured citizens he would continue to serve to allow his daughter and heir to 'enjoy her youth'
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The palace explained that members of the public had submitted their questions to the King, with topics ranging from personal matters to questions about the monarchy's future.
The abdication question was among those selected for Philippe to answer in the video shared by the Belgian Royal Palace.
The format allowed the King to directly address public curiosity about when he might follow his father's example and step aside for the next generation.
Princess Elisabeth, 23, is currently pursuing a two-year Master's programme in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, where she enrolled in September 2024.
The Belgian heir, Princess Elisabeth, is currently pursuing a two-year Master's programme in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School
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The heir apparent graduated from Oxford University in July 2024 with a degree in History and Politics, having completed her entrance exam "anonymously" to ensure her royal status would not affect her chances, according to Belgian newspaper Le Soir.
The Princess received an Honorary Award from the Fulbright Program, the US Department of State's international educational exchange programme.
Elisabeth, who speaks Dutch, French, German, English and has studied Mandarin Chinese, is poised to become Belgium's first queen regnant.
Belgium has a precedent for voluntary abdication, with King Philippe ascending the throne in 2013 at age 53 after his father, King Albert II, abdicated at 79 due to health concerns.
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Belgium changed its laws of succession to end male-preference primogeniture in 1991
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Earlier, King Philippe's grandfather, King Leopold III, also abdicated in 1951 amid a political crisis to safeguard the monarchy.
In 1991, Belgium introduced absolute primogeniture through a new act of succession, ending centuries of male-preference primogeniture.
The change paved the way for female descendants of King Albert II to accede based on birth order, meaning sons would no longer skip ahead of their sisters in the line of succession.
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