Belgium's Prince Emmanuel trains at professional Spanish academy

There might be a royal professional footballer on the cards because Prince Emmanuel of Belgium has joined a football academy.

The third child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium has started training  in Spain where talent is prepped to play in the Primera División or La Liga - the top men's professional football division of the Spanish football league system.

It's an ambition that Emmanuel has kept out of the public eye, with royal fans only just learning now of his interest in the sport after video footage surfaced of him at practice, HLN reported.

The footage shows the young royal running at training before taking his place in the goal, where he attempted to dodge footballs from entering the net.

Outside of his sporting interests, Emmanuel, who is fluent in French, Dutch, and English, has proved his academic abilities, having obtained his International Baccalaureate at the International School of Brussels.

He was educated in Dutch at the Eureka school in Kessel-Lo, which specialises in teaching children with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia.

The royal website says that the 19-year-old is now 'following a language and sports training at an academy abroad'.

The page continued: Emmanuel 'loves nature and practices the following sports: skiing, tennis, windsurfing and running. He also plays the saxophone.'

Emmanuel also volunteers to help vulnerable individuals, and during Covid-19, he chatted to isolated elderly people in residential care centres to provide social support.

However, Emmanuel isn't the only impressive child in the Belgian royal family, with his older sister Princess Elisabeth also boasting an impressive background. 

In September, Princess Elisabeth of Belgium started her new course at Harvard University after she graduated from her undergraduate degree at University of Oxford. 

The 23-year-old has joined Harvard Kennedy School where she is studying for her MA in public policy.

The Belgian Royal Palace took to Instagram to share pictures of the royal in the States, writing: 'Hello USA! Princess Elisabeth has started her master’s in public policy at @harvardkennedyschool.'

Elisabeth dressed the part and donned a pair of £210 Crest high rise wide leg jeans from classic American brand Tommy Hilfiger with a brown sleeveless tank top.

She completed her casual yet chic outfit with a pair of £110 Adidas GT Sneakerstuff trainers in shades of green.

After Elisabeth finished her studies in England, she took part in various engagements throughout the summer with her parents - King Philippe and Queen Mathilde for Belgium - including marking National Day.

In July, Princess Elisabeth of Belgium thanked the University of Oxford for three 'wonderful' years - as she prepares to move to Boston for her MA at Harvard.

The royal moved to the UK in the autumn of 2021 to start her History and Politics undergraduate course at Lincoln College.

The future European Queen enrolled at the institution under the name 'Elisabeth de Saxe-Coburg' and was a member of Lincoln College. 

Speaking about her time there, a spokesperson for the Belgian Royal Palace told the Oxford Mail: 'The Princess loved studying in Oxford and had a wonderful time in Lincoln College.' 

As well as being an active member of her college's boat club, Elisabeth would have completed around six written papers and a thesis in History or Politics in her final year to complete the degree. 

Now, Princess Elisabeth's has joined the renowned Harvard University in Boston, where the Princess passed entrance tests to.

The palace told Brussels Times: 'The Princess was also selected for an 'Honorary Award' from the Fullbright Program, the US Department of State's international educational exchange programme.'

And it seems Princess Elisabeth is already immersing herself in American culture. In March, She hosted former US president Barack Obama when she joined her father King Philippe in Brussels.

She took time out of her studies her studies at the time to carry out the rare royal engagement in her home nation. 

Elisabeth is next in line to the Belgian throne as she is the eldest child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde.

According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, the princess completed a written Oxford entrance exam in history 'anonymously' so that her royal status would not affect her chances of being offered a place. 

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.

During her time at Oxford there was speculation about her love life amid reports she was dating an 'ordinary' young man. 

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Belgian media reported that the 20-year-old had found love with fellow student Nicholas Dodd, 20, from Rochdale.

Mr Dodd read History at the same college according to Het Laatste Nieuws, a Dutch-language newspaper based in Antwerp, Belgium. 

However, the rumours were quashed when Dodd's family said the reports were 'false'.

'They just go to the same college and study together. Just like all his other friends, I can't comment any further,' an unnamed family member told Manchester Evening News. 

When asked about the rumours, the Royal Palace refused to comment, according to French-language, Belgium-based television station RTL. 

An accomplished 23-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.'

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.