Queen Maxima's daughter makes a change at school

Princess Alexia of the Netherlands has changed her course of study. Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander's second daughter, who is a student at University College London, is no longer pursuing a bachelor's degree of "science & engineering for social change." 

An update on the Dutch Princess' education was shared on Nov. 20, announcing that Alexia had "switched" to a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

The 19 year old began her studies at University College London in September. The day before the start of the first term, the Dutch Royal House released a photo of Alexia smiling in front of a "Welcome" banner on campus, as well as a video of her waving at the camera.

"Princess Alexia is in London where she will be starting her studies at University College London this week," the post was captioned on Instagram (translated to English). "She is starting the Bachelor of Science & Engineering for Social Change at the Faculty of Engineering. The Princess' study time is considered private."

During the Dutch royal family's annual summer photo session in June, Alexia admitted that she did not know what she wanted to study at the time. The Princess said (via AD), "I heard a lot of things about myself. Which study you choose depends on personal reasons. I don't know yet either." Her father, Willem-Alexander, replied, "We would also like to know."

It was announced in August that Alexia, who is second in line to the Dutch throne, after her older sister, Princess Catharina-Amalia, would be returning to the UK for college. She previously studied at UWC Atlantic, which she—and Spain's Princess Leonor—graduated from in 2023. Alexia took a gap year after obtaining her International Baccalaureate diploma from the school in Wales.

At King's Day this past April, the Princess revealed (via RTL) that her gap year included "a little work" and "a little travel." She said, "In a gap year like this, every moment is special. I enjoyed everything very much."