Albert II of Belgium

Albert II King of the Belgians Reign 9 August 1993 – present (&000000000000001700000017 years, &0000000000000188000000188 days) Predecessor Baudouin Heir apparent Philippe, Duke of Brabant Consort Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria Issue Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant Princess Astrid, Archduchess of Austria-Este Prince Laurent House House of Belgium (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) Father Leopold III of Belgium Mother Astrid of Sweden Born 6 June 1934 (1934-06-06) (age 76) Stuyvenberg Castle, Brussels, Belgium Signature Religion Roman Catholic

Belgian Royal Family HM The King HM The Queen HRH The Duke of Brabant HRH The Duchess of Brabant HRH Princess Elisabeth HRH Prince Gabriel HRH Prince Emmanuel HRH Princess Eléonore HI&RH The Archduchess of Austria-Este HI&RH The Archduke of Austria-Este HI&RH Prince Amedeo HI&RH Princess Maria Laura HI&RH Prince Joachim HI&RH Princess Luisa Maria HI&RH Princess Laetitia Maria HRH Prince Laurent HRH Princess Claire HRH Princess Louise HRH Prince Nicolas HRH Prince Aymeric HM Queen Fabiola HRH Princess Léa HRH Princess Marie-Christine HRH Princess Marie-Esméralda

Monarchical styles of King Albert II of the Belgians Reference style His Majesty Spoken style Your Majesty Alternative style Sire

Albert II (born 6 June 1934) is the current King of the Belgians and a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the second son of the late King Leopold III (1901–1983) and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden (1905–1935). He ascended to the throne in 1993, upon the death of his older brother, Baudouin. His godparents were Prince Felix of Luxembourg and his paternal grandmother, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium.^[1] He is the first cousin of King Harald V of Norway , Princess Astrid of Norway, and Princess Ragnhild of Norway.

Full Name

Albert's full name is Albert Félix Humbert Théodore Christian Eugène Marie in French, Albert Felix Humbert Theodoor Christiaan Eugène Marie in Dutch, and Albert Felix Humbert Theodor Christian Eugen Maria in German.^[1]

Biography

Prince Albert was born in Stuyvenberg Castle, Brussels. On 10 May 1940, at the time when Belgium was being invaded, Prince Albert, his elder sister Princess Joséphine-Charlotte and his elder brother Prince Baudouin, left the country for France and later Spain. The Prince and the Princess returned to Belgium on 2 August 1940. They continued their studies until 1944, either at Laeken, or at the Chateau of Ciergnon in the Ardennes. In June 1944, at the time of the Allied landings, King Leopold III, Princess Lilian - who he married in 1941 - and the royal children were deported by the Germans to Hirschstein in Germany, and later to Strobl in Austria, where they were liberated by the American Army on 7 May 1945. Due to the political situation in Belgium, King Leopold and his family moved to the villa "Le Reposoir" in Pregny, Switzerland, when they left Austria in October 1945. They would stay there until July 1950. During that time, Prince Albert would continue his education in a secondary school in Geneva. King Leopold III, accompanied by Prince Baudouin and Prince Albert, returned to Belgium on 22 July 1950.^[1]

He is the 1,292nd Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Austria and the 1,191st Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain in 1994.

Marriage and family

He married, in Brussels, on 2 July 1959, Princess Donna Paola Margherita Maria Antonia Consiglia Ruffo di Calabria (born 1937). She is the daughter of Principe Don Fulco Ruffo di Calabria, Duca di Guardia Lombarda and his wife, Countess Luisa Gazelli di Rossana e di Sebastiano (1896–1989).

He and the Queen have three children:

• Philippe Léopold Louis Marie, Duke of Brabant (born 15 April 1960). He married, on 4 December 1999, Jonkvrouwe Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, who was created HRH Princess Mathilde of Belgium a day before their marriage. She is a daughter of the late Count Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz and his wife, Countess Anna Maria Komorowska. They have four children:
  • Princess Elisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène, who will inherit the throne after her father, in accordance with the 1991 Act of Succession, which created full cognatic primogeniture, better known as succession by strict birth order without regard to gender.
  • Prince Gabriel Baudouin Charles Marie
  • Prince Emmanuel Leopold Guillaume François Marie
  • Princess Eléonore Fabiola Victoria Anne Marie
• Astrid Joséphine Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Marie (born 5 June 1962). She is the wife of His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, Archduke of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, whom she married in 1984 and who was created a Prince of Belgium in 1995. Princess Astrid, with her own descendants, is before her brother Laurent in the order of succession to the Belgian throne, in accordance with the 1991 Act of Succession mentioned above. They have five children:
  • Archduke Amedeo of Austria-Este, Prince of Belgium
  • Archduchess Maria Laura of Austria-Este, Princess of Belgium
  • Archduke Joachim of Austria-Este, Prince of Belgium
  • Archduchess Luisa-Maria of Austria-Este, Princess of Belgium
  • Archduchess Laetitia-Maria of Austria-Este, Princess of Belgium
• Laurent Benoît Baudouin Marie (born 19 October 1963). He married Claire Coombs, an Anglo-Belgian former real-estate agent, on 12 April 2003. She was created HRH Princess Claire of Belgium 11 days before their marriage. They have one daughter and two sons:
  • Princess Louise Sophie Mary
  • Prince Nicolas Casimir Marie
  • Prince Aymeric Auguste Marie

Titles

• His Royal Highness The Prince of Liège
• His Majesty The King of the Belgians

Ancestry

Patrilineal descent

Albert's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son.

Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that if Albert II were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Wettin, as all his male-line ancestors have been of that house.

Personal Standard of King Albert II.

House of Wettin

1. Dietrich I von Wettin, c. 916 – c. 976 (top ancestor)
2. Dedo I von Wettin, c. 950 - c. 1009
3. Dietrich II, Margrave of Lower Lusatia
4. Thimo of Wettin, Count of Brehna
5. Conrad, Margrave of Meissen, maternal grandson of Otto of Nordheim, 1098–1157
6. Otto II, Margrave of Meissen, 1125–1190
7. Dietrich I, Margrave of Meissen, 1162–1221
8. Henry III, Margrave of Meissen, c. 1215 - 1288
9. Albert II, Margrave of Meissen, 1240–1314
10. Frederick I, Margrave of Meissen, 1257–1323
11. Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen, 1310–1349
12. Frederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia, 1332–1381
13. Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, 1370–1428
14. Frederick II, Elector of Saxony, 1412–1464
15. Ernest, Elector of Saxony, 1441–1486
16. John, Elector of Saxony, 1468–1532
17. John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, 1503–1554
18. Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, 1530–1573
19. John II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, 1570–1605
20. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha, 1601–1675
21. John Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1658–1729
22. Francis Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1697–1764
23. Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1724–1800
24. Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1750–1806
25. Leopold I of Belgium, 1790–1865
26. Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, 1837–1905
27. Albert I of Belgium, 1875–1934
28. Leopold III of Belgium, 1901–1993
29. Albert II of Belgium, 1934 -

See also, Kings of Belgium family tree.

Gallery

Albert II with Queen Paola of Belgium, Prince Henrik of Denmark, Bernadette Chirac, President Jorge Sampaio of Portugal, George W. Bush and Laura Bush, President Arnold Rüütel of Estonia, and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines at the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Belgian coinage

Commemorative 100 euro gold coin featuring King Albert II

In Belgium, it is common that the effigy of the ruling King is minted in the coins for circulation. As a general rule, this does not happen for the commemorative and collectors' coins. However, some very high value coins have been minted with the effigy of the King in one side, such as the commemorative 100 euro gold coin minted in 2003.

Alleged scandal

Delphine Boël (born 1968), a sculptor living in London, is alleged to be the illegitimate daughter of the King. The claims originated in a Belgian satirical magazine in 1997, and were repeated two years later in a biography written by an 18-year-old schoolboy.^[2] Her mother is a Belgian aristocrat, Sybille, Baroness de Selys Longchamps who was married at the time of Delphine's birth to Jacques Boël. Delphine has 2 children, Joséphine O'Hare and Oscar O'Hare, by her American companion, James O'Hare. Sybille de Selys Longchamps and Delphine both refused to comment on the claim, and palace officials called it "malevolent gossip".^[2]

See also

• List of Succession to the Belgian Throne
• Crown Council of Belgium
• Royal Trust
• Prince Albert Fund
• Michel Didisheim, former private secretary
• Jacques van Ypersele de Strihou (private secretary)
• Frank De Coninck, (former) Marshal of the Royal Household

References

External links

• Official Belgian monarchy web site
• "Belgium defends king against 'assault'". BBC News. 2001-09-18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1550250.stm. 
• The Royal Belgium Orders