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Albert II (born 6 June 1934) is the King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the uncle of the current reigning Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Henri.
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Albert's full name is Albert Félix Humbert Théodore Christian Eugène Marie in French (pronounced: [albɛʁ feliks œ̃bɛʁ teodɔʁ kʁistjɑ̃ øʒɛn maʁi]), Albert Felix Humbert Theodoor Christiaan Eugène Marie in Dutch (pronounced [ˈʔɑlbəɾt ˈfelɪks ˈɦʏmbəɾt teˈjodoːɾ ˈkɾɪstiːjaːn ʔøːˈʒɛːn ma̙ˈɾiː]), and Albert Felix Humbert Theodor Christian Eugen Maria in German (pronounced [ˈʔalbɛʁt ˈfeːlɪks ˈhʊmbɛʁt ˈteːodoːɐ̯ ˈkʁɪsti̯an ˈʔɔʏɡən maˈʁiːa]).[1]
He is the second son of King Leopold III (1901–1983) and his first wife, Astrid of Sweden (1905–1935). He ascended to the throne in 1993, following the death of his older brother, King 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.
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 – whom he married in 1941 – and the royal children were deported by the Germans to Hirschstein, Germany, and later to Strobl, 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 and stayed 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.
On 2 July 1959 he married Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria (born 11 September 1937) in Brussels. She is the daughter of Fulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda and his wife, Countess Luisa Gazelli di Rossana e di Sebastiano (1896–1989). Together they have three children, two sons and a daughter:
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 18-year-old schoolboy nl:Mario Danneels.[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]
| Patrilineal descent |
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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. House of Wettin
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Recipient of numerous foreign decorations, Albert II is one of the few European leaders to be both a knight of the Golden Fleece (Austrian awarded in 1962 by Archduke Otto von Habsburg) and Knight of the Golden Fleece Gold Spanish (awarded in 1994 by King Juan Carlos).
The list of his honorifical decorations (to be expanded) consists of :
| State honours | |||
| Bulgaria | Grand Cross of the Order of Stara Planina (2003) | Photo | |
| Commonwealth | Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order | Photo | |
| Denmark | Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog | ||
| Knight of the Order of the Elephant | Photo | ||
| Estonia | Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2008) | Ph.1, Ph.2 | |
| Finland | Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose (2004) | Photo | |
| Germany | Grand Cross, Special Class, of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic | Photo | |
| Hungary | Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic, Civilian Class | Photo | |
| Holy See | Knight of the Collar of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (1995) | website | |
| Italy | Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic | ||
| Japan | Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum | ||
| Latvia | Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Three Stars (2007) | recipents list (.doc) | |
| Lithuania | Golden Collar of the Order of Vytautas the Great | News, Photo | |
| Luxembourg | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau | Photo | |
| Monaco | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Charles (1957)[3] | Photo | |
| Morocco | Special Class of the Order of the Mohammediya | ||
| Netherlands | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion | Photo | |
| Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau | |||
| Norway | Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of St. Olav | Photo | |
| Poland | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle | Photo | |
| Portugal | Grand Cordon of the Military Order of Aviz (1985) | Orders website | |
| Grand Collar of the Order of the Infante Dom Henrique (1999) | Photo | ||
| Romania | Sash (Collar) of the Order of the Star of Romania (2009) | Recipients table | |
| Spain | Sash (Collar) of the Order of the Golden Fleece (1994) | Photo | |
| Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Charles III | |||
| Sweden | Knight of the Order of the Seraphim | Photo | |
| Sovereign Entities | |||
| Malta | Bailiff and Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta |
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| Former sovereign families | |||
| Austrian Empire | Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (House of Habsburg) | ||
| K. of France | Knight of the Order of Saint Michael - (House of Bourbon) | ||
| Kingdom of Italy | Knight of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (House of Savoy) | ||
| Kingdom of Italy | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (House of Savoy) | ||
King Albert is Doctor Honoris Causa of the Catholic University of Leuven, the Saint Louis University, Baguio City, Ghent University, Free University of Brussels, the Catholic university of Mons and the Polytechnic Faculty of Mons.
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.
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Albert II of Belgium
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 6 June 1934 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Baudouin |
King of the Belgians 1993–present |
Incumbent Heir apparent: Philippe, Duke of Brabant |
| Belgian royalty | ||
| New title | Prince of Liège 1934–present |
Reverts to the Crown after death |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Robert van Schendel |
Speaker at the College of Europe Opening Ceremony 1969 |
Succeeded by Jean Rey |
| Titles in pretence | ||
| Preceded by Prince Umberto of Bulgaria |
Line of succession to the throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 21st position |
Succeeded by Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant |
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