Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este
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Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 5 June 1962), is the second child and only daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and younger sister to the current Belgian monarch, King Philippe. She is also the wife of Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este, head of the Austria-Este branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
Biography
Princess Astrid was born at the Château de Belvédère, near Laeken, and was named for her late paternal grandmother, Astrid of Sweden, the popular first wife of King Leopold III. Her godparents were her uncle Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 7th Duke di Guardia Lombarda, and her aunt Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.
Marriage and issue
Princess Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, the head of the Archducal House of Austria-Este, on 22 September 1984 at Brussels.[1][2] Lorenz is the eldest son of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este (1915–1996), and his wife Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta (born in 1930).[2] Her husband was also created Prince of Belgium by Royal Decree on 27 November 1995.[2]
Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz have five children, who bear the title "Prince/Princess of Belgium" (in each of the three official languages) as members of the Belgian royal family and Archduke/Archduchess of Austria:[1][2]
- Prince Amedeo Marie Joseph Carl Pierre Philippe Paola Marcus d'Aviano, Archduke of Austria (born 21 February 1986); married Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein (b. 1987) on 5 July 2014.
- Princess Maria Laura Zita Beatrix Gerhard, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 26 August 1988)
- Prince Joachim Karl-Maria Nikolaus Isabelle Marcus d'Aviano, Archduke of Austria-Este (9 December 1991)
- Princess Luisa Maria Anna Martine Pilar, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 11 October 1995)
- Princess Laetitia Maria Nora Anna Joachim Zita, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 23 April 2003)
Astrid is also godmother to Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria, Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg and Prince Gaston of Orléans.
Royal role
Astrid was formerly President of the Belgian Red Cross,[2] a position which ended on 31 December 2007. She declined to stand again for election to the role in light of internal struggles in the organisation in reconciling its French-speaking and Flemish branches, each of which seeks greater autonomy. The princess is also a colonel in the Medical Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. Her official residence is the Royal Palace of Laeken on the edge of Brussels.[2]
She is a member of the Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee.[3]
Upon her brother's ascension to the throne, Princess Astrid took on some duties previously conducted by Philippe as the Honorary chairman of the board of the Foreign Trade Agency with his wife, Queen Mathilde. Princes Astrid travelled to Angola, South Africa, India and Russia to promote Belgian trade.
Titles and styles
- 5 June 1962 – 22 September 1984: Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium
- 22 September 1984 – 7 February 1996: Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este
- 7 February 1996 – present: Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium, the Archduchess of Austria-Este
She has held the title "Princess of Belgium" from birth under Belgian law.[2] By marriage to an archduke of the house of Austria-Este, she gained, in addition to her native title, the style "Imperial and Royal Highness" and the title "Archduchess of Austria-Este". Upon her husband's succeeding to the headship of his house in 1996, as wife of the Archduke of Austria-Este,[2] internationally or depending on the situation, she is also accorded the traditional title "Her Imperial and Royal Highness The Archduchess of Austria-Este" or, more formally, reflecting both her native and marital titles, is addressed as HI&RH Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este.
Her children by Archduke Lorenz bear the titles "Prince(ss) of Belgium"[2] by Belgian decree of 2 December 1991, in addition to their Austrian titles borne by tradition, "Archduke/Archduchess of Austria".[1][2]
Arms
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Military Ranks
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Honours
See also : List of state visits & List of honours of the Belgian Royal Family by country
Belgian Honours
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Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold [7]
Foreign Honours
| Ribbon | Country | Decoration | References |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  Germany | Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany | [8][9] |
_1class_BAR.svg.png){kind=small} |  Hungary | Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, Civilian Class (2008) | [10] |
 |  Luxembourg | Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau (2007) | [11] |
.svg.png){kind=small} |  Netherlands | Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (2006) | [12] |
 |  Norway | Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (20/05/2003) | [13][14][15] |
 |  Portugal | Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique (08/03/2006) | [16][17][18] |
_GC.svg.png){kind=small} |  Spain | Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit (12/05/2000) | [19][20] |
_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR.png){kind=small} |
 Sweden | Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star | [21] |
Ancestry
| Ancestors of Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este |
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References
- 1 2 3 Enache, Nicolas. La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 44-45,50. French
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Furstlicher Hauser Bande XVI, C.A. Starke Verlag, Haus Osterreich, Limburg, 2001, pp. 91–92. German
- ↑ "Honorary Board". IPC.
- ↑ Le Soir, Article (French) announcing the rank
- ↑ Belgian Defense Website, Article evoking Princess Astrid & Prince Laurent
- ↑ Belgian Defense Website, Article evoking Princess Astrid, last section "Mon colonel !"
- ↑ Photo during Prince Frederick of Denmark's wedding from Zimbio website - ribbon :
- ↑ Photo by Seger Press
- ↑ Belga Pictures, State visit of President Herzog in Belgium (1998), Group Photo
- ↑ Princess Astrid at the Belgium Hungary state visit gala dinner - website Belga Pictures
- ↑ "Princess Astrid wearing the Order of Adolphe of Nassau". Belga Pictures. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012.
- ↑ "Princess Astrid wearing the Order of the Crown". Belga Pictures. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012.
- ↑ "Princess Astrid wearing the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit". Knowing The Royals. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012.
- ↑ Official website of The Belgian Monarchy
- ↑ Kongehuset
- ↑ Princess Astrid wearing the Order of Prince Henry - website of the Ducal House of Modena
- ↑ Princess Astrid during the state visit of the Hungarian president - website of The Belgian Monarchy
- ↑ CIDADÃOS ESTRANGEIROS AGRACIADOS COM ORDENS PORTUGUESAS
- ↑ Photo from the website of Belga Picture : Official visit of King Juan Carlos & Queen Sofia to Belgium in 2001
- ↑ Boletín Oficial del Estado
- ↑ - website PeriScope
External links
| Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este Born: 5 June 1962 | ||
| Belgian royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Princess Eléonore of Belgium |
Line of succession to the Belgian throne 5th position |
Succeeded by Prince Amedeo of Belgium |
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