Astrid Belgian ( born Astrid Josephina Charlotte Fabrizia Elizabeth Paola Marie ; born June 5, 1962 , Belgium ) is a Belgian princess, the only daughter of King Albert II and his wife Queen Paola . The wife of Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este .
| Princess Astrid Belgian | |||||||||
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| Birth | June 5, 1962 (57 years old) Brussels | ||||||||
| Kind | Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Habsburgs (for husband) | ||||||||
| Birth name | Astrid Josephine Charlotte Fabriz Elizabeth Maria Paola, Princess of Belgium | ||||||||
| Father | Albert II | ||||||||
| Mother | Paola Ruffo di Calabria | ||||||||
| Spouse | Lawrence, Archduke of Austria-Este | ||||||||
| Children | Amedeo Maria Laura Joachim Louise Maria Letizia Maria | ||||||||
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| Belgian royal family |
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EV King
EI and HF Archduke of Austria-Este
ECB Prince Laurent
EB King Albert
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Content
Biography
Princess Astrid Josephine Charlotte Fabrizia Elizabeth Paola Maria was born into the family of Albert, Prince of Liege (future King of Belgium Albert II) and his wife Paola, nee Princess Ruffo Calabria. She is the only daughter in the family, has an older brother - the king of Belgium, Philip I and the youngest - Laurent .
Princess Astrid received a name in honor of her grandmother, Queen of Belgium Astrid . Her godmother was her maternal uncle, Fabrizio Ruffo di Calabria, and her paternal aunt, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Josephine Charlotte .
After studying in Belgium, the princess studied art history at the University of Leiden ( Netherlands ), then at the Institute for European Studies in Geneva and the University of Michigan ( USA ).
Marriage and children
On September 22, 1984 in Brussels, Princess Astrid married Prince Lawrence of Austria-Este (born December 16, 1955 ), the eldest son of Duke Robert of Austria-Este ( 1915 - 1996 ) and Princess Margaret of Savoy (born 1930 ). Five children were born in the marriage, bearing the title of princes (princesses) of the Belgian and Archduces (Archduces) of Austria-Este [1] :
- Amadeo (born February 21, 1986 )
- Maria Laura (born August 26, 1988 )
- Joaquim (born December 9, 1991 )
- Louise Maria (born October 11, 1995 )
- Letizia Maria (born April 23, 2003 )
From 1984 to 1993, the princess and her family lived in Basel , where her husband worked in a bank. At this time, she did not carry out any official duties.
On November 10, 1995, Prince Lawrence also received the title of Prince of Belgium.
Salic Law
In 1991, the Belgian Parliament abolished the Salican law , making Princess Astrid the third in the inheritance list of the throne after Philip's father and elder brother. After the death of uncle, King Baudouin I , and the accession to the throne of his father, King Albert II , Astrid became the second on the list. She occupied this place until 2001 , when her niece Princess Elizabeth (the eldest daughter and first child of Prince Philip) was born.
The abolition of the Salic law is largely associated with the influence of King Baudouin, who was tied to his niece [2] . In addition, she was the only one at that moment married and had heirs, both her brothers were in no hurry to do this (they married at thirty-nine years old: Prince Philip - in 1999 , Prince Laurent - in 2003 ).
Princess Astrid is currently ranked 5th on the heir to the throne.
Public life
Due to a change in dynastic status in June 1993, Princess Astrid returned with her family to Belgium.
In 1994, Princess Astrid became President of the Belgian Red Cross Society, replacing her father in this post. On December 31, 2007, she refused to run again because of internal contradictions between French-speaking and Flemish branches.
On November 22, 1996, Princess Astrid took the oath of office and became a senator ( senator by rights ).
On May 22, 1997, Princess Astrid took a military oath. She is currently a colonel in the medical service of the Royal Armed Forces of Belgium.
Princess Astrid is:
- Honorary President of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer,
- Special Representative of RMB (Roll Back Malaria Partnership), an organization fighting the spread of malaria. She has visited many countries of the Third World.
Princess Astrid is concerned about the fate of victims of violence and civilians in times of military conflict. In June 2009, she participated as a rapporteur at a meeting of the Committee on Women's Affairs in the Joint Armed Forces of NATO, which discussed the impact of armed conflict on civilians [3] .
Participates in the struggle to ban cluster bombs and anti-personnel mines.
Rewards
- Commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold I ( Belgium )
- Commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of Adolf Nassau ( Luxembourg )
- Cavalier of the Grand Cross of the Order of the North Star ( Sweden )
- Commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit ( Spain )
- Commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit ( Norway )
- Cavalier of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit for the Federal Republic of Germany ( Germany ).
Notes
- ↑ Agamov A.M. Dynasties of Europe 400—2016: Complete genealogy of sovereign houses. - M .: URSS, 2017 .-- S. 46. - 1120 p. - ISBN 978-5-9710-3935-8 .
- ↑ Nevsky time number 108 June 20, 1997
- ↑ Gender balance at NATO OBC