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Princess Astrid of Belgium

Archduchess of Austria-Este From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Princess Astrid of Belgium
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"Astrid of Belgium" redirects here. For her paternal grandmother, Astrid, Queen of the Belgians and consort to King Leopold III, see Astrid of Sweden.

Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 5 June 1962), is the second child and first daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and the younger sister to the current Belgian monarch, King Philippe. She is married to Prince Lorenz of Belgium, head of the Austria-Este branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and is fifth in line of succession to the Belgian throne.

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Biography

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Princess Astrid was born one day before her father's 28th birthday at the Belvédère Château in Laeken, northern Brussels, and was named after her late paternal grandmother, Astrid of Sweden, King Leopold III's popular first wife, who had died in 1935 in a car accident aged 29. Princess Astrid's godparents were her uncle Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 7th Duke di Guardia Lombarda, and her aunt Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.[citation needed]

Marriage and issue

Princess Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, subsequently head of the Archducal House of Austria-Este, on 22 September 1984 at the Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon in Brussels.[1][2] Lorenz is the eldest son of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este (1915–1996), and Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta (1930–2022).[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:[1][2][3]

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Royal role

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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 Flemish-speaking and French 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 Castle of Laeken on the edge of Brussels.[2]

She is a member of the Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee.[11]

In April 2015, the Princess took over the Prince Albert Fund from her father King Albert.[12]

Special Envoy

Princess Astrid has been for many years an advocate for landmine survivors rights, participating actively in the work of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, also known as the Ottawa Treaty, since Belgium joined in 1998.[citation needed]

In 2013, the Princess was named Special Envoy of the convention,[13] and has promoted the acceptance of a global ban on landmines and promoted the rights of survivors in various UN meetings.[13][14][15]

In 2019, she carried out a mission to Lebanon to promote the convention.[16][17] In Beirut she met with President Michel Aoun, and Minister of National Defense Elias Bou Saab.[18]

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Titles, styles and honours

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Titles

  • 5 June 1962 – 22 September 1984: Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium
  • 22 September 1984 – present: Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este[note 1]

Honours

See also: List of honours of the Belgian royal family by country

National

Foreign

Awards

Other

2016 : Honorary mayor and The Hidalgo Award of San Antonio, Texas.[21]

Arms

Coat of arms of Princess Astrid of Belgium
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Notes
As a Princess of Belgium and a descendant of King Leopold I, the Princess is entitled to use a coat of arms which was stipulated in the Royal Decree of King Philippe in 2019.[22]
Adopted
12 July 2019
Coronet
Princely crown of Belgium
Escutcheon
On a lozenge, sable, a lion rampant or, armed and langued gules (Belgium), on the shoulder an escutcheon barry of ten sable and or, a crancelin vert (Wettin), overall a bordure or.
Supporters
Two lions guardant proper
Motto
French: L'union fait la force
Dutch: Eendracht maakt macht
German: Einigkeit macht stark
Other elements
The whole is placed on a mantle purpure with ermine lining, fringes and tassels or and ensigned with the Royal crown of Belgium.
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Ranks

19972003

Ancestry

More information Ancestors of Princess Astrid of Belgium ...
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Note

  1. [N 1]
    She has held the title "Princess of Belgium" from birth under Belgian law. 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, 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" by Belgian decree of 2 December 1991, in addition to their Austrian titles borne by tradition, "Archduke/Archduchess of Austria".
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References

External links

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