Albert II King of the Belgians Reign 9 August 1993 – present Predecessor Baudouin Heir apparent Philippe, Duke of Brabant Prime Ministers See list Jean-Luc Dehaene Guy Verhofstadt Yves Leterme Herman Van Rompuy Yves Leterme Elio Di Rupo Spouse Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria (1959–present) Detail 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 (1934-06-06) 6 June 1934 (age 78) Stuyvenberg Castle, Belgium Signature Religion Roman Catholicism

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 Extended royal family HRH Princess Léa HRH Princess Marie-Christine HRH Princess Marie-Esméralda v t e

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.

Full name[link]

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]

Birth[link]

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.

Biography[link]

King Albert II with Queen Paola, and other royals and Heads of state, at the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

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.

Villa Le Reposoir in Switzerland where the family lived in the late 1940s

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.

Marriage and family[link]

King Albert II and Queen Paola with US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the Royal Palace in Brussels in 2005.

In 1958, Prince Albert of Liege went to the Vatican to witness the inauguration of Pope John XXIII. At a reception at the Belgian embassy, the prince met Italian Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria. “We were both shy, so we only talked a little,” Paola said later about their first meeting. Shy but smitten, Prince Albert proposed marriage to Paola, and she accepted. Two months after their meeting, the Prince introduced his future wife to his family, and four months later to the press. Upon arriving in Brussels for the first time before her wedding, Princess Paola won over the Belgian media immediately. "The charm and beauty of the blond princess from the south quickly captured the hearts of the Belgians", wrote the newspapers back then.

They wanted a marriage at the Vatican at first, a setting promoted by both families, but the Belgian government did not approve of that. They did not want to keep a fairy tale wedding from the people of Belgium, who finally had an opportunity for organizing celebrations for their Royals Family. The Pope, after some diplomatic pressure, refused them a marriage at the Vatican, saying he would understand if the couple would want to get married amidst their people.

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:

• HRH Prince Philippe of Belgium, Duke of Brabant (born 15 April 1960). On 4 December 1999, the Duke married Jonkvrouwe Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz (born 20 January 1973), 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. The Duke and Duchess of Brabant have four children, two sons and two daughters:
  • HRH Princess Elisabeth of Belgium (born 25 October 2001), who will inherit the throne after her father.
  • HRH Prince Gabriel of Belgium (born 20 August 2003)
  • HRH Prince Emmanuel of Belgium (born 4 October 2005)
  • HRH Princess Eléonore of Belgium (born 16 April 2008)
• HI&RH Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess Lorenz of Austria-Este, Duchess of Modena (born 5 June 1962). In 1984, she married HI&RH Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, Archduke of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia (born 16 December 1955), who was created a Prince of Belgium in 1995. They have five children, two sons and three daughters:
  • HI&RH Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 22 February 1986)
  • HI&RH Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 26 August 1988)
  • HI&RH Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 9 December 1991)
  • HI&RH Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 11 October 1995)
  • HI&RH Princess Laetitia Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 23 April 2003)
• HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium (born 19 October 1963). On 12 April 2003, He married Claire Coombs (born 18 January 1974), an Anglo-Belgian former real-estate agent. She was created HRH Princess Claire of Belgium 11 days before their marriage. They have three children, two sons and one daughter:
  • HRH Princess Louise of Belgium (born 6 February 2004)
  • HRH Prince Nicolas of Belgium (born 13 December 2005)
  • HRH Prince Aymeric of Belgium (born 13 December 2005)

Official role[link]

As the younger brother of King Baudouin, Prince Albert was the heir-presumptive to the throne. However his son Prince Philippe was groomed to be Baudoin's successor, once it became clear that the King would have no children to succeed him. However, on Baudouin's death (at age 62), Albert was sworn in before parliament on 9 August 1993 as the sixth King of the Belgians.^[2]

As King, Albert's duties include representing Belgium at home and abroad on state visits, trade missions, and at high level international meetings as well as taking an interest in Belgian society, culture and enterprise.^[3]

In 1984, he set up the Prince Albert Foundation, to promote expertise in foreign trade.^[4]

The King has a constitutional role which came into play in 2010-2011 when Belgium's parliament was unable to agree on a government. When the crisis was resolved, Albert swore in the new government.^[5]

In January 2012, Albert announced that the royal family would freeze their allowances and use a greater proportion of their income to maintain the royal palaces.

Ancestry[link]

Patrilineal descent[link]

Titles & styles[link]

Monarchical styles of King Albert II of Belgium Reference style His Majesty Spoken style Sire

Arms as Albert, Prince of Liège, Prince of Belgium

Titles and styles[link]

• 6 June 1934 – 7 June 1934: His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Belgium
• 7 June 1934 – 9 August 1993: His Royal Highness The Prince of Liège
• 9 August 1993 – present: His Majesty The King of the Belgians

Honours[link]

Personal Standard of King Albert II.

See also : List of honours of the Belgian Royal Family by country

Belgian honours[link]

• Grand Master of the Order of Leopold
• Grand Master of the Order of the African Star (dormant order)
• Grand Master of the Royal Order of the Lion (dormant order)
• Grand Master of the Order of the Crown
• Grand Master of the Order of Leopold II

Foreign honours[link]

See also : List of state visits made by King Albert II of Belgium

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 Republic of Hungary, 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	Website
	Japan	Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum	Ph. 1, Ph. 2
	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 of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau	Photo
	Monaco	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Charles (1957)[6]	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
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)