by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant; Credit – Wikipedia (2023)

The heir apparent to the Belgian throne, Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant (Elisabeth Therese Maria Helena), was born on October 25, 2001, at Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium. She is the oldest of four children of Philippe King of the Belgians and Queen Mathilde (née Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz).

• Unofficial Royalty: Ancestors of Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant

Princess Elisabeth’s family in 2022: Princess Eléonore, Prince Gabriel, Queen Mathilde, King Philippe, Princess Elisabeth, and Prince Emmanuel

Elisabeth has two brothers and a sister:

• Prince Gabriel of Belgium (born 2003)
• Prince Emmanuel of Belgium (born 2005)
• Princess Eléonore of Belgium (born 2008)

Elisabeth was baptized on December 9, 2001, at Ciergnon Castle by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. Her godparents were:

• Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este, her paternal first cousin
• Countess Hélène d’Udekem d’Acoz, her maternal aunt

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In 2011, nine-year-old Princess Elisabeth gave her first public speech (in Dutch) at the opening of a children’s hospital named after her, the Princess Elisabeth Children’s Hospital in Ghent, Belgium. Her speech was short, and even giving a speech was very unconventional for young royals. Princess Elisabeth said: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very happy that I can give my name to this new children’s hospital today. Together with you, I hope that many children will find help here. I know they can count on your daily commitment. The Princess Elisabeth Children’s Hospital now gets a special place in my heart.”

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On July 21, 2013, Elisabeth’s grandfather King Albert II abdicated in favor of her father who became King Philippe of the Belgians. Belgium had changed its succession law in 1991 to absolute primogeniture where the succession passes to the eldest child of the sovereign regardless of gender. Males and females have equal succession rights. This means that Elisabeth is the heir apparent and comes first in the line of succession as the eldest child. She is expected to become the first Belgian Queen Regnant.  Elisabeth automatically became Duchess of Brabant, the title used by the female heirs to the Belgian throne and the wives of male heirs.

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July 21, 2013 – King Philippe’s accession to the throne, Elisabeth becomes the Duchess of Brabant, the traditional title for the heir apparent

Princess Elisabeth attended Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in the Marolles district of Brussels, the capital of Belgium. The children of Elisabeth’s aunt Princess Astrid attended this school. Instruction is in Dutch. This is the first time that a future Belgian monarch’s education began in a language other than French. Elisabeth is fluent in Dutch, French, German, and English.

On July 5, 2014, Princess Elisabeth along with her cousin Princess Louise, daughter of Prince Laurent of Belgium, were bridesmaids at the wedding of their cousin Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este in Rome, Italy.  Prince Amedeo is the son of the princesses’ aunt, Princess Astrid.

In 2018, Princess Elisabeth enrolled at the United World College of the Atlantic College, a private residential school at St Donat’s Castle in Llantwit Major, Wales, the United Kingdom, completing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in May 2020.  In August 2020, Elisabeth began her one-year studies in Social and Military Sciences at the Royal Military Academy, the military university of Belgium, in Brussels, Belgium.

In 2021, Elisabeth began a three-year program studying History and Politics at Lincoln College, University of Oxford in Oxford, England. In May 2024, the Belgian Royal Court announced that Elisabeth was admitted to the John F. Kennedy School of Government, the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to study for a two-year master’s degree in public policy. She was also selected for an Honorary Award from the prestigious Fulbright Program.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Belgium Index
• Belgian Orders and Honors
• Belgian Royal Burial Sites
• Belgian Royal Christenings
• Belgian Royal Dates
• Belgian Royal Residences
• Belgian Royal Weddings
• Line of Succession to the Belgian Throne
• Profiles of the Belgian Royal Family

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

© SPF Chancellerie du Premier Ministre – Direction générale Communication externe

Philippe, King of the Belgians was born Philippe Léopold Louis Marie on April 15, 1960, at the Château du Belvédère in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium He is the eldest son of the then Prince Albert, Prince of Liège, and Paola Ruffo di Calabria. His father was the younger brother, and heir-presumptive, to the reigning King Baudouin.

• Unofficial Royalty: Ancestors of Philippe, King of the Belgians

Philippe has two younger siblings:

• Princess Astrid of Belgium (born 1962) married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, had five children
• Prince Laurent of Belgium (born 1963), married Claire Coombs, had three children

Philippe has a half-sister from his father’s affair with Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps. After years of legal battles, on October 1, 2020, the Belgian Court of Appeal ruled that Delphine and her children are entitled to the style and title of HRH Prince/Princess of Belgium, and can use the former King’s surname of Saxe-Coburg.

• Princess Delphine of Belgium (born 1968), married James O’Hare, an American, had two children, now styled Princess Joséphine of Belgium and Prince Oscar of Belgium

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Philippe was baptized a month later, on May 17, 1960, at the Church of Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg in Brussels, Belgium. His godfather was his paternal grandfather King Leopold III, and his godmother was his maternal grandmother Luisa Ruffo di Calabria. He was named after his great-grandfather, Philippe, Count of Flanders, the brother of King Leopold II.

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Prince Philippe attended primary and secondary school first at St Michael’s College in Brussels, studying in French, and then the Saint-André de Bruges Abbey in Bruges, studying in Dutch. In 1981, he enrolled at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels, graduating in 1981. After qualifying as a fighter pilot, he received his wings from his uncle, King Baudouin in July 1982. He then joined the very elite Paracommando Regiment of the Belgian Army (now called the Immediate Reaction Cell), qualifying as a paratrooper and assuming command of a paratrooper and commando platoon. He continued his military education with a series of courses at the Royal Higher Defense Institute.

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Following his military education, the Prince attended Trinity College at the University of Oxford and the Graduate School at Stanford University in the United States, earning his Masters Degree in Political Science in 1985.

On July 31, 1993, his uncle King Baudouin died suddenly at his vacation home in Spain and was succeeded by Philippe’s father, King Albert II. Philippe was now heir-apparent to the Belgian throne and was created Duke of Brabant, the title traditionally given to the eldest child and heir of the Belgian monarch. He was also named Honorary Chairman of the Belgian Foreign Trade Board (now the Foreign Trade Agency) by the Belgian government, taking over the role his father had held for over 30 years. In this role, the Prince has represented Belgium at over 70 economic missions around the world. Following his accession to the throne, this role was taken over by his sister, Princess Astrid.

photo: Order of Sartorial Splendor

On December 4, 1999, Philippe married Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz in Brussels, Belgium. A civil ceremony took place at the Brussels Town Hall, followed by a religious ceremony at the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula in Brussels. The couple took up residence at the Royal Palace of Laeken in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium

• Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Philippe of Belgium and Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz

The couple had two daughters and two sons:

• Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant (born 2001)
• Prince Gabriel of Belgium (born 2003)
• Prince Emmanuel of Belgium (born 2005)
• Princess Eléonore of Belgium (born 2008)

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Philippe ascended to the Belgian throne on July 21, 2013, upon the abdication of his father King Albert II. His eldest child Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant will become the first female monarch of Belgian due to changes in the succession law in 1991.

Princess Delphine and Philippe, King of the Belgians meet for the first time; Credit – Belgian Monarchy Facebook

On October 9, 2020,  King Philippe met his half-sister, Princess Delphine, for the first time at Laeken Castle, the king’s residence. A common message from King Philippe and Princess Delphine was posted on Facebook: “This Friday, October 9th, we met for the first time at Laeken Castle. Our meeting was warm. We had the opportunity to get to know each other during a long and rich exchange that allowed us to talk about each other’s lives and shared interests. This bond will now develop in a family setting.”

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Belgium Index
• Belgian Orders and Honors
• Belgian Royal Burial Sites
• Belgian Royal Christenings
• Belgian Royal Dates
• Belgian Royal Residences
• Belgian Royal Weddings
• Line of Succession to the Belgian Throne
• Profiles of the Belgian Royal Family

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

By Michael Thaidigsmann – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27426118

On July 21, 2013, the annual Belgian National Day, Belgium got its first native-born queen.  King Albert II of the Belgians abdicated in favor of his son Philippe, and Philippe’s wife became Queen Consort of the Belgians.  Belgium’s previous queen consorts were French, Austrian, German, Swedish, Spanish, and Italian.

Mathilde Marie Christine Ghislaine d’Udekem d’Acoz was born on January 20, 1973, in Uccle, one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.  Her parents were  Jonkheer Patrick d’Udekem d’Acoz (1936 – 2008) and Countess Anna Maria Komorowska (born 1946).  Through her mother, Mathilde has Polish noble and Polish–Lithuanian princely ancestry.  Her father descends from Walloon (a French-speaking people who live in Belgium) nobles and was titled Jonkheer, the lowest title within the Belgian nobility system.  Upon the marriage of Mathilde to Prince Philippe in 1999, Mathilde’s father was created Count d’Udekem d’Acoz by King Albert II.

Mathilde, the eldest of five siblings, has three sisters and one brother:

• Jonkvrouw Marie-Alix d’Udekem d’Acoz (1974 – 1997), died in a car accident at the age of 22 along with her maternal grandmother.
• Countess Elisabeth d’Udekem d’Acoz (born 1977), married Margrave Alfonso Pallavicini, had three children
• Countess Hélène d’Udekem d’Acoz (born 1979), married Baron Nicolas Janssen, had three children:
• Count Charles-Henri d’Udekem d’Acoz (born 1985)

Mathilde attended primary school in Bastogne, a Walloon municipality of Belgium.  She then attended secondary school at the Institut de la Vierge Fidèle in Brussels, Belgium.  From 1991-1994, Mathilde attended the Institut Libre Marie Haps in Brussels, Belgium where she studied speech therapy and graduated magna cum laude.  Mathilde then began to study psychology at the Université Catholique de Louvain and had her own speech therapy practice in Brussels from 1995 until her marriage in 1999. She continued her studies after her marriage and received a Master’s degree in psychology in 2002. Besides Dutch and French, Mathilde speaks English, Italian, and some Spanish.

Mathilde met Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant and the heir to the Belgian throne in 1996 playing tennis. Unbelievably, their romance went undetected by the press and their engagement was a surprise.  The couple married on December 4, 1999, civilly at the Brussels City Hall and religiously at the Cathedral of Saint Michel and Saint Gudula in Brussels.

• Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Philippe of Belgium and Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz

Mathilde and Philippe had four children. Their eldest child Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant will become the first female monarch of Belgian due to changes in the succession law in 1991.

• Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant (born 2001)
• Prince Gabriel of Belgium (born 2003)
• Prince Emmanuel of Belgium (born 2005)
• Princess Eléonore of Belgium (born 2008)

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Mathilde is concerned with a range of social issues including education, child poverty, intergenerational poverty, the position of women in society, and literacy. She has been very active in charity work, particularly with UNICEF and her own charity which focuses on vulnerable people.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Belgium Index
• Belgian Orders and Honors
• Belgian Royal Burial Sites
• Belgian Royal Christenings
• Belgian Royal Dates
• Belgian Royal Residences
• Belgian Royal Weddings
• Line of Succession to the Belgian Throne
• Profiles of the Belgian Royal Family

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, Prince Regent of Belgium; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Charles-Théodore Henri Antoine Meinrad was born on October 10, 1903, at the Palace of the Marquis d’Assche (link in French)  in Brussels, Belgium, the second son and the second of the three children of the future Albert I, King of the Belgians and the former Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. After his father became King, he was given the title Count of Flanders.

From left to right, the future King of the Belgians, Leopold III with his sister Marie-Jose, and brother Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, circa 1915

Charles had one brother and one sister:

• Leopold III, King of the Belgians (1901-1983), married  (1) Princess Astrid of Sweden, had three children  (2) Lilian Baels, had three children
• Princess Marie-José, Queen of Italy (1906-2001), married King Umberto II of Italy, had four children

Charles began his education in Belgium before he and his siblings were sent to England during World War I. Here he continued his education and enrolled at the Royal Naval College at Osborne. In 1917, after King Constantine I of Greece was overthrown, the Allied Powers offered the Greek throne to the young Prince Charles. His father quickly declined. Charles continued his training and attended the Royal Naval Colleges in Dartmouth, Portsmouth, and Greenwich. In 1926, he returned to Belgium, training at the Royal Military Academy becoming a Second Lieutenant. He would continue to serve with the Belgian military through 1939.

In the late 1930s, Charles had an affair with Jacqueline Wehrli, the daughter of a Brussels baker who delivered baked goods to the royal court. The affair resulted in the birth of a daughter Isabelle, born in 1938. Although Isabelle was never formally recognized, Charles remained in contact with his daughter, and his mother Queen Elisabeth helped arrange a marriage between Jacqueline and a former palace officer named Arthur Wybo. Isabelle’s existence was largely unknown until a biography of Charles was published in 2003. In 2012, Isabelle Wybo made an official appearance with Prince Laurent, her first cousin-once-removed.

Isabelle Wybo attending an art exhibition with Prince Laurent of Belgium; Credit – https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20121005_00324598

When Belgium was occupied by Germany during World War II, King Leopold III surrendered and was held under house arrest at the Palace of Laeken. Charles at first lived quietly in Brussels. However, he later retreated to the country, living under an assumed name in a small village in Wallonia. After the liberation of Belgium, the Belgian Parliament appointed Charles as Prince Regent, taking the oath on September 20, 1944.

King George VI of the United Kingdom with Prince Charles, Regent of Belgium in 1944; Credit – Wikipedia

During his regency, Charles worked to restore Belgium after the war, helping to establish financial aid and grants for the restoration of properties damaged or destroyed. Under Charles’ regency, the Belgian social security system was established in 1944, and women gained the right to vote in 1948. Charles oversaw the creation of the Benelux Union with Luxembourg and the Netherlands in 1944, as well as Belgium’s entry into the United Nations, NATO, and the Council of Europe.

In 1950, King Leopold III returned to the Belgian throne following a referendum, ending Charles’ tenure as Prince Regent on July 20, 1950. In less than a month, Leopold would transfer his royal powers to his eldest son Baudouin, and the following year he formally abdicated. See Unofficial Royalty: Abdication of King Leopold III.

Prince Charles left public life, moving to an estate in Raversijde where he pursued his artistic interests. He ceased to have any contact with his brother and chose to live a very private life. Some years later, he gave up his donation from the Belgian government as he no longer participated in any royal activities. A gifted painter, Charles had several exhibits of his works, painting under the name Karel van Vlaanderen (Charles of Flanders).

Prince Charles died at his estate in Raversijde on June 1, 1983. He is buried in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken.

Grave of Prince Charles; Photo Credit – By Michel wal – Own work, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7758515

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Paola Margherita Maria Antonia Consiglia Ruffo di Calabria was born September 11, 1937, in Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany, Italy, the seventh and youngest child of Prince Fulco Ruffo di Calabria and Countess Luisa Gazelli dei Conti de Rossana e di Sebastiano. She was raised in Rome, where she attended school.

Paola had six older siblings:

• Maria Cristina Ruffo di Calabria (1920–2003), married (1) Casimiro San Martino d´Aglie dei Marchesi di San Germano, had issue;  (2) Count Ernesto Rossi di Montelera, had issue
• Laura Ruffo di Calabria (1921–1972), married Bettino, Baron Ricasoli Firidolfi, 31th Baron of Brolio, had issue
• Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 13th Prince of Palazzolo, 14th Prince of Scilla, 7th Duke of Guardia Lombarda, 13th Marquis of Scilla and 18th Count of Sinopoli (1922–2005), married Maria Vaciago, had issue
• Augusto Ruffo di Calabria (1925–1943), unmarried, killed in battle at sea during World War II, unmarried
• Giovannella Ruffo di Calabria (1927–1941), unmarried
• Antonello Ruffo di Calabria (1930–2017), married Rosa Maria Mastrogiovanni Tasca, had issue

In 1958, Paola met her future husband, Albert, Prince of Liège – the future King Albert II – at the installation of Pope John XXIII in Rome. Albert was the second son of the former King Leopold III of the Belgians and the younger brother of King Baudouin of the Belgians. Both Paola and Albert attended a reception at the Belgian Embassy where they were introduced. The following year, their engagement was announced.

After briefly considering holding the wedding at the Vatican, the government stepped in and insisted that they marry in Belgium. The wedding was held on July 2, 1959, at St. Michael and St. Gulda Cathedral in Brussels, Belgium. Upon marriage, Paola became a Princess of Belgium and was styled Princess of Liège.

• Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Albert II of Belgium and Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria

Paola and Albert had three children:

• Philippe, King of the Belgians (born 1960), married Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz, had four children
• Princess Astrid of Belgium (born 1962), married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, had five children
• Prince Laurent of Belgium (born 1963), married Claire Coombs, had three children

On July 31, 1993, Albert’s brother, King Baudouin, passed away suddenly at his holiday home in Portugal. Albert succeeded to the throne, and Paola became Queen of the Belgians. As Queen, Paola worked closely with The Queen’s Charities to promote her involvement in social projects and assist those in need throughout Belgium. She later established the Queen Paola Foundation which focuses on youth and education, particularly for those in disadvantaged areas. In addition, Queen Paola has been very involved in the areas of art and music.

On July 21, 2013, after nearly 30 years on the throne, King Albert II abdicated in favor of his elder son Philippe. The couple continues to reside at Chateau Belvedere, located within the Royal Park at Laeken, Brussels, Belgium. King Albert and Queen Paola have remained largely out of the public eye, preferring to live a quiet retirement, enjoying time with their children and grandchildren.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Belgium Index
• Belgian Orders and Honors
• Belgian Royal Burial Sites
• Belgian Royal Christenings
• Belgian Royal Dates
• Belgian Royal Residences
• Belgian Royal Weddings
• Line of Succession to the Belgian Throne
• Profiles of the Belgian Royal Family

by Susan Flantzer

King Leopold III with his son Baudouin, Photo Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

On July 21, 2013, King Albert II of the Belgians abdicated in favor of his son Philippe.  In his televised abdication speech, King Albert II said, “I realize that my age and my health are no longer allowing me to carry out my duties as I would like to…After a reign of 20 years I believe the moment is here to hand over the torch to the next generation. Prince Philippe is well prepared to succeed me.”

King Albert’s father, King Leopold III, also abdicated, but under very different circumstances.

King Leopold III was born in Brussels, Belgium on November 3, 1901, the eldest son of King Albert I  and Elisabeth of Bavaria.  Leopold had two younger siblings, Charles, who would later serve as Prince Regent of Belgium and Marie José, who married King Umberto I of Italy.

On November 4, 1926, Leopold married Princess Astrid of Sweden, a granddaughter of King Oscar II of Sweden, in a civil ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.  On November 10, 1926, the couple married in a religious ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels, Belgium.  Leopold and Astrid had a very happy marriage. Leopold’s mother Queen Elisabeth said about the marriage, “It is a marriage of love…tell it to our people. Nothing was arranged. Not a single political consideration prevailed in our son’s decision.”   For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Leopold III and Astrid of Sweden.

Leopold and Astrid had three children:

• Joséphine-Charlotte (11 October 1927 – 10 January 2005), married Grand-Duke Jean of Luxembourg, had issue
• King Baudouin (7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993), married Fabiola de Mora y Aragón, no issue
• King Albert II (born 6 June 1934), married Paola Ruffo di Calabria, had issue

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In 1934, Leopold’s father died in a mountain climbing accident and Leopold became king at the age of 32.  In August of 1935, King Leopold and Queen Astrid had gone on vacation in Switzerland with their two elder children.  On August 29, 1935, their last day of vacation, Leopold and Astrid decided to go on an outing.  Leopold was driving their convertible, Astrid was in the front seat, and the chauffeur was sitting in the back seat.  As Astrid pointed out something to her husband, the car went off the road, down a steep slope, and slammed into a tree.  Astrid was thrown out of the car and was slammed into another tree.  Leopold was also thrown out the car, but had only minor injuries, and the chauffeur was uninjured.  Astrid died, aged 29, from her injuries at the accident scene.  Leopold deeply mourned her death.

In 1939, when World War II started, Belgium’s allies France and the United Kingdom asked Belgium to join them.  However, Belgium decided to declare itself a neutral country.  Germany invaded Belgium on May 10, 1940, and on May 28, King Leopold as Commander-in-Chief of the Belgian Armed Forces surrendered.  Leopold had remained in Belgium to face the Germans, while the government leaders had withdrawn to France.  Although Leopold was encouraged by the government to leave Belgium, he decided to remain in Belgium saying, “Whatever happens, I have to share the same fate as my troops.”  Leopold decided to surrender to the Germans against the wishes of his government and this is one of the reasons that would ultimately lead to his abdication.  The Belgian Prime Minister Hubert Pierlot said that the King’s decision to surrender was not only a military decision but also a political decision and that the king had acted without his ministers’ advice, and therefore his actions were against the Belgian Constitution.  King Leopold’s decision to surrender was decried by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud.

King Leopold was held under house arrest by the Germans at the Royal Palace of Laeken in Brussels.  He had a meeting with Adolf Hitler on November 19, 1940 in which he wanted Hitler to issue a public statement about Belgium’s future independence.  However, Hitler’s plans did not include any independent countries and he refused.

While still under house arrest, King Leopold married Lilian Baels on September 11, 1941 in a secret, religious ceremony which was not legal because in Belgium a civil marriage is required.  The couple had intended to wait until after the war for the civil ceremony, but Lilian was pregnant and so a civil marriage was held on December 6, 1941. Nevertheless, legally in Belgium, the civil ceremony must be held before the religious ceremony and the marriage was unpopular with many Belgians.  Lilian was known as the Princess of Réthy.

Leopold and Lilian had three children:

• Prince Alexander (1942–2009), married Léa Wolman, no issue
• Princess Marie-Christine (born 6 February 1951), married (1) Paul Drucker, divorced, no issue (2) Jean Paul Gourges, no issue
• Princess Marie-Esméralda (born 30 September 1956), married Salvador Enrique Moncada, had issue

In 1944, King Leopold, the Princess of Réthy, and Leopold’s three children by Queen Astrid, and his eldest child by the Princess of Réthy were deported to Germany where they were kept in harsh conditions and guarded by 70 members of the SS (Schutzstaffel). The family was liberated by American troops in 1945.  For more information, see Deportation to Nazi Germany.

The king did not return immediately to Belgium. Due to opposition from a segment of the population, Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, the king’s brother, who had served as regent since 1944, continued to rule as regent due to Leopold III’s “impossibility of reigning”.  King Leopold was exonerated of treason in 1946, however, many Belgians continued to question his loyalty.  In 1950, a referendum was held concerning the king’s return to Belgium, and 57% were in favor of his return.

King Leopold III returned to Belgium on July 20, 1950 and a few days later there was a violent general strike.  To avoid making the situation more dangerous and tearing his country apart, King Leopold made a decision on August 1, 1950 to abdicate in favor of his son 21-year-old son Prince Baudouin.  The abdication took effect on July 16, 1951.  For more information, see Royal Question.

Leopold III signing the abdication papers, Photo Credit: http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.co.uk

After the abdication, Leopold and Lilian continued to live at the Royal Palace of Laeken until King Baudouin’s marriage to Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragon in 1960, when they moved to the Château d’Argenteuil, a government-owned estate in Brabant, Belgium.  Leopold, an amateur anthropologist and entomologist, traveled the world and explored those interests. King Leopold III died on September 25, 1983 at the age of 81 a few hours after emergency heart surgery at Leuven University Hospital in Leuven, Belgium.  Leopold was buried in the royal crypt at the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels next to his first wife Queen Astrid.  When Lilian, Princess of Réthy died in 2002, she was buried next to them.  See Unofficial Royalty Belgian Royal Burial Sites.

Wikipedia: Leopold III of Belgium

by Emily McMahon, revised by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

Prince Baudouin of Belgium; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on June 3, 1869, at the Palais de la Régence in Brussels, Belgium, Prince Baudouin was the eldest son of Philippe, Count of Flanders, second son of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, and Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. His birth was met with great celebration in the Belgian royal family. Earlier that year, on January 22, 1869, Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant, Baudouin’s nine-year-old cousin and the only son of King Leopold II died of pneumonia after falling into a pond. His death left no other male heirs aside from Baudouin’s father, so Baudouin was seen as the eventual heir to the Belgian throne.  He was baptized on June 26, 1869, at the Palais de la Régence, the home of his father the Count of Flanders in Brussels, Belgium with a long string of names: Baudouin Léopold Philippe Marie Charles Antoine Joseph Louis.

Baptism of Prince Baudouin; Credit Wikipedia

Baudouin had four younger siblings:

• Princess Henriette of Belgium (twin) (1870–1948), married Prince Emmanuel of Orléans, 8th Duke of Vendôme, had issue
• Princess Joséphine Marie of Belgium (twin) (1870–1871), died in infancy
• Princess Joséphine Caroline of Belgium (1872–1958), married Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, had issue
• Albert I, King of the Belgians (1875–1934), married Elisabeth of Bavaria, had issue

Baudouin grew up with his sisters and brother at his father’s palace and was prepared for his future role as king.  He was confident, very social, pious, and highly intelligent. An eager and able sportsman, Baudouin was, according to his sister Henriette, a “born leader,” who looked to lead Belgium as a traditionalist. His younger siblings adored him and looked up to him. Although the siblings’ strict and pious mother was at times critical of him, Baudouin was very much the apple of his parents’ eye as well.

12-year-old Prince Baudouin in September 1881; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Baudouin was informally betrothed to his cousin Clementine, the youngest daughter of King Leopold II. Although accounts differ as to whether or not Baudouin was in favor of this arrangement, it was generally seen as the best way of uniting the cadet and main branches of the Belgian royal family.

In early 1891, Baudouin became ill with influenza that had made its way through most of the members of the Flanders family already. He likely caught the illness from his sister Henriette, whom he insisted on visiting during her illness despite warnings from doctors. Although he appeared to be handling the illness better than his sister, Baudouin’s condition suddenly deteriorated on January 22, 1891. He died early the following morning at the age of 21 at the Palace of the Count of Flanders in Brussels, Belgium.

Baudouin’s death was kept from his sister Henriette at first due to the fear of worsening her grave condition. It was expected that she too would die due to the severity of her illness, but she survived. Baudouin died 22 years to the day of the death of his cousin Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant, the boy whom Baudouin had replaced as heir.

The country of Belgium was plunged into mourning for their promising prince. Parliament was adjourned, theaters and libraries were closed, and mourning was ordered until the beginning of the spring. Outpourings of grief flooded the Flanders family from the Belgian people and other royal families of Europe.

As Baudouin’s condition had been largely kept from the public until his death, suspicion of the true cause quickly arose. With the 1889 Mayerling incident, resulting in the suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his mistress, fresh in the minds of the royal family’s detractors, rumors quickly spread that Baudouin’s death had been caused by suicide or murder over a woman. The likely unrelated dismissal of a German governess in the household appeared to give credence to the rumor, but the story died down fairly quickly after Baudouin’s death.

Funeral of Prince Baudouin; Credit – Wikipedia

The funeral was held on January 29, 1891, at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. King Leopold II, the Count of Flanders, and Baudouin’s younger brother Albert were all said to have appeared profoundly grieved during the service. Burial at the royal vault at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken followed.  Baudouin’s death left his brother, the quiet and bookish Albert, as the heir to the Belgian throne. Although Albert became a very able, successful, and beloved king, he often lamented that Baudouin would have done much better. Baudouin, King of the Belgians from 1951 until 1993, was named in honor of his deceased great-uncle.

Tomb of Prince Baudouin, Photo Credit – By Carolus –  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24155591

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