Kingdom of Belgium Index

Philippe, King of the Belgians, reigned 2013 – present; Credit – Wikipedia

In August of 1830, the southern provinces (modern-day Belgium) of the Netherlands rebelled against Dutch rule. International powers meeting in London agreed to support the independence of Belgium, despite the fact that the Dutch refused to recognize the new country. On April 22, 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was asked by the Belgian National Congress if he wanted to be King of the Belgians. Leopold swore allegiance to the new Belgian constitution on July 21, 1831, and became the first King of the Belgians. Under the Belgian Constitution, the Belgian monarch is styled “King/Queen of the Belgians” to reflect that the monarch is “of the Belgian people.”

The Belgian Royal Family’s family name was Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The first King of the Belgians was Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1790-1865). The family name was changed in 1920 to van België, de Belgique or von Belgien (“of Belgium”) in the country’s three official languages (Dutch, French and German).

Below is an indexed listing with links to biographical articles about the Belgian Royal Family at Unofficial Royalty. If it says “Notable Issue” before a name, that means not all of the children for the parent of that person are listed. Also listed below are links to Belgian Royal Wedding articles, links to Belgian Miscellaneous Articles, and links to the various Belgian Content Areas.

House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1831 – 1920)

Family of King Leopold I

Leopold I, King of the Belgians (born Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, reigned 1831 – 1865)
Princess Charlotte of Wales (1st wife of Leopold I before he became king, died in childbirth)
Louise-Marie of Orléans, Queen of the Belgians (2nd wife of Leopold I)
- Leopold II, King of the Belgians (see below)
- Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders (see below)
- Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress Carlota of Mexico