by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014
Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este; Credit https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73964267
Princess Astrid of Belgium was born on June 5, 1962, at Château de Belvédère in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium. She is the second of the three children of King Albert II of the Belgians, who abdicated in favor of his son Philippe in 2013, and his wife Queen Paola (born Paola Ruffo di Calabria). Her full name is Astrid Joséphine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Maria and she is named after her paternal grandmother Astrid of Sweden, wife of King Leopold III of the Belgians, who tragically died in a car accident at the age of 29. Her godparents were her maternal uncle Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, and her paternal aunt Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.
Princess Astrid has two brothers:
- Philippe, King of the Belgians (born 1960), married Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz, had four children
- Prince Laurent (born 1963), married Claire Coombs, had three children
Astrid has a half-sister from her 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
After completing her primary and secondary education in Brussels, Astrid studied art history for a year at Leiden University in the Netherlands before continuing her art history studies at the Institute of European Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States.
On May 13, 1984, the engagement of Princess Astrid and Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este was announced. Lorenz is the eldest son of Archduke Robert of Austria-Este, the second son of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria and has been Head of the House of Austria-Este since 1996.
The couple was married on September 22, 1984, at the Church of Notre-Dame au Sablon in Brussels, Belgium.
Initially, Astrid’s children were not in the line of succession to the Belgian throne, as Belgium followed male-only primogeniture. They were born as Archdukes and Archduchess of Austria-Este. However, the laws were changed in 1991, and Astrid and their children were added to the line of succession. Their children were also granted the title of Prince/Princess of Belgium. In 1995, Astrid’s husband Lorenz was created Prince of Belgium in his own right.
Astrid and Lorenz had five children:
- Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 1986), married Elisabetta “Lili” Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, had one daughter and two son
- Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 1988), married William Isvy
- Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (1991)
- Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 1995)
- Princess Laetitia Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 2003)
Princess Astrid represents her brother King Philippe on foreign visits and gives her services to many organizations including:
- International Paralympic Committee (Honorary Board)
- Queen Elisabeth Medical Foundation for Neurosciences (Honorary President of the board of directors)
- European Organisation on Research and Treatment of Cancer
- Roll Back Malaria (Special Representative)
- Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention/Ottawa Convention (Special Envoy)
Princess Astrid and her husband; photo: Zimbio
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