House Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Father Albert II | Name Princess of | |
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Born 5 June 1962 (age 61)
Chateau de Belvedere, Laeken, Belgium ( 1962-06-05 ) Issue Prince Amedeo
Princess Maria Laura
Prince Joachim
Princess Luisa Maria
Princess Laetitia Maria Mother Paola Ruffo di Calabria Spouse Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (m. 1984) Children Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este Parents Queen Paola of Belgium, Albert II of Belgium Siblings Philippe of Belgium, Prince Laurent of Belgium Nieces Princess Elisabeth - Duchess, Princess Eleonore of Belgium, Princess Louise of Belgium Similar People Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Queen Paola of Belgium, Prince Laurent of Belgium, Philippe of Belgium | ||
Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria Este HD
Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 5 June 1962), is the second child and only daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and 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.
Contents
- Princess Astrid of Belgium Archduchess of Austria Este HD
- Biography
- Marriage and issue
- Royal role
- Titles
- National Honours
- Foreign Honours
- Awards
- Other
- References
Biography
Princess Astrid was born one day before her father's 28th birthday at the Château de Belvédère, near Laeken, and was named after her late paternal grandmother, Astrid of Sweden, the popular first wife of King Leopold III. Her godparents were her uncle Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 7th Duke di Guardia Lombarda, and her aunt Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.
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 Brussels. Lorenz is the eldest son of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este (1915–1996), and his wife Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta (born in 1930). Her husband was also created Prince of Belgium by Royal Decree on 27 November 1995.
Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz have five children, who bear the title "Prince/Princess of Belgium" (in each of the three official languages) as members of the Belgian royal family and Archduke/Archduchess of Austria:
Astrid is also godmother to Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria, Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg and Prince Gaston of Orléans.
Royal role
Astrid was formerly President of the Belgian Red Cross, 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 French-speaking and Flemish 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.
She is a member of the Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee.
Princess Astrid has been for many years a fierce 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. In 2013, the Princess was named Special Envoy of the Convention, and has promoted the acceptance of a global ban on landmines and promoted the rights of survivors in various UN meetings.
Upon her brother's ascension to the throne, Princess Astrid took on some duties previously conducted by Philippe as the Honorary chairman of the board of the Foreign Trade Agency with his wife, Queen Mathilde. Princess Astrid travelled to Angola, South Africa, India and Russia to promote Belgian trade.
Titles
National Honours
Foreign Honours
Awards
Other
2016 : honorary mayor and The Hidalgo Award of San Antonio.