Religion Roman Catholic | Name Princess Duchess | |
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Parents Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Philippe of Belgium Siblings Prince Gabriel of Belgium, Princess Eleonore of Belgium Grandparents Queen Paola of Belgium, Albert II of Belgium, Anna Maria Komorowska, Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz Cousins Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Princess Maria Laura of, Prince Joachim of Belgium, Princess Luisa Maria of, Princess Laetitia Maria of Similar People Prince Gabriel of Belgium, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Princess Eleonore of Belgium, Philippe of Belgium, Prince Emmanuel of Belgium | ||
Princess elisabeth duchess of brabant
Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant (French: Élisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène; Dutch: Elisabeth Theresia Maria Helena; born 25 October 2001), is the heir apparent to the Belgian throne. The eldest child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, she acquired her position after her grandfather King Albert II abdicated in favour of her father on 21 July 2013.
Contents
- Princess elisabeth duchess of brabant
- Queen Mathilde and Princess Elisabeth attends Baptism Ceremony
- Birth
- Life and education
- Position
- Styles and titles
- References
Queen Mathilde and Princess Elisabeth attends Baptism Ceremony
Birth
The first child of the then Duke and Duchess of Brabant, Elisabeth was delivered by caesarian section at 21:58 CET on 25 October 2001 at the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht, Brussels. She was baptized on 9 December 2001 in the chapel of Ciergnon Castle in the Belgian Ardennes, by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. Her godparents are Archduke Amedeo of Austria-Este (paternal cousin), and Countess Hélène d'Udekem d'Acoz (maternal aunt).
She has two younger brothers, Prince Gabriel and Prince Emmanuel, and a younger sister, Princess Eléonore.
Life and education
Princess Elisabeth is currently a student at Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in the Marollen district of Brussels, which was attended previously by her older cousins, the children of her paternal aunt, the Archduchess of Austria-Este. This is a significant change in the habits of the royal family, as it is the first time that a future Belgian monarch's education has begun in Dutch. Elisabeth also attends dance classes conducted in Dutch at the Municipal Music Academy in Asse, in Flemish Brabant. Elisabeth speaks Dutch, French and German.
In 2006, she attended the Te Deum in honour of Belgian National Day. In 2007, she accompanied her father to the opening of Technopolis, a science museum. She also attended the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition and the presentation at the Royal Palace of a model of the Belgian Antarctic station which bears her name, Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.
She was a bridesmaid to the weddings of her maternal aunts: Elisabeth, when she married Margrave Alfonso Pallavicini in 2006 and Hélène (also her godmother), when she married to Baron Nicolas Janssen in 2011. In 2014, she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin and godfather, Prince Amedeo.
On 21 July 2013, once her father had taken the oath of office as King of the Belgians (his father, King Albert II, having abdicated shortly before), Princess Elisabeth became heir apparent to the throne and as such bears the title of Duchess of Brabant.
In October 2014, Elisabeth gave a speech in honour of the First World War commemoration. On 6 May 2015, Elisabeth made a speech before christening a ship Pollux.
Position
Ten years prior to Elisabeth's birth, a new act of succession was put into effect which introduced absolute primogeniture, meaning that Elisabeth comes first in the line of succession because she is the eldest child. If she ascends the throne as expected, she will be Belgium's first queen regnant.
Styles and titles
Though the eldest son of an heir apparent was traditionally titled Count of Hainaut, Elisabeth was not granted the title by royal decree following her birth. Instead the title was abolished, as French "Hainaut" was not considered linguistically neutral for the title to be conferred on her as the Countess of Hainaut suo jure.