Princess Astrid of Belgium

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Princess Astrid of Belgium, The Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 5 June 1962), is the second child and first daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and the 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, and is fifth in line of succession to the Belgian throne.

Biography

Princess Astrid was born one day before her father's 28th birthday at the Belvédère Château in Laeken, northern Brussels, and was named after her late paternal grandmother, Astrid of Sweden, King Leopold III's popular first wife, who had died in 1935 in a car accident aged 29. Princess Astrid's godparents were her uncle Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 7th Duke di Guardia Lombarda, and her aunt Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.Template:Citation needed

Marriage and issue

Princess Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, subsequently head of the House of Austria-Este, on 22 September 1984 at the Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon in Brussels.<ref name=enache>Enache, Nicolas. La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 44-45,50. French</ref><ref name=ghda1>Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Furstlicher Hauser Bande XVI, C.A. Starke Verlag, Haus Osterreich, Limburg, 2001, pp. 91–92. German</ref> Lorenz is the eldest son of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este (1915–1996) and Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta (1930–2022).<ref name=ghda1/> Her husband was also created Belgian Prince by Royal Decree on 27 November 1995.<ref name=ghda1/>

Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz have five children:<ref name=enache/><ref name=ghda1/><ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref>

Royal role

Astrid was formerly President of the Belgian Red Cross,<ref name = "ghda1"/> 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 Flemish-speaking and French branches, each of which seeks greater autonomy. The princess is also a colonel in the Belgian Medical Service of the Belgian Armed Forces. Her official residence is the Royal Castle of Laeken on the edge of Brussels.<ref name=ghda1/>

She is a member of the Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In April 2015, the Princess took over the Prince Albert Fund from her father King Albert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Special Envoy

Princess Astrid has been for many years an 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.Template:Citation needed

In 2013, the Princess was named Special Envoy of the convention,<ref name="apminebanconvention.org">Template:Cite web</ref> and has promoted the acceptance of a global ban on landmines and promoted the rights of survivors in various UN meetings.<ref name="apminebanconvention.org" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2019, she carried out a mission to Lebanon to promote the convention.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Beirut she met with President Michel Aoun, and Minister of National Defense Elias Bou Saab.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Titles, styles and honours

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Titles

  • 5 June 1962 – 22 September 1984: Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium
  • 22 September 1984 – present: Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este<ref group="note" name="Title">She has held the title "Princess of Belgium" from birth under Belgian law. By marriage to an archduke of the house of Austria-Este, she gained, in addition to her native title, the style "Imperial and Royal Highness" and the title "Archduchess of Austria-Este". Upon her husband's succeeding to the headship of his house in 1996, as wife of the Archduke of Austria-Este, internationally or depending on the situation, she is also accorded the traditional title "Her Imperial and Royal Highness The Archduchess of Austria-Este" or, more formally, reflecting both her native and marital titles, is addressed as HI&RH Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este. Her children by Archduke Lorenz bear the titles "Prince(ss) of Belgium" by Belgian decree of 2 December 1991, in addition to their Austrian titles borne by tradition, "Archduke/Archduchess of Austria".</ref>

Honours

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Foreign

Awards

Other

2016 : Honorary mayor and The Hidalgo Award of San Antonio, Texas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Arms

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Ranks

1997 2003

Ancestry

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Note

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References

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