Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este
Belgian princess
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The basics
Quick Facts
| Intro | Belgian princess | ||||||||||
| Places | Belgium | ||||||||||
| is | Politician | ||||||||||
| Work field | Politics | ||||||||||
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| Birth | 5 June 1962, Brussels | ||||||||||
| Age | 62 years | ||||||||||
| Star sign | Gemini | ||||||||||
| Family |
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The details
Biography
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, Archduke of Austria-Este, head of the Austria-Este branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
Biography
Princess Astrid was born one day before her father's 28th birthday at the Château de Belvédère, near Laeken, and was named for 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, the 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:
- Prince Amedeo Marie Joseph Carl Pierre Philippe Paola Marcus d'Aviano, Archduke of Austria (born 21 February 1986)
- Princess Maria Laura Zita Beatrix Gerhard, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 26 August 1988)
- Prince Joachim Karl-Maria Nikolaus Isabelle Marcus d'Aviano, Archduke of Austria-Este (9 December 1991)
- Princess Luisa Maria Anna Martine Pilar, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 11 October 1995)
- Princess Laetitia Maria Nora Anna Joachim Zita, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 23 April 2003)
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 Palace 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, styles and honours
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
Honours
National Honours
- Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
Foreign Honours
- Germany: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1st Class
- Hungary: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
- Luxembourg: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau
- Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
- Norway: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
- Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry
- Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit
- Sweden: Commander Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star
Awards
- Peru: Freedom of the City of Lima
Other
2016 : honorary mayor and The Hidalgo Award of San Antonio.
Arms
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Ranks
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| 1997 | 2003 |
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Ancestry
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