Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders

Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders (24 March 1837 – 17 November 1905) was the third born (but second surviving) son of Leopold I, King of the Belgians and his wife Louise d'Orléans (1812–1850). He was born at the Château de Laeken, near Brussels, Belgium. He was created Count of Flanders on 14 December 1840.

He was the heir presumptive to the Belgian throne, from 1869 (upon the death of his nephew) until his own death in 1905.

In 1866, after the abdication of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Prince of Romania, he refused being named the new Romanian sovereign, and the throne was later accepted by Carol I.

Marriage and issue

On 25 April 1867 in Berlin, he married Marie Luise Alexandra Caroline, Princess of Hohenzollern, (1845–1912), daughter of Karl Anton von Hohenzollern (1811–1885) and his wife Josephine of Baden (1813–1900).

Their children were:

• Prince Baudouin of Belgium (1869–1891)
• Princess Henriette of Belgium (twin) (1870–1948)
• Princess Joséphine Marie of Belgium (twin) (1870–1871)
• Princess Joséphine Caroline of Belgium (1872–1958)
• Albert I of Belgium (1875–1934)

He died in his resicence the Palace of the Count of Flanders, and is buried at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken.

Honours

• Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold.
• 1,033rd Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain
• 1872 : 70th Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword.

Arms

Coat of Arms of the Count of Flanders (1837-1909)

Royal Monogram of Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders

Ancestry

Literature

Damien Bilteryst, Philippe Comte de Flandre, Frère de Léopold II, Bruxelles, Editions Racine, juin 2014, 336 p. ISBN 978-2-87386-894-9