Princess Astrid, Archduchess of Austria-Este
Encyclopedia
Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 5 June 1962) is the daughter and second child of King Albert II of the Belgians
and his wife Queen Paola
. She is the wife of Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este, head of the Austria-Este
branch of the House of Habsburg.
, the popular first wife of Leopold III of Belgium
.
. Lorenz is the eldest son of the late 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 of 10 November 1995.
Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz have five children, who bear the surname "of Belgium" (in each of the three official languages) as members of the Belgian royal family:
Astrid is also godmother to Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg
and Prince Gaston of Orléans.
of the Belgian Armed Forces
. She lives with her family in Laeken (Brussels).
She bears the title "Princess of Belgium" since birth under Belgian law. As wife of the head of the House of Austria-Este, internationally or depending on the situation, she is also accorded the traditional title "Archduchess of Austria-Este" or, more formally, 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 Austrian titles borne by tradition but not by law, "Archduke/Archduchess of Austria, Prince(ss) Imperial of Austria, Prince(ss) Royal of Hungary"
(2006): Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit: Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique (2005): Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit
(2001) : Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star
Albert II of Belgium
Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
and his wife Queen Paola
Queen Paola of Belgium
Paola, Queen of the Belgians , is the queen consort of Albert II of Belgium....
. She is the wife of Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este, head of the Austria-Este
Austria-Este
Archduke of Austria-Este and Habsburg-Este are a title and a surname which have been used by several cadet branches of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine to denote a connection with the extinct Italian princely and feudal family of Este and the Duchy of Modena ruled by them...
branch of the House of Habsburg.
Biography
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. She was born at the Château de Belvédère, near Laeken, and was named for her paternal grandmother, Astrid of SwedenAstrid of Sweden
Astrid of Sweden was Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Leopold III.-Early life:Princess Astrid of Sweden was born in Stockholm on 17 November 1905...
, the popular first wife of Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
.
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 BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. Lorenz is the eldest son of the late Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este
Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este
Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia , was born as the second son of Karl I, last Emperor of Austria-Hungary, and Zita of Bourbon-Parma.-Archduke of Austria-Este:On 16 April 1917, at the age of two, Robert was created Archduke of...
(1915—1996), and his wife Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta
Margherita, Archduchess of Austria-Este
Margherita, Archduchess of Austria-Este is the first child of the late Prince Amedeo of Savoy and Princess Anne d'Orléans.-Marriage and issue:...
(born in 1930). Her husband was also created Prince of Belgium by Royal Decree of 10 November 1995.
Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz have five children, who bear the surname "of Belgium" (in each of the three official languages) as members of the Belgian royal family:
- HI&RH Prince Amedeo Marie Joseph Carl Pierre Philippe Paola Marcus d'Aviano, Archduke of Austria-Este (b. 1986)
- HI&RH Princess Maria Laura Zita Beatrix Gerhard, Archduchess of Austria-Este (b. 1988)
- HI&RH Prince Joachim Karl-Maria Nikolaus Isabelle Marcus d'Aviano, Archduke of Austria-Este (b. 1991)
- HI&RH Princess Luisa Maria Anna Martine Pilar, Archduchess of Austria-Este (b. 1995)
- HI&RH Princess Laetitia Maria Nora Anna Joachim Zita, Archduchess of Austria-Este (b. 2003)
Astrid is also godmother to Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg
Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg
Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg , is the fifth child and youngest son of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg. His godparents are Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Princess Astrid of Belgium.He has three brothers – Guillaume, Félix and Louis and a sister –...
and Prince Gaston of Orléans.
Belgian Red Cross
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 organization in reconciling its French-speaking and Belgian branches, each of which seeks greater autonomy. The princess is also a colonel in the Medical ComponentBelgian Medical Component
The Medical Component is the medical service of the Belgian Armed Forces. It provides medical support for the Belgian Armed Forces and its operations, participates in humanitarian aid and provides certain services to the civilian society...
of the Belgian Armed Forces
Military of Belgium
The Belgian Army is the national military of Belgium. The Belgian Army was established after Belgium became independent in October 1830...
. She lives with her family in Laeken (Brussels).
Titles and styles
- Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium (1962–present)
- Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (1984–1996)
- Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium, the Archduchess of Austria-Este (1996–present)
She bears the title "Princess of Belgium" since birth under Belgian law. As wife of the head of the House of Austria-Este, internationally or depending on the situation, she is also accorded the traditional title "Archduchess of Austria-Este" or, more formally, 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 Austrian titles borne by tradition but not by law, "Archduke/Archduchess of Austria, Prince(ss) Imperial of Austria, Prince(ss) Royal of Hungary"
Honours
: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary, Civilian Class (2008): Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau (2007): Grand Cross of the Order of the CrownOrder of the Crown (Netherlands)
The Order of the Crown is a house order of the Dutch Royal House of Orange-Nassau. The order came into being as a result of Queen Juliana's reorganization of The House Order of Orange in 1969. The 18 classes of the House order were no longer felt to be appropriate in the ever more egalitarian...
(2006): Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit: Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique (2005): Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit
Order of Civil Merit
The Order of Civil Merit was established by HM. King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926. The order recognizes “the civic virtue of officers in the service of the Nation, as well as extraordinary service by Spanish and foreign citizens for the benefit of Spain”....
(2001) : Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star
Order of the Polar Star
The Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....