, house =
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
, father =
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) was King of the Belgians from 23 February 1934 until his abdication on 16 July 1951. At the outbreak of World War II, Leopold tried to maintain Belgian neutrality, but after the German invas ...
, mother =
Astrid of Sweden
, birth_date =
, birth_place =
Stuyvenberg Castle,
Laeken
() or () is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the municipality of the City of Brussels and is mostly identified by the Belgian postal code: 1020. Prior to 1921, it was a sep ...
,
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Belgium
, death_date =
, death_place =
, signature = Albert II of Belgium Signature.svg
, religion =
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Albert II, ; nl, Albert Felix Humbert Theodoor Christiaan Eugène Marie, ; german: Albrecht Felix Humbert Theodor Christian Eugen Maria, (born 6 June 1934) is a member of the
Belgian royal family who reigned as
King of the Belgians
Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's ...
from 9 August 1993 to 21 July 2013.
Albert II is the son of
King Leopold III and the last living child of
Queen Astrid
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mo ...
, born a princess of Sweden. He is the younger brother of the late Grand Duchess
Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg and
King Baudouin, whom he succeeded upon Baudouin's death in 1993. He married Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria (now
Queen Paola), with whom he had three children. Albert's eldest son,
Philippe, is the current King of the Belgians.
On 3 July 2013, King Albert II attended a midday session of the
Belgian cabinet. He then announced that, on 21 July,
Belgian National Day
Belgian National Day ( nl, Nationale feestdag van België; french: Fête nationale belge; german: Belgischer Nationalfeiertag) is the national holiday of Belgium commemorated annually on 21 July. It is one of the country's ten public holidays ...
, he would abdicate the throne for health reasons. He was succeeded by his son
Philippe on 21 July 2013. Albert II was the fourth monarch to abdicate in 2013, following
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...
,
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and
Emir Hamad bin Khalifa of Qatar.
In so doing, he was also the second Belgian monarch to abdicate, following his father
Leopold III who abdicated in 1951, albeit under very different circumstances.
Early life
Prince Albert was born in
Stuyvenberg Castle,
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, as the second son and youngest child of
King Leopold III and his first wife, Princess
Astrid of Sweden. He was second in line to the throne at birth, and was given the title
Prince of Liège
Prince of Liège (French: Prince de Liège, Dutch: Prins van Luik, German: Prinz von Lüttich) is a substantive title awarded by King Leopold III of the Belgians to his younger son, Prince Albert (the future King Albert II), while he was second ...
. Queen Astrid died in a car accident on 29 August 1935, in which King Leopold was lightly injured but survived, when Prince Albert was one year old. The King remarried to
Mary Lilian Baels (later became Princess of Réthy) in 1941. The couple produced three children:
Prince Alexandre, Princess Marie-Christine and
Princess Marie-Esméralda (who is also Albert's goddaughter). Albert and his siblings had a close relationship with their stepmother and they called her "Mother".
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, on 10 May 1940, at the time when Belgium was being
invaded
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
, Prince Albert, his elder sister
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte and his elder brother
Prince Baudouin, left the country for
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and later
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
. The Prince and the Princess returned to Belgium on 2 August 1940. They continued their studies until 1944, either at
Laeken
() or () is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the municipality of the City of Brussels and is mostly identified by the Belgian postal code: 1020. Prior to 1921, it was a sep ...
, or at the
Castle of Ciergnon in
the Ardennes. In June 1944, at the time of the
Allied landings, King Leopold, his wife Princess Lilian and the royal children were deported by the Germans to
Hirschstein, Germany, and later to
Strobl
Strobl (or Strobl am Wolfgangsee) is a municipality of the Salzburg-Umgebung District (''Flachgau''), in the northeastern portion of the Austrian state of Salzburg, right on the border with Upper Austria. It comprises the Katastralgemeinden of Aig ...
, Austria, where they were liberated by the American Army on 7 May 1945. Owing to the political situation in Belgium, King Leopold and his family moved to the villa "Le Reposoir" in
Pregny, Switzerland, when they left Austria in October 1945 and stayed until July 1950. During that time, Prince Albert would continue his education in a secondary school in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
. King Leopold III, accompanied by Prince Baudouin and Prince Albert, returned to Belgium on 22 July 1950.
Marriage and family
In 1958, Albert went to the
Vatican to witness the coronation of
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...
. At a reception at the Belgian Embassy, he met Italian Donna
Paola Ruffo di Calabria. Prince Albert proposed marriage to her, to which she accepted. Two months after their meeting, the prince introduced his future wife to his family, and four months later to the press. The couple married on 2 July 1959 and have three children, two sons and a daughter, twelve grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Their children are:
*
King Philippe (born 15 April 1960 at Belvédère Castle)
*
Princess Astrid (born 5 June 1962 at Belvédère Castle)
*
Prince Laurent (born 19 October 1963 at Belvédère Castle)
Delphine Boël
In 1997, the Belgian satirical magazine ''Père Ubu'' reported that the Belgian sculptor
Delphine Boël (born in 1968) was King Albert II's extramarital daughter. It took some years for the Belgian mainstream media to report this news. According to
Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, the mother of Delphine, she and Albert shared an 18-year-long relationship into which Delphine was born. In June 2013, Boël summoned the then King, the then Duke of Brabant and the Archduchess of Austria-Este to appear in court. She hoped to use DNA tests to prove that she is the King's daughter. As the King enjoyed complete immunity under the law, Boël decided to summon his elder children as well.
After the King's abdication, she abandoned her first suit to introduce a second one only against the King as he was no longer protected by immunity and the first claim would have been judged according to the situation at the time of the introduction of the claim. In March 2017, the Court ruled that her claim was unfounded, and her lawyers said she would take the claim to appeal. On 25 October 2018, the Court of Appeal decided that Delphine Boël is not a descendant of Jacques Boël, and ordered King Albert to undergo DNA testing. His lawyer announced that he would seek further advice about a possible referral to Belgium's
Cour de Cassation
A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case, they only interpret the relevant law. In this they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In t ...
/
Hof van Cassatie. In 2019, the King's lawyer confirmed he would not provide a DNA sample in the case.
On 29 May 2019, it was reported by CNN that Albert II had submitted a DNA sample after a Belgian court ruled on 16 May that he would be fined 5,000 euros for each day that he failed to do so, although he would continue to challenge the ruling, according to his attorney, .
The results of these DNA samples were released on 27 January 2020 by Alain Berenboom, confirming
Delphine Boël as Albert II's daughter. Albert II confirmed this on 27 January 2020 in a press release.
"The king will treat all his children as equal," Berenboom said, according to VTM News. "King Albert now has four children."
While it was proven that Boël was his biological daughter, her legal status as a daughter was not recognized until a 1 October 2020 ruling of the Brussels Court of Appeal, which also recognized Boël as a princess of Belgium and granted her the new surname of
Saxe-Coburg
Saxe-Coburg (german: Sachsen-Coburg) was a duchy held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in today's Bavaria, Germany.
History
Ernestine Line
When Henry IV, Count of Henneberg – Schleusingen, died in 1347, the possessions of th ...
.
Official role
As the younger brother of the childless
King Baudouin, Prince Albert was the
heir-presumptive
An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question.
...
to the throne. Albert's son Philippe was groomed to eventually succeed. On Baudouin's death, Albert was sworn in before parliament, on 9 August 1993, as King of the Belgians.
As King, Albert's duties included representing Belgium at home and abroad on
state visits, trade missions, and at high level international meetings as well as taking an interest in Belgian society, culture and enterprise.
In 1984, he set up the Prince Albert Foundation, to promote expertise in foreign trade.
The King had a constitutional role which came into play in 2010–2011 when Belgium's parliament was unable to agree on a government. When the crisis was resolved, Albert swore in the new government.
Albert sparked controversy in his December 2012 Christmas speech by comparing modern "populist movements" with those of the 1930s. This was seen by several political commentators, as well as many Flemish politicians, as aimed implicitly at the large Flemish nationalist party, the
N-VA
The New Flemish Alliance ( nl, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, N-VA) is a Flemish nationalist and conservative political party in Belgium. The party was founded in 2001 by the right-leaning fraction of the centrist-nationalist People's Union (VU).
...
.
Bart De Wever, the party's leader, called for the King's role in the formation of Belgian governments to be changed in the wake of this comment since he "could no longer see the monarch as playing the constitutional role of referee."
[
]
Abdication
On 3 July 2013, 79-year-old King Albert II attended a midday session of the Belgian cabinet, where he revealed his intention to abdicate to Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo
Elio Di Rupo (; born 18 July 1951) is a Belgian politician who has served as the minister-president of Wallonia since 2019. He is affiliated with the Socialist Party. Di Rupo previously served as the prime minister of Belgium from 6 December 201 ...
and to the deputy prime ministers. According to a letter sent by the King to the Prime Minister and dated 3 July 2013, and which was made public, the King had already broached the topic of his intention to abdicate several times with the Prime Minister, who had asked him to reconsider it. At 6 PM (CET) the King announced in a recorded radio and television speech that on 21 July, Belgium's National Day, he would abdicate the throne for health reasons. He was succeeded by his elder son, Philippe.
After his abdication on 21 July 2013 it was decided that he would be styled as ''His Majesty'' King Albert II, the same form of address granted to his father, Leopold III, after his abdication.
Honours
*: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín
*: Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (1958)
*: Grand Cross of the Order of the Balkan Mountains (2003)
*: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by ...
*: Grand Cross of the Order of Boyaca
*: Grand Collar of the National Order of San Lorenzo
The National Order of San Lorenzo was established as a military order medal by the President of the First Revolutionary Government of Quito, Juan Pío Montúfar, II Marquis de Selva Alegre, by a decree issued on August 17, 1809, in the Capitulate ...
*: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana ( et, Maarjamaa Risti teenetemärk, sometimes translated as the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of t ...
(5 June 2008)
*: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose
The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...
(1996)
*: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
*: Knight Grand Cross with the Collar of the Order of Pope Pius IX[Carnet Mondain, arnet Mondain, p. 2 ed. 2005book page with Alberts honours]
*: Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon
The Order of the Falcon ( is, Hin íslenska fálkaorða) is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. N ...
(16 October 1979)
*: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
The highest-rankin ...
(29 October 1973)
*: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Vytautas the Great (16 March 2006)
*: Honorary Grand Commander of the Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm
*: Collar of the Order of the Aztec Eagle[Carnet Mondain, p. 2 ed. 2005]
* : Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles, (13 October 1957)
*: Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav
The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...
(1964)
*: Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru, Special Class
*: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident a ...
*:
** Grand Cross of the Military Order of Aviz
The Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz ( pt, Ordem Militar de São Bento de Avis, ), previously to 1910 ''Royal Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz'' ( pt, Real Ordem Militar de São Bento de Avis), previously to 1789 ''Knights'' (of ...
(11 December 1985)
** Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry
The Order of Prince Henry ( pt, Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of ...
(13 December 1999)
*: Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania
The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five r ...
(2009)
*: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by ...
*: Grand Gwanghwa Medal (1st Class) of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit
*:
** Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriag ...
(16 September 1994)
** Knight Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III (15 November 1977)
*: Grand Cross of the Order of the Republic
*: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Liberator
Dynastic honours
* Ethiopian Imperial Family: Grand Cordon with Collar of the Imperial Order of the Queen of Sheba
Honorary degrees
King Albert II is Doctor Honoris Causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad ho ...
of:
* the Catholic University of Leuven
University of Leuven or University of Louvain (french: Université de Louvain, link=no; nl, Universiteit Leuven, link=no) may refer to:
* Old University of Leuven (1425–1797)
* State University of Leuven (1817–1835)
* Catholic University of L ...
* Saint Louis University, Baguio City
* Ghent University
Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium.
Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when th ...
* the Free University of Brussels
* the Catholic university of Mons
* the Polytechnic Faculty of Mons.
Eponym
* Boulevard du Roi Albert II/Koning Albert II-laan, Brussels.
* Boulevard Prince de Liège /Prins van Luiklaan, Brussels
* Institute King Albert II, University hospital of Saint-Luc.
Arms
nl, Eendracht maakt macht
german: Einigkeit macht stark
, other_elements = The whole is placed on a mantle purpure
In heraldry, purpure, () is a tincture, equivalent to the colour "purple", and is one of the five main or most usually used ''colours'' (as opposed to ''metals''). It may be portrayed in engravings by a series of parallel lines at a 45-degree angl ...
with ermine lining, fringes and tassels or and ensigned with the Royal crown of Belgium.
, previous_versions = Previously as reigning monarch, Albert used the royal coat of arms of Belgium undifferenced (shown above).
Ancestry
See also
* Line of succession to the Belgian throne
* Crown Council of Belgium
* Royal Trust
* Prince Albert Fund
* Michel Didisheim
Michel, Count Didisheim (18 April 1930 – 6 January 2020) was the private secretary and chief of the Royal household (1962–1986) of Albert, Prince of Liège, later to become king Albert II of Belgium. He was also the CEO and president of the ...
, former private secretary
* Jacques van Ypersele de Strihou
Jacques Marie Joseph Hubert Ghislain van Ypersele de Strihou (born 5 December 1936), was the ''Principal Private Secretary'' to the King of the Belgians (1983–2013). When Albert II of Belgium succeeded his brother Baudouin I of Belgium, he kept ...
, former chief of the Kings Cabinet.
* Frank De Coninck, (former) Marshal of the Royal Household
Notes
References
External links
Biography on the official Belgian monarchy web site
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert 02 Of Belgium
Living people
1934 births
20th-century Belgian monarchs
21st-century Belgian monarchs
20th-century Roman Catholics
21st-century Roman Catholics
Members of the Senate (Belgium)
Roman Catholic monarchs
Belgian monarchs
Belgian Roman Catholics
Belgian people of Swedish descent
House of Belgium
Nobility from Brussels
Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Monarchs who abdicated
Recipients of the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II
Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Grand Crosses of the Royal Order of the Lion
Grand Crosses of the Order of Aviz
Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Grand Collars of the Order of Prince Henry
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles
Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog
Grand Crosses with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil)
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria
Recipients of the Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
Recipients of the Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
Bailiffs Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
International Olympic Committee members
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Belgium)
First Class of the Order of the Star of Romania
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic