Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, Duchess of Modena, Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia (
Astrid Joséphine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Marie), styled
Her Imperial and Royal Highness The Archduchess of Austria-Este, (born Château de Belvédère, nr Laeken, 5 June 1962) is a daughter and second child of King
Albert IIAlbert II is the current King of the Belgians and a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the younger son of King Leopold III and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden...
and his wife
Queen Paola of BelgiumPaola, Queen of the Belgians , is the queen consort of Albert II of Belgium. She is the seventh and youngest child of Fulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda...
.
Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, Duchess of Modena, Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia (
Astrid Joséphine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Marie), styled
Her Imperial and Royal Highness The Archduchess of Austria-Este, (born Château de Belvédère, nr Laeken, 5 June 1962) is a daughter and second child of King
Albert IIAlbert II is the current King of the Belgians and a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the younger son of King Leopold III and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden...
and his wife
Queen Paola of BelgiumPaola, Queen of the Belgians , is the queen consort of Albert II of Belgium. She is the seventh and youngest child of Fulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda...
. Her godparents were Prince Don Fabrizio Ruffo di Calabria and her aunt Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg. She was named for her paternal grandmother,
Astrid of SwedenAstrid 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 BelgiumLeopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir...
.
Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, the head of the Ducal House of Este, on 22 September 1984 at
BrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium...
. He is the eldest son of the late Archduke Robert of Austria-Este (1915—1996), and his wife
Princess Margherita of SavoyPrincess Margherita Isabella Maria Vittoria Emanuela Elena Gennara of Savoy-Aosta, Archduchess of Austria-Este, was born on 7 April 1930 in Naples, Italy as the first child of Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta and Princess Anne d'Orléans....
, born in 1930.
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, Archduke of Austria-Este
Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este is a member of the Belgian Royal Family and heir to the headship of the Ducal Family of Modena.-Birth and family:...
(b. 1986)
- HI&RH Princess Maria Laura, Archduchess of Austria-Este
Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este , Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Princess of Modena, is the second child and oldest daughter of Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este and Princess Astrid of Belgium. She was born at the University...
(b. 1988)
- HI&RH Prince Joachim, Archduke of Austria-Este
Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este , Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Prince of Modena, is the third child of HI&RH Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este and HI&RH Princess Astrid of Belgium. He was born at the University Clinic St...
(b. 1991)
- HI&RH Princess Luisa Maria, Archduchess of Austria-Este
Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este , Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Princess of Modena, is the fourth child of HI&RH Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este and HI&RH Princess Astrid of Belgium. She was born at the University Clinic St...
(b. 1995)
- HI&RH Princess Laetitia Maria, Archduchess of Austria-Este
Princess Laetitia Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este , Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Princess of Modena, is the fifth child of HI&RH Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este and HI&RH Princess Astrid of Belgium...
(b. 2003)
Her husband was created Prince of Belgium by Royal Decree of 10 November 1995 and now her children bear the titles "Prince(ss) of Belgium, Archduke (Archduchess) of Austria-Este, Prince(ss) Imperial of Austria, Prince(ss) Royal of Hungary and Bohemia".
Princess Astrid is also godmother to Sébastien of Luxembourg.
Princess 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 ComponentThe 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 ForcesThe military of Belgium is the Belgian armed forces. The Belgian Armed Forces have about 47,000 active troops. They are organised into one unified structure which consists of four main components:1. Land Component, or the Army;...
. She lives with her family in Brussels.
Ancestry
External links