Princess Astrid of Belgium


Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, is the second child and first daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and the younger sister to the current Belgian monarch, King Philippe. She is married to Prince Lorenz of Belgium, head of the Austria-Este branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and is fifth in line of succession to the Belgian throne.

Biography

Princess Astrid was born one day before her father's 28th birthday at the Belvédère Château in Laeken, northern Brussels, and was named after her late paternal grandmother, Astrid of Sweden, King Leopold III's popular first wife, who had died in 1935 in a car accident aged 29. Princess Astrid's godparents were her uncle Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 7th Duke di Guardia Lombarda, and her aunt Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.

Marriage and issue

Princess Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, subsequently head of the House of Austria-Este, on 22 September 1984 at the Church of [Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon] in Brussels. Lorenz is the eldest son of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este and Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta. Her husband was also created Belgian Prince by Royal Decree on 27 November 1995.
Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz have five children:
  • Prince Amedeo Maria Josef Carl Pierre Philippe Paola Marcus d'Aviano of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este. Married Elisabetta "Lili" Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein on 5 July 2014 in Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. They have three children:
  • * Archduchess Anna Astrid Marie of Austria-Este
  • * Archduke Maximilian Joseph Lorenz Ettore Karl Marcus d'Aviano of Austria-Este
  • * Archduchess Alix Lorenza Anne Marie Josephine of Austria-Este
  • Princess Maria Laura Zita Beatrix Gerhard of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, married William Mark Isvy on 10 September 2022 at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. They have one son:
  • * Albert Isvy
  • Prince Joachim Karl-Maria Nikolaus Isabelle Marcus d'Aviano of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este.
  • Princess Luisa Maria Anna Martine Pilar of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este.
  • Princess Laetitia Maria Nora Anna Joachim Zita of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este.

    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 Flemish-speaking and French branches, each of which seeks greater autonomy. The princess is also a colonel in the Belgian Medical Service of the Belgian Armed Forces. Her official residence is the Royal Castle of Laeken on the edge of Brussels.
She is a member of the Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee.
In April 2015, the Princess took over the Prince Albert Fund from her father King Albert.

Special Envoy

Princess Astrid has been for many years an 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.
In 2019, she carried out a mission to Lebanon to promote the convention. In Beirut she met with President Michel Aoun, and Minister of National Defense Elias Bou Saab.

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

2016 : Honorary mayor and The Hidalgo Award of San Antonio, Texas.

Arms

Ranks

Ancestry

Note