Albert II of Belgium

Albert II
King of the Belgians
Reign	9 August 1993 – 21 July 2013
Predecessor	Baudouin
Successor	Philippe
Prime Ministers	See list Jean-Luc Dehaene Guy Verhofstadt Yves Leterme Herman Van Rompuy Yves Leterme Elio Di Rupo
Born	6 June 1934 Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Spouse	Paola Ruffo di Calabria (m. 1959)
Issue Detail	Philippe of Belgium Princess Astrid, Archduchess of Austria-Este Prince Laurent
Full name Dutch: Albert Felix Humbert Theodoor Christiaan Eugène Marie French: Albert Félix Humbert Théodore Christian Eugène Marie German: Albert Felix Humbert Theodor Christian Eugen Maria
House	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Father	Leopold III of Belgium
Mother	Astrid of Sweden
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature

Belgian Royal Family
HM The King HM The Queen HRH The Duchess of Brabant HRH Prince Gabriel HRH Prince Emmanuel HRH Princess Eléonore HM King Albert II HM Queen Paola HI&RH The Archduchess of Austria-Este HI&RH The Archduke of Austria-Este HI&RH Prince Amedeo HI&RH Archduchess Elisabetta HI&RH Princess Maria Laura HI&RH Prince Joachim HI&RH Princess Luisa Maria HI&RH Princess Laetitia Maria HRH Prince Laurent HRH Princess Claire HRH Princess Louise HRH Prince Nicolas HRH Prince Aymeric HRH Princess Léa HRH Princess Marie-Christine HRH Princess Marie-Esméralda

Albert II (born 6 June 1934) reigned as King of the Belgians from 1993 until his abdication in 2013. He is a member of the royal house of Belgium; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the maternal uncle of the current reigning Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Henri.

On 3 July 2013, King Albert II attended a midday session of the Belgian cabinet. He then announced that on 21 July, 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, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and Emir Hamad bin Khalifa of Qatar.^[1] In doing so, he was also the second Belgian King to abdicate following his father, King Leopold III, who abdicated in 1951, albeit under very different circumstances.

Full name

Albert's full name is Albert Félix Humbert Théodore Christian Eugène Marie in French (pronounced: [albɛʁ feliks œ̃bɛʁ teodɔʁ kʁistjɑ̃ øʒɛn maʁi]), Albert Felix Humbert Theodoor Christiaan Eugène Marie in Dutch (pronounced [ˈɑlbərt ˈfeːlɪks ˈɦɵmbərt teːjoːˈdoːr ˈkrɪstijaːn øːˈʒɛːn maːˈriː]), and Albrechtt Felix Humbert Theodor Christian Eugen Maria in German (pronounced [ˈʔalbʁɛkt ˈfeːlɪks ˈhʊmbɛʁt ˈteːodoːɐ̯ ˈkʁɪsti̯an ˈʔɔʏɡən maˈʁiːaː]).^[2]

Early years

Albert is the second son and youngest child of King Leopold III (1901–1983) and his first wife, Astrid of Sweden (1905–1935). Queen Astrid died in a car accident in August 1935 in which King Leopold was lightly injured but survived. The king later remarried Lilian Baels in 1941 which produced 3 more children: Prince Alexander of Belgium, Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium and Princess Maria-Esmeralda of Belgium. Albert ascended the throne in 1993, following the death of his older brother, King Baudouin, who died without issue. His godparents were Felix of Bourbon-Parma and his paternal grandmother, Elisabeth of Bavaria.^[2] He is the first cousin of King Harald V, Princess Astrid, and Princess Ragnhild of Norway on his mother's side and of Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma, Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy and Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy on his father's side.

Prince Albert was born in Stuyvenberg Castle, Brussels. On 10 May 1940, at the time when Belgium was being invaded, Prince Albert, his elder sister Princess Joséphine-Charlotte and his elder brother Prince Baudouin, left the country for France and later Spain. The Prince and the Princess returned to Belgium on 2 August 1940. They continued their studies until 1944, either at Laeken, or at the Chateau of Ciergnon in the Ardennes. In June 1944, at the time of the Allied landings, King Leopold III, Princess Lilian – whom he married in 1941 – and the royal children were deported by the Germans to Hirschstein, Germany, and later to Strobl, Austria, where they were liberated by the American Army on 7 May 1945. Due 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. King Leopold III, accompanied by Prince Baudouin and Prince Albert, returned to Belgium on 22 July 1950.^[2]

Marriage and family

King Albert II and Queen Paola with US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the Royal Palace in Brussels in 2005

In 1958, The Prince Albert, Prince of Liège, went to the Vatican to witness the coronation of Pope John XXIII. At a reception at the Belgian Embassy, the prince met Italian Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria. “We were both shy, so we only talked a little,” Paola said later about their first meeting. Shy but smitten, Prince Albert proposed marriage to Paola, and she accepted. Two months after their meeting, the Prince introduced his future wife to his family, and four months later to the press. Upon arriving in Brussels for the first time before her wedding, Princess Paola won over the Belgian media immediately.

The couple, supported by both families, intended to marry at the Vatican. However, the Belgian government disagreed as they felt the Belgian people should not be denied the opportunity to celebrate a royal wedding, particularly after difficult decade post-war. The Pope, after some diplomatic pressure, refused them a marriage at the Vatican, saying he would understand if the couple would want to get married amidst their people.

On 2 July 1959 he married Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria (born 11 September 1937) in Brussels. She is the daughter of Fulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda and his wife, Countess Luisa Gazelli di Rossana e di Sebastiano (1896–1989). Together they have three children, two sons and a daughter and twelve grandchildren:

• King Philippe of the Belgians (born 15 April 1960). On 4 December 1999, the then Duke of Brabant married Jonkvrouwe Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz (born 20 January 1973), who was created HRH Princess Mathilde of Belgium a day before their marriage. She is a daughter of the late Count Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz and his wife, Countess Anna Maria Komorowska. The current King and Queen have four children, two sons and two daughters:
  • The Duchess of Brabant (born 25 October 2001), heiress apparent
  • Prince Gabriel of Belgium (born 20 August 2003)
  • Prince Emmanuel of Belgium (born 4 October 2005)
  • Princess Eléonore of Belgium (born 16 April 2008)
• Princess Astrid of Belgium (born 5 June 1962). On 22 September 1984, she married HI&RH Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, Archduke of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia (born 16 December 1955), who was created a Prince of Belgium in 1995. They have five children, two sons and three daughters:
  • Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 21 February 1986) married on 5 July 2014 to Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein.
  • Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 26 August 1988)
  • Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 9 December 1991)
  • Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 11 October 1995)
  • Princess Laetitia Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 23 April 2003)
• Prince Laurent of Belgium (born 19 October 1963). On 12 April 2003, He married Claire Coombs (born 18 January 1974), an Anglo-Belgian former real-estate agent. She was created HRH Princess Claire of Belgium 11 days before their marriage. They have three children, twin sons and one daughter:
  • Princess Louise of Belgium (born 6 February 2004)
  • Prince Nicolas of Belgium (born 13 December 2005, twin)
  • Prince Aymeric of Belgium (born 13 December 2005, twin)

Since 1999, the media have claimed that the Belgian sculptor Delphine Boël (born in 1968) is King Albert II's extramarital daughter. In June 2013, Boël summoned the then King, the then Duke of Brabant and the Archduchess of Austria-Este to appear in court. She hopes 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.^[3][4] After the King's abdication, she abandoned her first suit to introduce a second one only against the King as he is 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.^[5]

Official role

The King reviewing the army During the Belgian National Day, 2011

As the younger brother of King Baudouin, Prince Albert was the heir-presumptive to the throne. However, his son Prince Philippe was groomed to be Baudoin's successor, once it became clear that the King would have no children to succeed him. Despite this, on Baudouin's death (at age 62), Albert was sworn in before parliament on 9 August 1993 as the sixth King of the Belgians.^[6]

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.^[7]

In 1984, he set up the Prince Albert Foundation, to promote expertise in foreign trade.^[8]

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.^[9]

In January 2012, Albert announced that the royal family would freeze their allowances and use a greater proportion of their income to maintain the royal palaces.

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.^[10] 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."^[10]

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 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.^[11] 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 son, Philippe.^[1] Albert II retained the title of King after the abdication,^[12] and has since been styled as His Majesty King Albert II of Belgium.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Albert II of Belgium

16. Leopold I of Belgium               8. Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders                       17. Princess Louise-Marie of Orléans               4. Albert I of Belgium                             18. Charles Anthony, Prince of Hohenzollern               9. Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen                       19. Princess Josephine of Baden               2. Leopold III of Belgium                                   20. Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria               10. Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria                       21. Princess Ludovika of Bavaria               5. Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria                             22. Miguel of Portugal               11. Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal                       23. Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg               1. Albert II of Belgium                                         24. Oscar I of Sweden               12. Oscar II of Sweden                       25. Duchess Josephine of Leuchtenberg               6. Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland                             26. William, Duke of Nassau               13. Princess Sophia of Nassau                       27. Princess Pauline of Württemberg               3. Princess Astrid of Sweden                                   28. Christian IX of Denmark               14. Frederick VIII of Denmark                       29. Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel               7. Princess Ingeborg of Denmark                             30. Charles XV of Sweden               15. Princess Louise of Sweden                       31. Princess Louise of the Netherlands

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Coat of arms of the King of the Belgians

Titles

• 6 June 1934 – 7 June 1934: His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Belgium
• 7 June 1934 – 9 August 1993: His Royal Highness The Prince of Liège
• 9 August 1993 – 21 July 2013: His Majesty The King of the Belgians
• 21 July 2013 – present: His Majesty King Albert II of Belgium

After his abdication on 21 July 2013 it was decided that he would be styled as His Majesty King Albert II,^[13] the same form of address granted to his father, Leopold III, after his abdication.

Honours

Personal Standard of King Albert II.

See also : List of honours of the Belgian Royal Family by country

Belgian honours

• Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
• Former Grand Master (1993-2013) of the Order of Leopold, Order of the African Star (dormant order), Royal Order of the Lion (dormant order), Order of the Crown and Order of Leopold II

Foreign honours

•  Argentina : Grand Cross of the Order del Libertador General San Martín^[14]
• Austria
  • Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Family: 1, 291st Knight with Collar of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece
  •  Austria: Grand Cross of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria, Grand Star^[15]
•  Bulgaria: Grand Cross of the Order of Stara Planina^[16]
•  Cameroon : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit. ^[14]
•  Colombia : Grand Cross of the Order of Boyaca^[14]
•  Congo: Grand Cross of the National Order of the Leopard^[17][18]
•  Denmark: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Elephant^[19][20]
•  Denmark: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog
•  Ecuador : Grand Cross of the Order of San Lorenzo. ^[14]
•  Ethiopia : Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the Queen of Sheba^[14]
•  Estonia: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana^[21][22]
•  Finland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland^[23]
•  Gabon : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit. ^[14]
•  Germany: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Special Class
•  Greece: Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer^[24]
•  Hungary: Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary^[25][26]
•  Iceland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon^[27]
•  Italy: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic^[28][29]
•   Vatican City: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
  •  Holy See: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Pope Pius IX^[14][30]
  •  Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 1st Class^[31]
•  Japan: Knight Grand Cordon with Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum^[32]
•  Latvia: Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars^[33]
•  Lithuania: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Vytautas the Great^[34]
•  Luxembourg: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau^[35][36]
•  Malaysia : Grand knight Defender of the Realm of Malaysia. ^[14]
•  Mexico : Grand Cross of the Order of the Eagle of Mexico.^[37]
•  Monaco: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Charles^[38][39]
•  Morocco: Knight Grand Collar of the Order of Muhammad, Special Class
•  Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion^{[40][41][42][43]}
•  Netherlands: Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Princess Beatrix, Princess of Orange and Claus Van Amsberg^[44]
•  Norway: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of St. Olav^[45][46]
•  Peru : Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun, Peru^[14]
•  Philippines : Grand Cross of the Order of Sikatuna^[14]
•  Poland: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle^[47]
•  Poland : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit. ^[14]
•  Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Aviz
•  Portugal: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Prince Henry^[48][49]
•  Romania: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania^[50]
•  Senegal :Grand Cross of the National Order of Senegal^[14]
•  Spain: 1, 190th Knight with Collar of the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece^[51][52]
•  Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III^[53][54]
•  Sweden: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Order of the Seraphim^[55][56]
•  Tunisia : Grand Cross of the Order of the Republic. ^[14]
•  United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order^[57][58]
•  Venezuela : Grand Cross of the Order of Simon Bolivar.^[37]
•  Zaire : Grand Cross of the Order of the Lepard. ^[14]
• Grand Ghwanaga medal^[14]

Honorary degrees

King Albert II is Doctor Honoris Causa of:

• the Catholic University of Leuven
• the Saint Louis University, Baguio City
• Ghent University, Free University of Brussels
• the Catholic university of Mons
• Polytechnic Faculty of Mons.

Belgian coinage

Commemorative 100 euro gold coin featuring King Albert II

Constitutionally, powers of coinage are vested with the King.^[59] Since coins are issued in his name, his effigy is found on the obverse of coins intended for general circulation.

Exceptions are made for some commemorative or collectors' coins where his effigy is on neither side of the coin.^[60]

See also

• Line of succession to the Belgian throne
• Crown Council of Belgium
• Royal Trust
• Prince Albert Fund
• Michel Didisheim, former private secretary
• Jacques van Ypersele de Strihou (private secretary)
• Frank De Coninck, (former) Marshal of the Royal Household

References

1. Matthew Price. "Belgium's King Albert II announces abdication". Bbc.co.uk.
2. "King Albert II". http://www.monarchie.be. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010. External link in |publisher= (help)
3. Stroobants, Jean-Pierre (17 June 2013). "En Belgique, la fille adultérine d'Albert II exige une reconnaissance officielle". Le Monde. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
4. Bacchi, Umberto (18 June 2013). "Belgium: King Albert’s ‘Disowned Natural Daughter’ Delphine Boel Seeks Recognition in Court". International Business Times. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
5. Le Vif, "Chacun sait que le roi Albert est le père biologique de Delphine Boël"
6. "The Belgian Monarchy: Home – Royal Family – King Albert II". Monarchie.be.
7. "The Belgian Monarchy: Home – The Monarchy today". Monarchie.be.
8. "The Belgian Monarchy: Home – The Monarchy today – Royal Initiatives – Prince Albert Fund". Monarchie.be.
9. "Belgium swears in new government headed by Elio Di Rupo". BBC News. 6 December 2011.
10. "Belgium King Albert II Christmas speech sparks controversy". BBC News Online. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
11. "Letter of King Albert II to Prime Minister Di Rupo announcing his intention to abdicate". Scribd.com.
12. Freek Willems, Dirk Reynaers. "België heeft vanaf 21 juli 2 koningen en 3 koninginnen (Dutch)". Deredactie.be.
13. ""Koning der Belgen" versus "Koning" (Dutch)". Deredactie.be.
14. Carnet Mondain, [Carnet Mondain, p. 2 ed. 2005] book page with Alberts honours
15. "Reply to a parliamentary question" (PDF) (in German). p. 53. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
16. http://www.monarchie.be/sites/default/files/imagecache/ImageDetail/images/fr_bulga3_3160.jpg
17. http://c7.alamy.com/comp/F2ATXF/congolese-president-joseph-mobutu-flanked-by-belgians-king-baudouin-F2ATXF.jpg
18. http://c7.alamy.com/comp/E0YCH4/nov-11-1969-general-mobutu-on-official-visit-to-brussels-king-baudouin-E0YCH4.jpg
19. http://www2.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Wedding+Danish+Crown+Prince+Frederik+Mary+_xhhu353Zsfl.jpg
20. https://web.archive.org/web/20120425130022/http://1.t.cdn.belga.be/picture:954544:preview:watermark
21. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zx_1r0Dcao8/SGDRlKUS2xI/AAAAAAAAA3k/e-F4V3akoSk/s1600-h/Albert37.jpg
22. http://5.t.cdn.belga.be/picture:9519900:preview:watermark
23. http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/queen-paola-dr-arajarvi-president-halonen-and-king-albert-news-photo/3160967
24. Albert wearing the ribbon bar
25. http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/queen-fabiola-from-belgium-hungarian-president-laslo-solyom-news-photo/80685407
26. http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/prince-lorentz-princess-astrid-prince-philippe-from-belgium-news-photo/80685347
27. http://falkadb.forseti.is/orduskra/fal03.php?term=Albert&sub=Leita
28. http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=34952
29. http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=11919
30. https://emilygriffinwriting.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/john-xxiii-fixed.jpg
31. http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=94954&d=1108595052
32. http://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/the-belgian-king-albert-ii-and-queen-paola-and-their-eldest-news-photo/173523009
33. http://www.president.lv/images/modules/items/DOC/2011maijs-tzo%20registrs.doc
34. http://archyvas.lrp.lt/en/news.full/6486
35. http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/queen-paola-duchesse-maria-theresa-the-grand-duke-henri-of-news-photo/73644919
36. http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/king-albert-poses-for-a-photo-at-laeken-castle-on-march-20-news-photo/73644856
37. Carnet Mondain, p. 2 ed. 2005
38. http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/belgiums-king-albert-ii-and-queen-paola-arrive-for-the-news-photo/172543034
39. http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/117976951.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921E86F5CE8BE5D78FBC523196C0668E6FD74A55DD5CC9D9FFEE3455BE92EB0D692
40. http://static1.purepeople.com/articles/7/13/41/57/@/1344517-queen-paola-and-king-albert-of-belgium-950x0-1.jpg
41. http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/queen-beatrix-and-king-albert-stand-for-a-photo-at-laken-news-photo/71249853
42. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7EtBCCjTQ4g/RlKtqVhmWyI/AAAAAAAAAcs/oOlTKKRIhe0/s1600-h/2006.06.20____.jpg
43. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Anefo_911-3015_Tweede_dag.jpg
44. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Huwelijk_prinses_Beatrix_en_prins_Claus_%281966%29.jpg
45. http://2.t.cdn.belga.be/picture:1279009:preview:watermark?m=klpfghcp
46. http://www.monarchie.be/sites/default/files/imagecache/ImageDetail/images/fr_gala_2768.jpg
47. http://www.monarchie.be/sites/default/files/imagecache/ImageDetail/images/fr_pol.jpg
48. http://www.gettyimages.dk/detail/news-photo/queen-paola-maria-jose-ritta-portuguese-president-jorge-news-photo/55950709
49. http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/prince-laurent-princess-claire-prince-lorentz-princess-news-photo/55950746
50. http://canord.presidency.ro/Ord.St.Rom..xls
51. Boletín Oficial del Estado
52. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H7aXw5lOH-Q/Vpjd5BkVttI/AAAAAAAATDc/tUDg6bSq8CY/s1600/w_nor_sp07359f.jpg
53. Boletín Oficial del Estado
54. http://5.t.cdn.belga.be/picture:471649:preview:watermark
55. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/507358714242628188/
56. http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/0000378959-031/royal-couple-of-sweden-on-state-visit
57. http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/758045.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FDD651C1E0C23EE17249646E58D0EE98F1294C7869B2C8666E
58. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/89/e7/af/89e7af96b43c5539448e82c56db1d5e6.jpg
59. fr:Article 112 de la Constitution belge
60. Belgian coinage

External links

• Official Belgian monarchy web site
• "Belgium defends king against 'assault'". BBC News. 18 September 2001.
• The Royal Belgium Orders