Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este

Prince Lorenz
Prince Lorenz of Belgium

Prince Lorenz at the wedding of the Crown Princess of Sweden in 2010
Head of House of Austria-Este
Period 7 February 1996 – present
Predecessor Robert
Heir apparent Amedeo
Born (1955-12-16) 16 December 1955
Clinique du Belvédère, Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Spouse Princess Astrid of Belgium (m. 1984)
Issue Prince Amedeo
Princess Maria Laura
Prince Joachim
Princess Luisa Maria
Princess Laetitia Maria
Full name
Lorenz Otto Carl Amadeus Thadeus Maria Pius Andreas Marcus d'Aviano
House House of Austria-Este
Father Archduke Robert of Austria-Este
Mother Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta
Styles of
The Archduke of Austria-Este
Reference style His Imperial and Royal Highness
Spoken style Your Imperial and Royal Highness
Alternative style Monseigneur

Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 16 December 1955) is a member of the Belgian Royal Family and an Austrian-Belgian citizen.[1] Since 1996 he is also head of the House of Austria-Este, a branch of the formerly Imperial Austrian House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

Early life and marriage

Prince Lorenz was born in Clinique du Belvédère, Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France, as the second child of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este and of Archduchess Margaret, born Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta.

On 22 September 1984 in Brussels, Lorenz married Princess Astrid of Belgium, the only daughter of the then Prince and Princess of Liège, former King Albert II and Queen Paola. The couple have five children:

Prince Lorenz is a godfather to Prince Carl-Johan of Nassau, youngest child of Prince Jean of Luxembourg and Count Costantino Secco di Aragona, oldest son of his cousin Archduchess Catharina-Maria of Austria.

Education and career

After finishing school, Archduke Lorenz made his military service in the regiment of Gebirgsjäger (Alpine Hunters) of the Federal Austrian Army and was promoted as Reserve "Leutnant" (Second Lieutenant) in 1980.[2]
Lorenz studied economics at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and the University of Innsbruck in Austria. He worked at various banks in London, Paris, and Rome. In 1983 he joined the Gutzwiller private bank in Basel where he eventually became a Managing Partner. In 1993, he spent one year as a consultant to Swift, a company which provides services to the financial industry. In 1995, he became Advisor to the Board of Directors of BNP Paribas Bank in Paris. He was formerly a director of UCB, Sita (a worldwide waste management company located in France) and of Ondeo Nalco (a water management company in the United States).

Patronages

Since 2004, Lorenz has been the honorary president of the Council of the Koninklijke Vereniging der Historische Woonsteden van België/Association Royale des Demeures Historiques de Belgique.[3] Since 2005, he has been the Patron of Europae Thesauri, an association of European cathedral and church treasuries.[4]

Lorenz has also served as deputy chairman of the Société des Amis of the Almanach de Gotha.[5]

Titles and styles

  • 16 December 1955 – 10 November 1995: His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, Prince Royal of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia
  • 10 November 1995 – 7 February 1996: His Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este
  • 7 February 1996 – present: His Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Lorenz of Belgium, The Archduke of Austria-Este

As head of the House of Austria-Este since his father's death on 7 February 1996, Lorenz bears the title Archduke of Austria-Este, which was made hereditary according to male primogeniture by declaration of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on 31 October 1914 (following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este) and was confirmed by Imperial Austrian letters patent, both of which conferred it (with the traditional coat-of-arms of the House of Austria-Este) upon Lorenz's father, Archduke Robert, on 16 April 1917,[6][7][8] and has been confirmed for Lorenz by specific reference in Article IX.1 of the constitution of the Kingdom of Belgium. In addition he also bears the traditional Austrian titles of "Prince Imperial of Austria" and "Prince Royal of Hungary",[6][7] "Croatia and Bohemia".

The Este suffix descended by male primogeniture and is borne by Lorenz and his successors as heads of the Austria-Este cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.[6][7] The title "Prince of Belgium" was granted to him by Royal Decree of 10 November 1995 by his father-in-law, King Albert II of the Belgians.[9] Depending on the situation, Lorenz is thus legally and formally styled HRH Prince Lorenz of Belgium, or internationally otherwise HI&RH Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este or simply HI&RH The Archduke of Austria-Este.

His children by Princess Astrid bear the titles "Prince(ss) of Belgium" – by Belgian decree of 2 December 1991, in addition to their traditional Austrian titles -, "Archduke/Archduchess of Austria, Prince(ss) Royal of Hungary".

Honours

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

National honours

Foreign honours

Military ranks

Ancestry

Notes

  1. nomination in the board of "SIX Management SA"
  2. Blog article (French) about Prince Lorenz
  3. Association Royale des Demeures Historiques de Belgique: Conseil d'Administration
  4. Europae Thesauri: Membres.
  5. Almanach de Gotha, Société des Amis de l'Almanach de Gotha
  6. 1 2 3 Enache, Nicolas. La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 44,50. French
  7. 1 2 3 Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Furstlicher Hauser Bande XIV, C.A. Starke Verlag, Ligne, Limburg, 1991, pp. 92–95. German
  8. Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, p. 240. ISBN 0-220-66222-3
  9. Velde, François. Heraldica.org. Titres Royaux en Belgique, section 2.3 (French) accessdate = 31 July 2011.
  10. http://c7.alamy.com/comp/D4KWRB/princess-astrid-of-belgium-l-and-prince-lorenz-r-arrive-for-the-wedding-D4KWRB.jpg
  11. http://portal.belgaimage.be/editorial/image/2207182/advanced-search/index:3-size:20-pos:3-scrollTop:138
  12. http://portal.belgaimage.be/editorial/image/2207185/advanced-search/index:3-size:20-pos:2-scrollTop:381
  13. http://m.zimbio.com/pictures/T-O7FNe5xVf/Wedding+Danish+Crown+Prince+Frederik+Mary/xpR6rS9GC12/Prince+Lorenz
  14. http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/3161029.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FD3DF6170BCC68F91783DEB5532B9E09FFD2F33CBC3A7CF08B
  15. http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/42-82552914/princess-astrid-and-prince-lorenz
  16. Belga Pictures, State visit of President Herzog in Belgium (1998), Group Photo
  17. http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/archive/1353171525.html
  18. http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/prince-nikolaus-princess-margaretha-prince-lorentz-princess-news-photo/73644825
  19. http://3.t.cdn.belga.be/picture:23472085:preview:watermark
  20. Photo from the Royal Family's official website
  21. presidential website
  22. http://3.t.cdn.belga.be/picture:3513160:preview:watermark
  23. Photo
  24. http://www.romaniaregala.ro/jurnal/vizita-regala-belgiana-in-romania/
  25. http://www.romaniaregala.ro/jurnal/seara-la-castelul-regal-peles-12-septembrie-2015/
  26. Boletín Oficial del Estado
  27. https://younghotandroyal.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/wedding-2010-0619-belgium-astrid-belga3.jpg
  28. http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/0000378959-031/royal-couple-of-sweden-on-state-visit

External links

Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este
Born: 16 December 1955
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Archduke Robert
Archduke of Austria-Este
1996  present
Incumbent
Heir:
Archduke Amedeo
Austro-Hungarian royalty
Preceded by
Archduke Károly-Konstantin
Line of succession to the Austro-Hungarian throne
4th position
Succeeded by
Archduke Amedeo
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