Monarchy of Belgium
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-->Successive Belgian kings are
- 1831-1865: Léopold I (34)
- 1865-1909: Léopold II (44)
- 1909-1934: Albert I (25)
- 1934-1951: Léopold III (16)
- 1944-1950: Charles, reigned as Prince Regent
- 1951-1993: Baudouin I (42)
- Since 1993: Albert II (13)
It is also noteworthy that Belgium is the only current European monarchy that does not apply the tradition of the new king automatically ascending the throne upon the death or abdication of the former king. According to the Belgian constitution, the king only accedes to the throne when he takes a constitutional oath. For example, the present king did not become monarch on July 31, 1993 (the day his brother died) but on August 91993 ( when he took the constitutional oath ). In all other current monarchies, the monarch becomes a monarch the moment his predecessor dies or abdicates.
Belgium has three official languages, of which Dutch and French are the most important. Many kings and members of the royal family are known under two names: a Dutch and a French one. For example, the current heir apparent is called Philippe in French and Filip in Dutch; the fifth King of the Belgians was Baudouin in French and Boudewijn in Dutch; the three kings who are known as Léopold in French are known as Leopold (without accent) in Dutch.
In German, which is Belgium's third official language, kings are usually referred to under their French names. The same is true for English (with the exception of Leopold, where the accent is removed for simplicity).
In Belgium, kings are always officially known with an ordinal, even when they are the first of their name. So King Baudouin was "King Baudouin I", even though there has not yet been a "King Baudouin II". (This is contrary to the system of ordinals used in Britain.)
Name(s) of the Belgian Royal House
Because of the First World War, King Albert I decided in 1920 to no longer use the name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as the official family name of the Belgian royal family. The decision was done in silence and not enacted in an official royal decree. Therefore there is still some confusion in other countries and even in Belgium that Saxe-Coburg Gotha still is the family name used by the Belgian royals. The family name was changed to van België, de Belgique and von Belgien. As Belgium is a country with three official languages, it was chosen to employ all three language versions as official family name with none having precedence over the other, probably making the Belgian royals the only family in the world with three different but equally valid family names. It is this family name which is used on the royals' identity cards and which they use in all official documents (marriage licenses,...)On the accession of a member of the royal family to the Belgian throne, his/hers family name is officially changed to der Belgen - des Belges as to denote the fact that Belgium is a popular monarchy.
Other members of the Belgian Royal Family
- Louise-Marie d'Orléans (wife of King Leopold I)
- Queen Marie Henriette (wife of King Leopold II)
- Elisabeth von Wittelsbach (wife of Albert I)
- Astrid of Sweden (wife of King Leopold III)
- Mary Lilian Baels, Princess de Réthy (second wife of King Leopold III)
- Fabiola de Mora y Aragón (wife of King Baudouin I)
- Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria (wife of King Albert II)
- Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium (Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, sister of Kings Baudouin and Albert II)
| Current Monarchies |
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| * - Absolute monarch, ⁂ - Semi-constitutional monarch, ! - elected |
Further reading
- Aronson, Theo. Defiant Dynasty; the Coburgs of Belgium. Bobbs-Merrill, 1968.
See also
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