Prince Lorenz of Belgium
| Prince Lorenz | |
|---|---|
| Archduke of Austria-Este (more) | |
Prince Lorenz at the wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden in 2010
| |
| Born | 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 |
| Names Lorenz Otto Carl Amadeus Thadeus Maria Pius Andreas Marcus d'Aviano Habsburg-Lothringen | |
| House | Austria-Este |
| Father | Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este |
| Mother | Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta |
Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 16 December 1955) is a member of the Belgian royal family as the husband of Princess Astrid of Belgium. He is the head of the House of Austria-Este, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine; he has held this position since 1996. He is a grandson of Emperor Charles I of Austria, the last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary.
Early life
Prince Lorenz was born at Clinique du Belvédère in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France, as the second child and eldest son of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este, and his wife, Archduchess Margaret (née Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta). He is the grandson of Charles I of Austria, the last Emperor of Austria.
He and his uncle, Carl Ludwig, complained about the constitutional provision that prohibited members of the former ruling dynasty from running in the Austrian presidential elections, and the terms under which their family was banished from the country. Their subsequent appeal to the European Commission for Human Rights was ruled inadmissible by the court.[1] Further, in June 2011, the Habsburg Law was repealed by the Austrian Parliament.
Marriage and issue
On 22 September 1984, at the Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon in Brussels, Prince Lorenz married Princess Astrid of Belgium, the only daughter of the then-Prince and Princess of Liège, later King Albert II and Queen Paola. The couple has five children:[2]
- Prince Amedeo Maria Josef Carl Pierre Philippe Paola Marcus d'Aviano of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born on 21 February 1986 at Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc in Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, Brussels). Married Elisabetta "Lili" Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, on 5 July 2014 in Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere.[3] They have three children:[4][5]
- Princess Maria Laura Zita Beatrix Gerhard of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este[9] (born on 26 August 1988 at Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc in Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, Brussels). Married William Isvy on 10 September 2022, at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. They have one son:
- Albert Isvy (born on 26 January 2025)
- Prince Joachim Karl-Maria Nikolaus Isabelle Marcus d'Aviano of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born on 9 December 1991 at Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc in Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, Brussels)
- Princess Luisa Maria Anna Martine Pilar of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 11 October 1995 at Clinique St Jean in Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, Brussels)
- Princess Laetitia Maria Nora Anna Joachim Zita of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born on 23 April 2003 at Clinique St Jean in Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, Brussels).
Prince Lorenz is the godfather to Prince Carl-Johan of Nassau, youngest child of Prince Jean of Luxembourg, and Count Costantino Secco di Aragona, the oldest son of his cousin, Archduchess Catharina-Maria of Austria.
Title
The title Prince of Belgium was granted to him by royal decree on 10 November 1995 by his father-in-law, King Albert II of Belgium. The Belgian monarchy refers to him as the Archduke of Austria-Este.[10]
Honours
National
- Belgium: Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold[11]
Dynastic
- House of Habsburg-Este: Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Eagle of Este
- House of Habsburg-Lorraine: 1,285th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
- Montenegrin Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Danilo I
- Romanian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Crown
Foreign
- Germany: Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau
- Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
- Norway: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
- Palestine:
- Latin Catholic Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre[12]
- Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry[13]
- Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit[14]
- Sweden: Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star
Military ranks
- Austria 1980–: Austrian Armed Forces, Leutnant as Reserve Officer
Ancestry
- Ancestors of Prince Lorenz of Belgium
- 8. Archduke Otto of Austria
- 4. Charles I of Austria
- 9. Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony
- 2. Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este
- 10. Robert I, Duke of Parma
- 5. Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma
- 11. Infanta Maria Antónia of Portugal
- 1. Prince Lorenz of Belgium
- 12. Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta
- 6. Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta
- 13. Princess Hélène of Orléans
- 3. Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta
- 14. Prince Jean, Duke of Guise
- 7. Princess Anne of Orléans
- 15. Princess Isabelle of Orléans
References
- Back to citation Decision made on 14 December 1989; case number 15344/89
- Back to citation Enache, Nicolas. La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 44,50. French; Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Furstlicher Hauser Bande XIV, C.A. Starke Verlag, Ligne, Limburg, 1991, pp. 92–95. German; William Bortrick. "HM The King of the Belgians and HM The Queen of the Belgians. The Royal Family of Belgium. Houses of Wettin and Belgium". Burke's Peerage. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022.
- Back to citation "Prins Amedeo en Lili trouwen in de zon". VTM. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- Back to citation William Bortrick. "HM The King of the Belgians and HM The Queen of the Belgians. The Royal Family of Belgium. Houses of Wettin and Belgium". Burke's Peerage. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022.
- Back to citation Due to a royal decree issued by his uncle King Philippe, which limits the range of family members bearing the title "Prince of Belgium", Amedeo's children do not bear the princely title nor the style of Royal Highness. NWS, VRT. "Nederlands". vrtnws.be. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- Back to citation Dubuisson, Martine (9 August 2016). "Quel nom pour les princes qui ne seront plus "de Belgique"?" [What name for the princes who will no longer be "of Belgium"?] (in French). Le Soir. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. “Dès lors, comment s'appelle-t-elle? A la rubrique « nom et prénoms », son acte de naissance porte en effet, comme nous avons pu le voir: « Son Altesse Impériale et Royale la Princesse Anna Astrid Marie Archiduchesse d'Autriche-Este (Habsburg-Lorraine) » [So what is her name? Under the heading "surname and first names", her birth certificate indeed bears, as we have seen: "Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Anna Astrid Marie Archduchess of Austria-Este (Habsburg-Lorraine)"]”
- Back to citation "België is een prinsje rijker: zoontje voor prins Amedeo en prinses Elisabetta". De Standaard. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- Back to citation "A third child is born to Princess Elisabetta and Prince Amedeo". The Brussels Times. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- Back to citation "31 JANVIER 2022. - Arrêté royal autorisant Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Maria Laura d'Autriche-Este (Habsburg-Lorraine), Princesse de Belgique, à contracter mariage" [31 JANUARY 2022. - Royal Decree authorizing Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Laura of Austria-Este (Habsburg-Lorraine), Princess of Belgium, to enter into marriage] (in French). ejustice.just.fgov.be. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023.
- Back to citation "Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz". Official website of the Belgian Monarchy. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- Back to citation ministere des affaires etrangeres, du commerce exterieur et de la cooperation internationale (5 April 2002). "Arrêté Royal ordres nationaux ordre de leopold par arrete royal du 20 decembre 2000 a ete nomme: grand cordon le prince lorenz, otto, carl, amedeus, prince de belgique, archiduc d'autriche-este. par arrete royal du 23 novembre 2(...) commandeur le comte de liedekerke beaufort, humbert, president honoraire de l'association de la(...)". etaamb.openjustice.be (in French). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- Back to citation Cathobruxelles
- Back to citation "Presidency of the Republic - Chancellery of Portuguese Honorary Orders". dre.pt.
- Back to citation "Boletín Oficial del Estado" (PDF).
External links
| Prince Lorenz of Belgium House of Austria-Este Born: 16 December 1955 | ||
| Titles in pretence | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Archduke Robert |
Archduke of Austria-Este 1996–present |
Incumbent Heir: Amedeo |