Crying Queen of Belgium breaks down as she watches her
husband abdicate and hand over the throne to their son
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2372262/Belgiums-King-Albert-set-abdicate-today-bringing-end-20-year-reign-hand-throne-son-Philippe.html
King Albert's 20-year reign officially came to an end during
a series of ceremonies in Brussels
The 79-year-old monarch handed the throne over to his son
Philippe after he swore the king's oath
King Albert of Belgium abdicated earlier today
after a 20-year reign, clearing the way for his son, Philippe, to take over as
this fractured nation's seventh king later in the day.
The 79-year-old signed away his rights as the kingdom's
largely ceremonial ruler at the Royal
Palace in the presence of
Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, who holds the political power in this 183-year-old
parliamentary democracy.
The country will get a new king when Prince Philippe, 53,
takes the oath before the nation's legislators at the Parliament building a
short walk across the Royal
Park in the heart of the
city.
Albert II of Belgium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_II_of_Belgium
Albert II (born 6 June 1934) is the King of the Belgians, a
constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house of Belgium;
formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the 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 will be succeeded by his son, Prince Philippe of Belgium.
He will be the third European monarch to abdicate in 2013,
following Pope Benedict XVI and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. In doing so, he will
also be the second Belgian king to abdicate following his father, King Leopold
III, who abdicated in 1951, albeit under very different circumstances.
Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philippe,_Duke_of_Brabant
Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant (French: Philippe Léopold
Louis Marie, Dutch: Filip(s) Leopold Lodewijk Maria; born 15 April 1960) is the
heir apparent to the crown of Belgium,
as the eldest child and eldest son of King Albert II and Queen Paola. He is married
to Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz (now Princess Mathilde, Duchess of Brabant). The
eldest of their four children, Princess Elisabeth of Belgium,
will become the heir apparent after the ascension of Philippe to the Belgian
throne, which puts her in line to be Belgium's first female monarch.
On 3 July 2013, King Albert announced that he will abdicate
the throne on 21 July due to health reasons, and that Philippe will succeed him
as the next King of the Belgians.
From 1978 to 1981, Prince Philippe was educated at the Belgian Royal Military
Academy in the 118th
"Promotion Toutes Armes". On 26 September 1980, he was appointed
second lieutenant and performed the officer's oath.
He continued his education at Trinity
College, Oxford
and he attended graduate school at Stanford
University, California,
where he graduated in 1985 with an MA degree in Political Science.
He obtained his fighter pilot's wings and his certificates
as a parachutist and a commando. In 1989 the Prince attended a series of
special sessions at the Royal Higher Defence Institute. The same year, he was
promoted to Colonel. On 25 March 2001 the Prince was appointed to the rank of
Major-General in the Land Component and the Air Component and to the rank of
Rear-Admiral in the Naval Component.
Prince Philippe married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, daughter
of a Walloon Count of Belgian noble family and female line descendant of Polish
noble families such as the Princes Sapieha and Counts Komorowski, on 4 December
1999 in Brussels, civilly at the Brussels Town Hall and religiously at the
Cathedral of Saint Michel in Brussels. They have four children:
Princess Elisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène, born 25 October
2001
Prince Gabriel Baudouin Charles Marie, born 20 August 2003
Prince Emmanuel Léopold Guillaume François Marie, born 4
October 2005
Princess Eléonore Fabiola Victoria Anne Marie, born 16 April
2008
King Albert II announced on 3 July 2013 that his son Prince
Philippe will succeed him as King of the Belgians on 21 July 2013. Upon
accession, Princess Mathilde will become the first Belgian-born queen consort
of Belgium.
Princess Mathilde, Duchess of Brabant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathilde_d'Udekem_d'Acoz
Princess Mathilde, Duchess of Brabant, DHS (née: Ec.
Mathilde Marie Christiane Ghislaine d'Udekem d'Acoz; born 20 January 1973), is
the wife of the heir apparent to the Belgian throne, Prince Philippe, Duke of
Brabant. Of Belgian and noble Polish ancestry, she will become the first
Belgian-born Queen consort of Belgium
when her father-in-law, King Albert II, abdicates on 21 July 2013.
Coronation of King Philippe of Belgium - Couronnement du roi
Philip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-tZIYfnICQ
Royals of Belgium
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovBU0kzHvuI
Vive le Roi Philippe; Lang leve Koning Flip; Lang lebe der
König Philipp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmTbSfQhBpE
Mega Mathilde!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBpG3hM5agg
Coronation King Philippe Belgium - Coronacion rey Felipe
Belgica
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEj-lYSkn_M
Belgian royals prepare for salary changes once Prince
Philippe is king
http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2013072013609/belgium-royals-new-salaries-coronation/
20 JULY 2013
Prince Philippe of Belgium will receive a salary
increase from €923,000 to a gross annual sum of €11.5million when he ascends
the throne on Sunday. King Albert II's abdication means that when Philippe, 53,
becomes Belgium's
seventh sovereign on 21 July his annual salary will mirror what his father was
paid, while Albert's salary will decrease to €9million.
Philippe's aunt, Queen Fabiola, is also subject to a pay
decrease following her nephew's accession. Since the death of her husband, King
Baudouin, in 1993. Fabiola had been receiving €1.5million per year which will
now be cut to €461,500.
Philippe's daughter, Princess Elisabeth, 11, who will become
first in line to the throne on Sunday, will not receive a salary until she
turns 18. On 25 October, 2019, when she ceases to be a minor, Crown Princess
Elisabeth will be expected to have a salary of €923,000.
Princess Astrid, who is Philippe's sister, will take on some
of the duties previously conducted by the prince and his wife, Princess
Mathilde. International trips to Angola,
South Africa, India
and Russie promoting Belgian trade will now be Astrid's responsibility and she
will receive a salary of €320,000.
Prince Laurent of Belguim, Astrid and Philippe's brother,
will be paid €307,000 and will similarly undertake engagements on behalf of the
Belgian royal family.
The salary changes
will be put into place when Philippe's investiture on Sunday, which is the
country's national day.
King Albert II announced his abdication on 3 July after
months of speculation that he might step down from the throne. Just a month
after his 79th birthday, King Albert II made an announcement that he will
abdicate on 21 July due to age and health reasons.
"Age and health
no longer allow me to perform my duties," he said. "After a 20-year
reign, the time has come to pass the torch to the next generation."
The historic moment
will be marked the night before when the King will attend a traditional concert
in the Palace of Fine
Arts in Brussels,
accompanied by the Belgian Royal family. The esteemed guests will then move on
to one of the capital's oldest quarters to enjoy a traditional ball.
The schedule of events is as follows:
9:30 am: Te Deum ceremony at the Cathedral of St Michael and
St Gudula in Brussels
11:15am: Abdication ceremony of King Albert II at the Royal Palace
in Brussels
12:45pm: King Philippe is sworn in before the two chambers
of the Belgian federal parliament at the Palace of the Nation
1:00 pm: The new King and Queen and the Royal Family greet
the population from the balcony of the Royal Palace
on Place des Palais
1:45 pm: The new King pays homage to the Unknown Soldier at
the Congress Column
4:05 pm: King Philippe reviews the civil and military troops
5:00 pm: Civil and military parade on Place des Palais
7:00 pm: The new King and Queen attend the celebrations in
the Parc de Bruxelles
11:00 pm: The Royal Family watches the firework display that
will be launched from the Palace of the Academies on Place des Palais
King Albert II attends his last official engagement as Belgium's
monarch
http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2013072113629/belgian-abdication-king-albert-ii/
King Albert II of Belgium has attended his last 'Te
Deum' ceremony as the country's monarch. Albert II, who has chosen to abdicate
on Sunday in favour of his son, undertook his last engagement as the country's
king.
Albert's wife, Queen Paola, wiped a tear from her eye as she
sat in the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula. The ceremony of praise takes
place annually on Belgium's
national day, which has significantly been chosen as the day his son Prince
Philippe will ascend the throne.
Queen Paola wore a bright green dress and matching jacket as
she stepped out in Brussels
for the historial event with her husband. The king looked visibly excited as he
saw signs of thanks being held by supporters and was welcomed into the
cathedral by a round of applause.
The royal couple's son, and soon-to-be King of the Belgians,
Prince Philippe, also strode to the cathedral in the Sunday sunshine with his
wife, Princess Mathilde.
Mother-of-four Mathilde chose an elegant cream dress, which
she accessorised with a tan hat and nude heels, as she prepares to become
Philippe's Queen consort. Mathilde, 40, is mother to the couple's four children
including Belguim's heir, Princess Elisabeth.
King Albert II's daughter, Princess Astrid and his son,
Prince Laurent, also attended the church service, taking the time to greet
well-wishers on their way to the catherdral.
Once their brother Philippe has been made king, Astrid and
Laurent will take on new responsibilites.
Princess Astrid, 51, who is mother to five children, will
now fulfil some of the duties previously undertaken by Philippe and Mathilde,
including international trips promoting Belgian trade.
Following their appearance at the Te Deum ceremony, the
Belgian royals headed to the city's Royal
Palace where King Albert
officially abdicated and Prince Philippe was sworn in as king.
Just a month after his 79th birthday, King Albert II made an
announcement on 3 July that he would abdicate due to age and health reasons.
"Age and health no longer allow me to perform my
duties," he said. "After a 20-year reign, the time has come to pass
the torch to the next generation."
Belgium's
new king and queen greet their subjects from the palace balcony
http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2013072113630/king-philippe-queen-mathilde-balcony/
21 JULY 2013
Newly crowned King
Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
stepped out in front of their subjects for the first time as Belgium's
monarchs. Waving to the crowds of well-wishers, Philippe and Mathilde were
joined by their four children, Elisabeth, Gabriel, Emmanuel and Eléonore, to
mark the historic occasion.
Mathilde, 40, sported
the same cream dress and elegant Fabienne Delvigne hat she wore to the
morning's church service, and her children were dressed in matching outfits.
Elisabeth, who is now first in line to the Belgian throne, and Eléonore wore
similar cute red dresses and scarlet hair accessories while their brothers,
Gabriel and Emmanuel, looked equally as smart in navy blue suits.
Before appearing on the palace balcony Philippe was
officially made King of the Belgians, following his father's official
abdication at the royal residence.
"In Philippe and
Mathilde I place my trust," said Albert as he signed his act of
abdication.
"Philippe you possess a great heart and intelligence to
serve our country," added Albert, who embraced his son in a warm hug
before thanking his wife Paola for her years of support.
During his speech
Albert also gave his thanks to the numerous statesmen he has worked with during
his 20 year reign, including the Belgian Prime Minister, Elio di Rupo who sat
in the audience.
Earlier in the day Albert attended his last 'Te Deum'
ceremony as the country's monarch.
Albert II, who
announced his abdication in July, looked visibly excited as he saw signs of
thanks being held by supporters and was welcomed into the Cathedral of St
Michael and St Gudula with a round of applause.
Queen Paola wiped a
tear from her eye as she sat next to her husband for the ceremony of praise,
which takes place annually on Belgium's national day, the day significantly
been chosen for Philippe to ascend the throne.
A look at Belgium's
future King, Prince Philippe, and his family
http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2013070313336/prince-phillippe-princess-mathilde-family/
Following his father King Albert II of Belgium's
announcement that he will abdicate, HELLO! Online takes a look at Belgium's
future king Crown Prince Philippe and his family.
Aged 53, Philippe is older brother to Princess Astrid and
Prince Laurent.
The prospective monarch married Crown Princess Mathilde of Belgium,
daughter of Belgian aristocracy, in December 1999. They have four children
together: Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess
Eleonore.
Philippe is currently a trade ambassador for his country and
frequently travels overseas to to promote their fine produce.
Princess Mathilde is also a respected representative of Belgium, taking
part at the annual World Economic Forum every year since 2007. She has been the
Honorary President of Unicef Belgium
since 2009.
The pair met while at playing tennis at university. The
couple enjoy active holidays to keep their brood of four occupied.
The family are always well turned out and often colour-coordinate
their clothes, with their sons and daughters sometimes wearing matching
outfits.