Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este
Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, Duchess of Modena, Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia (Astrid Joséphine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Marie), styled Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Astrid, (born Château de Belvédère, nr Laeken, June 5, 1962) is a daughter and second child of King Albert II and his wife Queen Paola of Belgium. Her godparents were Prince Don Fabrizio Ruffo di Calabria and her aunt Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.
Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, the head of the Ducal House of Este, on 22 September 1984 at Brussels. He is the eldest son of the late Archduke Robert of Austria-Este (1915—1996), and his wife Princess Margherita of Savoy, born in 1930.
Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz have five children, who bear the surname "of Belgium" (in each of the three official languages) as members of the Belgian royal family:
- HI&RH Prince Amedeo, Archduke of Austria-Este (b. 1986)
- HI&RH Princess Maria Laura, Archduchess of Austria-Este (b. 1988)
- HI&RH Prince Joachim, Archduke of Austria-Este (b. 1991)
- HI&RH Princess Luisa Maria, Archduchess of Austria-Este (b. 1995)
- HI&RH Princess Laetitia Maria, Archduchess of Austria-Este (b. 2003)
Her husband was created Prince of Belgium by Royal Decree of November 10, 1995 and now her children bear the titles "Prince(ss) of Belgium, Archduke (Archduchess) of Austria-Este, Prince(ss) Imperial of Austria, Prince(ss) Royal of Hungary and Bohemia".
Princess Astrid was formerly President of the Belgian Red Cross, a position which ended on December 31, 2007. She declined to stand again for election to the role in light of internal struggles in the organization in reconciling its French-speaking and Belgian branches, each of which seeks greater autonomy. The Princess is also a Colonel in the Medical Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. She lives with her family in Brussels.
Ancestry
External links
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Last updated on Friday October 10, 2008 at 07:58:28 PDT (GMT -0700)
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