Princess Elisabeth of Belgium
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Princess Élisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène of Belgium (born 25 October 2001 in Anderlecht) is the eldest daughter of Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant, the heir apparent to the throne of Belgium, and his wife Princess Mathilde. Princess Elisabeth is a granddaughter of Albert II, King of the Belgians and Queen Paola.[1] She is member of the Belgian Royal Family and second in the line of succession to the Belgian throne.
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[edit] Birth and baptism
Elisabeth was delivered by caesarian section at 9:58 pm at the Hôpital Erasme (Eramus Hospital) in Anderlecht, Brussels. At birth, she weighed 2.9 kg (6.4 lb) and was 49.5 cm (19.5 in) long.[2]
Elisabeth was baptized on 9 December 2001 in the chapel of Ciergnon Castle in the Belgian Ardennes, by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. Her godparents are Prince Amedeo of Belgium, her cousin, and Countess Hélène d'Udekem d'Acoz, her aunt.
Her names meant the following:
- Elisabeth is for her great-great-grandmother Elisabeth of Bavaria.
- Marie is for the Virgin Mary as per tradition with Catholic Royalty.
- Hélène is for her maternal aunt and godmother Countess Hélène d'Udekem d'Acoz.
She has two younger brothers, Prince Gabriel and Prince Emmanuel, and a younger sister, Princess Eléonore.
[edit] Future monarch
Ten years prior to Elisabeth's birth, a new act of succession was put into effect which created full lineal primogeniture, meaning that despite having two younger brothers, Elisabeth, as the eldest child, comes first in the line of succession. If she ascends the throne, she will be Belgium's first ever queen regnant.[3]
The eldest son of the heir apparent was traditionally titled 'Count of Hainaut' (French: Comte de Hainaut, Dutch: Graaf van Henegouwen). It was therefore expected that a new royal decree would be issued, granting the title of Countess of Hainaut to Princess Elisabeth. A royal decree was indeed issued, but, despite all predictions, it didn't grant her the title, but abolished it, because the French "Hainaut" was not considered linguistically neutral.
Through her father, Elisabeth is descended from both Italian nobility and several prominent royal families, including the Coburgs, as well as the French Orléans, Danish, Swedish and Bavarian royal houses. Through her mother, she is related to many famous Polish noble, magnate families, such as the Czartoryski, Lubomirski, Radziwiłł, Zamoyski, Sanguszko, Tyszkiewicz houses. As a descendant of the Czartoryski and Sanguszko princes, she is related to the Gediminids, has connections to the Jagiellon royal dynasty, (which reigned in Poland, Lithuania, Hungary and Bohemia) as well as connections to various Russian princely families, such as Galitzines and Trubetskoy.
[edit] Education and royal duties
Princess Elisabeth is currently a student at Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in Marolles, Brussels, which was attended previously by her older cousins, the children of her aunt Princess Astrid. This is a significant change in the habits of the royal family, as it is the first time that a future Belgian monarch's education has begun in Dutch. Elisabeth also attends dance classes conducted in Dutch at the Municipal Music Academy in Asse, in Flemish Brabant.
The princess attended her first official royal duty in 2006 when she was present at the Te Deum in honour of Belgian National Day. In 2007, she accompanied her father to the opening of a Science Museum.[4][5] She also attended the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition and the presentation at the Royal Palace of a model of the Belgian Antarctic station which bears her name, the Princess Elisabeth Base.[6]
[edit] Arms
Dr. Gustaaf Janssens, Archivist of the Royal Palace, confirms that HRH Princess Elisabeth's coat of arms as Princess of Belgium consist of the gold lion on a black background on a lozenge ensigned with the royal crown.
[edit] Ancestry
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium
- ^ Princesse/Prinses Elisabeth de/van Belgique/België
- ^ The Cross of Laeken: Princess Elisabeth of Belgium
- ^ Princess Elisabeth of Belgium enjoys herself at science museum at The Insider
- ^ Elisabeth does a Bob the Builder at science museum
- ^ Belgian Antarctic Research Station – Princess Elisabeth Station: – First zero emission station
[edit] External links
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Princess Elisabeth of Belgium
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 25 October 2001 |
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| Belgian royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant |
Line of succession to the Belgian Throne 2nd position |
Succeeded by Prince Gabriel of Belgium |
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