Princess Mathilde, Duchess of Brabant

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Princess Mathilde
Duchess of Brabant
The Duchess of Brabant on 21 July 2008, the National holiday of Belgium
Spouse Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant
Issue
Princess Elisabeth
Prince Gabriel
Prince Emmanuel
Princess Eléonore
Full name
Mathilde Marie Christine Ghislaine
House House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Father Count Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz
Mother Countess Anna Maria Komorowska
Born 20 January 1973 (1973-01-20) (age 36)
Belgian Royal Family
Greater Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg

HM The King
HM The Queen

HM Queen Fabiola
HRH Princess Léa
HRH Princess Marie-Christine
HRH Princess Marie-Esméralda
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Styles of
Princess Mathilde,
Duchess of Brabant
Coats of arms of Belgium Government.svg
Reference style Her Royal Highness
Spoken style Your Royal Highness
Alternative style Ma'am

Princess Mathilde, Duchess of Brabant (née: Ec. Jonkvrouw Mathilde Marie Christiane Ghislaine d'Udekem d'Acoz), styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Brabant, is the wife of the heir apparent to the Belgian throne, HRH Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant. Of Belgian and Polish ancestry, she is expected to be the first Belgian-born Queen consort of Belgium.

Contents

[edit] Early life and family

She was born Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz in Uccle on 20 January 1973. Though her grandfather and her uncle were barons, she and her father were members of the untitled nobility. As such, she has right to the honorific Jonkvrouw, which is roughly comparable to the British honorific "Lady".

Mathilde's father was Count (formerly Jonkheer) Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz (28 April 1936 – 25 September 2008); her mother is the former Countess Anna Maria Komorowska (born 24 September 1946 in Białogard, Poland) was a daughter of Count Leon Michael Komorowski (1907-1992) and of the Polish Princess Zofia María Sapieha of Krasiczyn, Clan Lis (1919-1997).

Mathilde is the oldest of five children. She has three younger sisters and one younger brother: Jonkvrouw Marie-Alix d'Udekem d'Acoz (born 16 September 1974 - April, 1997), Markgräfin Elisabeth von Pallavicini, née Countess d'Udekem d'Acoz (born 17 January 1977), Countess Hélene d'Udekem d'Acoz (born 22 September 1979) and Count Charles-Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz (born 13 May 1985).

On 29 March 2008, Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz, Princess Mathilde's uncle, told a Belgian newspaper that his brother, Patrick had been admitted to the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht, and was dying. The Count was in an irreversible coma and in critical condition. Henri stated this his brother had been ill since January, and his illness had gradually put him into the coma. Henri noted that Mathilde had visited her father in the hospital, as had other members of the Royal Family.[1][2] On 25 September 2008, it was announced that the Count had died, aged 72, in Ottignies.[3]

[edit] Ancestry

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 16. Baron Albert d'Udekem d'Acoz 1828-1900
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8. Baron Maximilien d'Udekem d'Acoz 1861-1921
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 17. Alice de Kerchove 1838-1877
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. Baron Charles d'Udekem d'Acoz 1885-1968
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 18. Gustave van Eyll 1830-1905
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9. Maria van Eyll 1863-1935
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 19. Marie Louise van Goethem 1834-1863
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2. Count Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz 1936-2008
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 20. Eugene van Outryve d'Ydewalle 1830-1901
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10. Clement van Outryve d'Ydewalle 1876-1942
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 21. Laurence de Serret 1836-1910
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5. Suzanne van Outryve d'Ydewalle1898-1983
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 22. Desire de Thibault de Boesinghe 1837-1909
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11. Madeleine de Thibault de Boesinghe 1876-1931
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 23. Marie Isabelle Frennelet 1843-1881
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1. Princess Mathilde, Duchess of Brabant 1973-
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 24. Count Leon Komorowski 1849-1900
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12. Count Michał Komorowski 1875-1950
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 25. Krystyna Zbijewska 1850-1916
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6. Count Leon Komorowski 1907-1992
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 26. Ambroży Zaborowski ….-1899
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 13. Maria Zaborowska 1875-1953
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 27. Countess Michalina Miączyńska 1848-….
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3. Countess Anna Komorowska 1946-
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 28. Prince Władysław Sapieha 1853-1920
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 14. Prince Adam Sapieha 1892-1970
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 29. Countess Elżbieta Potulicka 1859-1947
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7. Princess Zofia Sapieha 1919-1997
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 30. Count Michał Sobański 1858-1934
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 15. Countess Teresa Sobańska 1891-1975
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 31. Countess Ludwika Wodzicka 1857-1944
 
 
 
 
 
 

[edit] Education

Princess Mathilde attended secondary school at the Institut de la Vierge Fidèle in Brussels. She then studied speech therapy at the Institut Libre Marie Haps in Brussels from 1991 to 1994 and earned a diploma with "grande distinction" (equivalent to magna cum laude).

Mathilde then worked as a speech therapist in her own practice in Brussels from 1995 to 1999. She also studied psychology at the Université catholique de Louvain and earned a diploma in psychology with "distinction" (cum laude) in 2002.

She speaks French, Dutch, English and Italian. Her mother, who spent most of her life outside of Poland, did not teach her Polish, thinking that it would not be necessary. Therefore, Mathilde knows only a few words in Polish[4].

[edit] Marriage and children

The announcement of Mathilde's engagement to the Belgian heir-apparent, Prince Philippe, who had never been seriously linked with any woman, came as a surprise to the country. Mathilde married Prince Philippe on 4 December 1999 in Brussels, civilly at the Brussels Town Hall and religiously at the Cathedral of Saint Michel. She was then made on 8 November 1999 (published on 13 November 1999 and effective from 4 December 1999) "Princesse de Belgique".

The couple has four children:

Princess Elisabeth, the couple's eldest child, is the second-in-line to the throne behind her father and ahead of her brothers and sister, who are third-, fourth-, and fifth-in-line to succeed, owing to a change in Belgian succession laws in 1991.

Mathilde is also godmother to two Princesses: Princess Alexia of the Netherlands and Princess Isabella of Denmark.

[edit] Titles

  • Jonkvrouw Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz (1973-1999)
  • Her Royal Highness Princess Mathilde of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant, Countess d'Udekem d'Acoz (1999-present)

Before the wedding, by means of a Royal Order of 8 November 1999, Mathilde was made a Princess of Belgium in her own right. This Royal Order entered into force on the date of the wedding. The wife of a Belgian Prince used to receive this title automatically, but a special creation is now required. In addition, her father and two uncles were elevated to the rank of Count.

She gained the courtesy title Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Brabant, the style that she uses, in addition to her title of Princess of Belgium, conferred upon her before her wedding.

[edit] See also

[edit] References and external links

  1. ^ (French) RTL Info – 'Le père de la princesse Mathilde est mourant'
  2. ^ (Dutch) Vader prinses Mathilde ligt op sterven
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ Wprost Weekly, The Polish-Belgian Queen (Krolowa polsko-belgijska) 21 December-28, 2008
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