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Philippe of Belgium

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Philippe
The King on 22 May 2019
King of the Belgians
Reign21 July 2013 – present
PredecessorAlbert II
Heiress apparentElisabeth
Prime MinistersElio Di Rupo
Charles Michel
Sophie Wilmès
Alexander De Croo
Born (1960-04-15) 15 April 1960 (age 64)
Belvédère Castle, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1999)​
Issue
Detail
Names
Template:Lang-nl
Template:Lang-fr
Template:Lang-de
HouseBelgium (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha branch)
FatherAlbert II of Belgium
MotherPaola Ruffo di Calabria
ReligionRoman Catholicism

Philippe or Filip[a] (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈfi.lɪp], French pronunciation: [filip], Template:Lang-nl, Template:Lang-fr, Template:Lang-de; born 15 April 1960) is King of the Belgians. He is the eldest child of King Albert II and Queen Paola. He succeeded his father upon the latter's abdication for health reasons on 21 July 2013. He married Jonkvrouw Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz in 1999, with whom he has four children. Their eldest child, Princess Elisabeth, is first in the line of succession.

Early life

Philippe was born on 15 April 1960 during the reign of his uncle, King Baudouin of Belgium. His father, Prince Albert, Prince of Liège (later King Albert II) was the second son of King Leopold III of Belgium and a younger brother of Baudouin. His mother, Paola, Princess of Liège (later Queen Paola), is a daughter of Italian aristocrat Fulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda. His mother descends from the French House of La Fayette, and the king is a descendant of Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette and Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles.

He was born at the Belvédère Castle in Laeken north of Brussels. He was baptised one month later at the church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg in Brussels on 17 May,[1] and named Philippe after his great-great-grandfather Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders. His godparents were his paternal grandfather, King Leopold III, and his maternal grandmother, Donna Luisa, Princess Ruffo di Calabria.[2]

Education

From 1978 to 1981, 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 took the officer's oath.[3]

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.[3] He obtained his fighter pilot's wings and his certificates as a parachutist and a commando. In 1989, he attended a series of special sessions at the Royal Higher Defence Institute. The same year, he was promoted to colonel.

In 1993 King Baudouin died in Spain, Albert became the new king, and Philippe became the new heir apparent, titled Duke of Brabant.

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.[3]

Marriage

Main article: Wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde wave to the crowds in Brussels after Philippe's swearing in as new Belgian monarch.

Philippe married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, daughter of a Walloon count of a 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, in a civil ceremony at the Brussels Town Hall and a religious ceremony at the Cathedral of Saint Michel and Saint Gudule in Brussels. They have four children:

Foreign trade

On 6 August 1993, the government named Philippe as honorary chairman of the Belgian Foreign Trade Board (BFTB). He succeeded his father, who had been honorary chairman of the BFTB since 1962. On 3 May 2003, Philippe was appointed honorary chairman of the board of the Foreign Trade Agency, replacing the BFTB.[4]

In this capacity, Philippe has headed more than 60 economic missions.[5][6] Upon his accession as seventh King of the Belgians, this role was taken over by his sister Princess Astrid.

Accession

Philippe in Antwerp, 2013

King Albert II announced on 3 July 2013 that he would abdicate in favour of Philippe on 21 July 2013.[7] Approximately one hour after King Albert II's abdication, Prince Philippe was sworn in as King of the Belgians.[8] His eldest child, Princess Elisabeth became his heir apparent and is expected to become Belgium's first queen regnant.

Reign

Philippe played a role in forming a coalition government after the 2014 Belgian federal election.[9] Political meetings with the King were moved from the Palace of Laeken to the Royal Palace of Brussels.[9] In May 2019, Philippe met with Vlaams Belang President Tom Van Grieken, the first time the party had received a royal audience.[9][10]

In 2020 Philippe announced regret for the "acts of violence and cruelty" committed in Belgian Congo.[9]

Military ranks

Philippe in 2008 as an Air Force major general.
Royal Military Academy Pilot wings Parachutist badge Commando badge
123rd TAW (1978–1981) 9 July 1982 28 October 1982 17 December 1982
1980 1983 1989 2001 2010 2013

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Personal Standard of Philippe, King of the Belgians
  • 15 April 1960 – 9 August 1993: His Royal Highness Prince Philippe of Belgium
  • 9 August 1993 – 21 July 2013: His Royal Highness The Duke of Brabant
  • 21 July 2013 – present: His Majesty The King of the Belgians

National honours

Ribbon bar Honour Date
Grand Master of the Order of Leopold 21 July 2013
Grand Master of the Order of the African Star 21 July 2013
Grand Master of the Royal Order of the Lion 21 July 2013
Grand Master of the Order of the Crown 21 July 2013
Grand Master of the Order of Leopold II 21 July 2013

Foreign honours

Ribbon bar Country Honour Date
Ribbon bar of the Order of the Golden Fleece Austria Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece 29 November 2008[11]
Argentina Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín 6 May 1994[11]
Bolivia Grand Cross of the Order of the Condor of the Andes 9 September 1996[11]
Denmark Knight of the Order of the Elephant 28 May 2002[11][12]
Finland Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose 30 March 2004[11]
France Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honour 6 February 2014
Germany Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of Germany 6 March 2016
Greece Grand Cross of the Order of Honour 1 February 2005[11]
Hungary Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary 18 April 2008[11]
Japan Grand Cordon with Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum 9 October 2016
Jordan Grand Cordon with Collar of the Order of al-Hussein bin Ali 18 May 2016
Luxembourg Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau 15 March 1999[11]
Netherlands Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion 28 November 2016
Netherlands Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau 6 May 1993[11]
Netherlands Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal 30 April 2013
Norway Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav 20 May 2003[11]
Poland Knight of the Order of the White Eagle 13 October 2015
Poland Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland 18 October 2004[11]
Portugal Grand Cross of the Order of Christ 18 October 2005[11]
Portugal Grand Cross of the Order of Aviz 18 September 1997
Portugal Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry 22 October 2018
Spain Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic 16 May 2000[11]
Sweden Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim 7 May 2001[11]
Sweden Recipient of the 50th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf 30 April 1996
Sweden Recipient of the 70th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf 30 April 2016
Turkey Member of the Order of the State of Republic of Turkey 4 October 2015
Vatican City Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre 19 October 1995[11]

Arms

Coat of arms of Philippe of Belgium
Notes
In 2019 the king codified the coats of arms of himself and those of his family through a Royal Decree. The arms of the reigning monarch was modified to include the Saxonian escutcheon. The arms of other members of the royal family was similarly modified.[13][14] The reinstatement of the shield of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha into the royal arms occurred shortly after the visit of the king and queen to the ancestral Friedenstein Castle. The latest royal decree therefore reverses previous changes made to the Royal versions of the coat arms which removed the armorial bearings of Saxony during the First World War.[15] By including the three official languages in the motto it reflects his wish "to be the King of the whole Kingdom and of all Belgians".[16]
Adopted
12 July 2019
Coronet
Royal crown of Belgium
Helm
A golden royal helm with the visor open
Escutcheon
Sable, a lion rampant or, armed and langued gules (Belgium), on the shoulder an escutcheon barry of ten sable and or, a crancelin vert (Wettin), with two crossed sceptres (a hand of justice and a lion) or behind a shield.
Supporters
Two lions guardant proper each supporting a lance or with two National Flags of Belgium (Tierced per pale Sable, Or and Gules).
Motto
Template:Lang-fr
Template:Lang-nl
Template:Lang-de
Orders
Order of Leopold
Other elements
The whole is placed on a mantle purpure with ermine lining, fringes and tassels or and ensigned with the Royal crown of Belgium.
Previous versions
Previously as monarch, Philippe used the royal coat of arms of Belgium undifferenced.

Ancestry

See also: Kings of Belgium family tree

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Alternatively Filip in Dutch, and Philipp in German

References

  1. ^ J.M. (8 May 2001). "Le baptême en l'église royale..." dh.be (in French). Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  2. ^ "Prince Philippe : la ligne du temps d'une vie passée devant les caméras". RTBF.be (in French). Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "The Belgian Monarchy". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  4. ^ "The Belgian Monarchy". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  5. ^ Agence pour le Commerce extérieur, Missions antérieures Archived 10 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Official Royal Website Archives". Monarchie.be. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  7. ^ Price, Matthew (3 July 2013). "Belgium's King Albert II announces abdication". BBC News. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  8. ^ "Belgium's King Albert II gives up throne to son". CNN. 21 July 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d Moens, Barbara; Gijs, Camille (6 July 2020). "Of race and royalty: How the king surprised Belgium". Politico.
  10. ^ "Belgian far-right leader in landmark audience with the king". The Public's Radio. Associated Press. 29 May 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Biographies of Members of the Belgian Senate" (PDF). Belgian Senate. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  12. ^ "Modtagere af danske dekorationer". kongehuset.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  13. ^ "Le Moniteur belge". www.ejustice.just.fgov.be. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Royal Decree of July 12, 2019". Moniteur Belge. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  15. ^ Philippe, Koning der Belgen (12 July 2019). "Koninklijk besluit houdende vaststelling van het wapen van het Koninklijk Huis en van zijn leden" (PDF). Belgisch Staatsblad. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  16. ^ "Belgian royal coat of arms gets a 'modern' update". Brussel Times. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
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Philippe of Belgium
Born: 15 April 1960
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of the Belgians
2013–present 		Incumbent
Heir apparent:
Elisabeth
Belgian royalty
Vacant
Title last held by
Baudouin 		Duke of Brabant
1993–2013 		Succeeded by
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