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Albert II (born Stuyvenberg Castle, Brussels, 6 June 1934) is the current King of the Belgians and a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the second son of the late King Leopold III (1901-1983) and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden (1905-1935). He ascended to the throne in 1993, upon the death of his older brother, Baudouin. His godparents were Prince Felix of Luxembourg and his paternal grandmother, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. He is the first cousin of King Harald V of Norway , Princess Astrid of Norway, and Princess Ragnhild of Norway.
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Albert's full name is Albert Félix Humbert Théodore Christian Eugène Marie in French, Albert Felix Humbert Theodoor Christiaan Eugène Marie in Dutch, and Albert Felix Humbert Theodor Christian Eugen Maria in German.
Prince Albert was sent to the Swiss private school Institut Le Rosey for his pre-university education. He succeeded his elder brother, Baudouin I, as king, taking the constitutional oath on 9 August 1993, becoming the oldest king in Belgian history to ascend to the throne (at age 59). Before his accession he was known as the Prince of Liège, a title created for him the day after his birth; he had been heir presumptive to the Belgian throne since 1951. He also served in the Belgian Navy between 1953 and 1958.
He is the 1,292nd Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Austria and the 1,191st Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain in 1994.
He married, in Brussels, on 2 July 1959, Princess Donna Paola Margherita Maria Antonia Consiglia Ruffo di Calabria (born 1937). She is the daughter of Principe Don Fulco Ruffo di Calabria, Duca di Guardia Lombarda and his wife, Countess Luisa Gazelli di Rossana e di Sebastiano (1896-1989).
He and the Queen have three children:
The Belgian press considers, without formal proof, that The King also has an illegitimate daughter, Delphine Boël (born 1968). Her mother is a Belgian aristocrat, Sybille, Baroness de Selys Longchamps (ex-Madame Jacques Boël). Boël, a sculptor living in Brussels, has 2 children, Joséphine O'Hare and Oscar O'Hare, by her American companion, James O'Hare.
Albert's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son.
Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that if Albert II were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Wettin, as all his male-line ancestors have been of that house.
House of Wettin
 Albert II with Queen Paola of Belgium, Prince Henrik of Denmark, Bernadette Chirac, President Jorge Sampaio of Portugal, George W. Bush and Laura Bush, President Arnold Rüütel of Estonia, and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines at the funeral of Pope John Paul II. |
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Albert II of Belgium
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 6 June 1934 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Baudouin |
King of the Belgians 1993 – present |
Incumbent Heir: Philippe, Duke of Brabant |
| Belgian royalty | ||
| New title | Prince of Liège 1934 – 1993 |
became King Title dissolved
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| Titles in pretence | ||
| Preceded by Prince Umberto of Bulgaria |
Line of succession to the throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 33th position |
Succeeded by Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant |
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