Prince Lorenz of Belgium
| His Imperial and Royal Highness | |
| The Archduke of Austria-Este | |
|---|---|
| |
| Prince Lorenz at the wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden in 2010 | |
| Born | 16 December 1955 Belvedere Clinic, Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France |
| Spouse | |
| Issue |
|
| Full name | |
| Lorenz Otto Carl Amadeus Thadeus Maria Pius Andreas Marcus d'Aviano | |
| House | Habsburg-Lorraine (by birth) Belgium (by marriage) |
| Father | Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este |
| Mother | Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta |
Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este (Given names: Lorenz Otto Carl Amadeus Thadeus Maria Pius Andreas Marcus d'Aviano; born 16 December 1955) is a prince of Belgium and a member of the Belgian royal family as the husband of Princess Astrid of Belgium. He is the head of the Este branch House of Habsburg-Lorraine; he has held this position since 1996.
Early life[edit]
Prince Lorenz was born at Belvedere Clinic in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France as the second child and eldest son of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este, and his wife, Archduchess Margaret (née Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta). He is the grandson of Charles I of Austria, the last Emperor of Austria.
He and his uncle, Carl Ludwig, complained about the constitutional provision that prohibited members of the former ruling dynasty from running in the Austrian presidential elections, and the terms under which their family was banished from the country. Their subsequent appeal to the European Commission for Human Rights was ruled inadmissible by the court.[1] Further, in June 2011, the Habsburg Law was repealed by the Austrian Parliament.
Marriage[edit]
On 22 September 1984, at Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon in Brussels, Prince Lorenz married Princess Astrid of Belgium, the only daughter of the then-Prince and Princess of Liège, later Albert II of Belgium King Albert II and Queen Paola. The couple has five children: Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Hereditary Archduke of Austria-Este ,Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este , Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este, Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este Princess Laetitia Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este Prince Lorenz is the godfather to Prince Carl-Johan of Nassau, youngest child of Prince Jean of Luxembourg, and Count Costantino Secco di Aragona, the oldest son of his cousin, Archduchess Catharina-Maria of Austria.
Patronages[edit]
Since 2004, Lorenz has served as the honorary president of the Council of the Koninklijke Vereniging der Historische Woonsteden van België/Association Royale des Demeures Historiques de Belgique.[2] Since 2005, he has also served as the Patron of Europae Thesauri, an association of European cathedral and church treasuries.[3]
Lorenz also served as deputy chairman of the Société des Amis of the Almanach de Gotha.[4] In 2015, he was named a member of the Royal Crown Council of Romania.[5]
Title[edit]
The title Prince of Belgium was granted to him by royal decree on 10 November 1995 by his father-in-law, King Albert II of Belgium. The Belgian monarchy refers to him as the Archduke of Austria-Este.[6]
Title and Styles
16 December 1955-10 November 1995: His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia and Croatia
10 November 1995-7 February 1996: His Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este
7 February 1996-present His Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Lorenz of Belgium, The Archduke of Austria-Este, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Prince of Modena
National Honours[edit]
- House of Habsburg-Este: Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Eagle of Este
- House of Habsburg: 1,285 Knight of the Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece
- Belgium:Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold I
Foreign Honors
- Germany: Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Luxembourg: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau
- Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
- Montenegrin Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Danilo
- Norway: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
- Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry
- Romania Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Crown
- Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit
- Sweden: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star
Military ranks[edit]
- 1980– : Austrian Armed Forces, Lieutenant as Reserve Officer
References[edit]
- ↑ Decision made on 14 December 1989; case number 15344/89
- ↑ Association Royale des Demeures Historiques de Belgique: Conseil d'Administration Archived 15 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Goosse, Georges. "Membres - Europae Thesauri". europaethesauri.eu.
- ↑ Almanach de Gotha, Société des Amis de l'Almanach de Gotha
- ↑ "EXCLUSIV: Personaj CHEIE, dat afară din Casa Regală a României - Flux24.ro". 2 March 2016.
- ↑ "Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz". Official website of the Belgian Monarchy. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
External links[edit]
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