Philippe of Belgium

King of the Belgians since 2013

Philippe

King Philippe in 2021

King of the Belgians
Reign| 21 July 2013 – present
Predecessor| Albert II
Heiress apparent| Elisabeth
Prime Ministers| Elio Di Rupo
Charles Michel
Sophie Wilmès
Alexander De Croo

Born|  (1960-04-15) 15 April 1960 (age 63)
Belvédère Château, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Spouse|

Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz

(m. 1999)​

Issue
Detail|

* Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant
* Prince Gabriel
* Prince Emmanuel
* Princess Eléonore

| Names

Dutch: Filip Leopold Lodewijk Maria
French: Philippe Léopold Louis Marie
German: Philipp Leopold Ludwig Maria
House| Belgium
Father| Albert II of Belgium
Mother| Paola Ruffo di Calabria
Religion| Roman Catholicism
Signature|

Belgian royal family

* The King
The Queen
* The Duchess of Brabant
* Prince Gabriel
* Prince Emmanuel
* Princess Eléonore

King Albert II
Queen Paola

* Princess Astrid
Prince Lorenz
* Prince Amedeo
Princess Elisabetta
* Princess Maria Laura
* Prince Joachim
* Princess Luisa Maria
* Princess Laetitia Maria
* Prince Laurent
Princess Claire
* Princess Louise
* Prince Nicolas
* Prince Aymeric
* Princess Delphine
* Princess Joséphine
* Prince Oscar

* Princess Léa
* Princess Marie-Christine, Mrs Gourges
* Princess Marie-Esméralda, Lady Moncada

* v
* t
* e

Philippe[a] (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 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[edit]

Philippe was born on 15 April 1960 at the Belvédère Château in Laeken, northern Brussels. 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 the 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.[citation needed]

Philippe was baptised one month later at the Church of St. James on 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]

Albert and Paola's marriage was unhappy, and they were usually absent from Philippe's life. The child neglect was so severe that child psychologist Peter Adriaenssens [nl] described it as justifying intervention by social workers.[3]

Philippe has a half-sibling, Princess Delphine of Belgium (born 1968).

He was also the fifth cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II since they share a common ancestor, Francis (he was the grandfather of Queen Victoria and one of his sons, Leopold I would become the first King of the Belgians). Queen Elizabeth II and King Philippe had been 3rd cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark.

## Education[edit]

As a child the future king was required to move from a French-language school which he liked to a secondary school in Flanders, where he found it difficult to make friends. "In my youth, I had many problems at school", Philippe told teenage dropouts in 2019. "I felt badly treated. It was not easy for me".[3] From 1978 to 1981, Philippe was educated at the Belgian Royal Military Academy in the 118th "Promotion Toutes Armes" (Promotion All Weapons). On 26 September 1980, he was appointed second lieutenant and took the officer's oath.[4]

Philippe 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.[4] 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, Philippe 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.[4]

## Marriage[edit]

Main article: Wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde wave to crowds in Brussels after his swearing in as the 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 who were all born at Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht, Brussels:

* Princess Elisabeth (born 25 Oct 2001)
* Prince Gabriel (born 20 Aug 2003)
* Prince Emmanuel (born 04 Oct 2005)
* Princess Eléonore (born 16 April 2008)

## Foreign trade[edit]

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, he was appointed honorary chairman of the board of the Foreign Trade Agency, replacing the BFTB.[5]

In this capacity, Philippe has headed more than 60 economic missions.[6][7] Upon his accession as seventh King of the Belgians, this role was taken over by his sister Princess Astrid.

## Reign[edit]

Philippe in Antwerp, 2013

King Albert II announced on 3 July 2013 that he would abdicate in favour of Philippe on 21 July 2013.[8] Approximately one hour after King Albert II's abdication, Prince Philippe was sworn in as King of the Belgians.[9] His eldest child, Princess Elisabeth, became his heir apparent and is expected to become Belgium's first queen regnant.

Philippe played a role in forming a coalition government after the 2014 Belgian federal election.[10] Political meetings with the King were moved from the Palace of Laeken to the Royal Palace of Brussels.[10] In May 2019, Philippe met with Vlaams Belang President Tom Van Grieken, the first time the party had received a royal audience.[10][11]

In 2020, Philippe announced regret for the "acts of violence and cruelty" committed in the Congo Free State.[10]

## Honours and arms[edit]

Personal Standard of Philippe, King of the Belgians

### National honours[edit]

* 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[edit]

* Argentina: Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín (6 May 1994)[12]
* Austria: Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (21 March 2022)
* Bolivia: Grand Cross of the Order of the Condor of the Andes (9 September 1996)[12]
* Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant (28 May 2002)[12][13]
* Finland: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (30 March 2004)[12]
* France: Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (6 February 2014)
* Germany: Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (6 March 2016)
* Greece:
* Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer (2 May 2022)[14]
* Grand Cross of the Order of Honour (1 February 2005)[12]
* Holy See: Knight of the Collar of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (17 November 2015)[15]
* Hungary: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (18 April 2008)[12]
* Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (25 October 2021)[16][17]
* Japan: Collar and Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum (9 October 2016)
* Jordan: Collar of the Order of al-Hussein bin Ali (18 May 2016)
* Lithuania: Grand Cross with Golden Chain of the Order of Vytautas the Great (24 October 2022)[18]
* Luxembourg: Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (15 March 1999)[12]
* Netherlands:
* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (28 November 2016)
* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau (6 May 1993)[12]
* Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal (30 April 2013)
* Norway: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (20 May 2003)[12]
* Oman: Member of the Order of Oman (3 February 2022)[19]
* Poland:
* Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (13 October 2015)
* Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (18 October 2004)[12]
* Portugal:
* Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (22 October 2018)
* Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ (18 October 2005)[12]
* Grand Cross of the Military Order of Aviz (18 September 1997)
* Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (16 May 2000)[12]
* Sweden:
* Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (7 May 2001)[12]
* Recipient of the 50th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (30 April 1996)
* 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)

### Arms[edit]

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.[20][21] 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.[22] 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".[23]
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
French: L'union fait la force
Dutch: Eendracht maakt macht
German: Einigkeit macht stark
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[edit]

See also: Kings of Belgium family tree

Ancestors of Philippe of Belgium

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 8\. Albert I of Belgium

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| 4\. Leopold III of Belgium|

|  |  |
| 9\. Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria

| 2\. Albert II of Belgium|

|  |  |  |  |
| 10\. Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland

| 5\. Princess Astrid of Sweden|

|  |  |
| 11\. Princess Ingeborg of Denmark

| 1\. Philippe of Belgium|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 12\. Fulco VII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria

| 6\. Fulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria|

|  |  |
| 13\. Laura Mosselman du Chenoy

| 3\. Paola Ruffo di Calabria|

|  |  |  |  |
| 14\. Augusto Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana

| 7\. Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana e di Sebastiano|

|  |  |
| 15\. Maria dei Conti Rignon

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## See also[edit]

* Biography portal
* Belgium portal

* Line of succession to the Belgian throne
* Prince Philippe Fund

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ French: Philippe Léopold Louis Marie [filip leɔpɔld lwi maʁi]; Dutch: Filip Leopold Lodewijk Maria [ˈfilɪp ˈleːjoːpɔlt ˈloːdəʋɛik maːˈrijaː]

## References[edit]

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 Moens, Barbara (21 July 2022). "Belgian king prepares to hand his daughter the curse of the crown". Politico. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
4. ^ a b c "The Belgian Monarchy". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
5. ^ "The Belgian Monarchy". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
6. ^ Agence pour le Commerce extérieur, Missions antérieures Archived 10 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine
7. ^ "Official Royal Website Archives". Monarchie.be. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
8. ^ Price, Matthew (3 July 2013). "Belgium's King Albert II announces abdication". BBC News. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
9. ^ "Belgium's King Albert II gives up throne to son". CNN. 21 July 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
10. ^ a b c d Moens, Barbara; Gijs, Camille (6 July 2020). "Of race and royalty: How the king surprised Belgium". Politico.
11. ^ "Belgian far-right leader in landmark audience with the king". The Public's Radio. Associated Press. 29 May 2019.
12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Biographies of Members of the Belgian Senate" (PDF). Belgian Senate. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
13. ^ "Modtagere af danske dekorationer". kongehuset.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 5 May 2019.
14. ^ "Συνάντηση με τον Βασιλιά και την Βασίλισσα των Βέλγων – Προεδρία της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας".
15. ^ "Le Roi et la Reine sont devenus chevaliers de collier". Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
16. ^ Sito web del Quirinale: dettaglio decorato.
17. ^ "President Mattarella receives the King of the Belgians". twitter.com. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
18. ^ "Lithuanian president confers state awards to King and Queen of Belgium ahead of visit".
19. ^ "Order of Oman for the King of the Belgians". twitter.com. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
20. ^ "Le Moniteur belge". www.ejustice.just.fgov.be. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
21. ^ "Royal Decree of July 12, 2019". Moniteur Belge. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
22. ^ 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.
23. ^ "Belgian royal coat of arms gets a 'modern' update". Brussel Times. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.

## External links[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Philippe of Belgium.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Philippe of Belgium.

* Official biography from the Belgian Royal Family website
* DHnet Article (French) about Prince Philippe's education and military career.

Philippe of Belgium

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Born: 15 April 1960

Belgian royalty
Vacant

Title last held by

Baudouin |  Duke of Brabant
1993–2013  | Succeeded by

Elisabeth

Regnal titles
Preceded by

Albert II

|  King of the Belgians
2013–present  | Incumbent
Heir apparent:
Elisabeth

* v
* t
* e

Monarchs of Belgium

* Baron Surlet de Chokier (Regent)
* Leopold I
* Leopold II
* Albert I
* Leopold III
* Charles (Prince Regent)
* Baudouin
* Albert II
* Philippe

* v
* t
* e

Dukes and Duchesses of Brabant

* Leopold (1840–1865)
* Leopold (1865–1869)
* Leopold (1909–1934)
* Baudouin (1934–1951)
* Philippe (1993–2013)
* Elisabeth (2013–present)

Coat of arms of Duke of Brabant

* v
* t
* e

Belgian royal princes

Generations are numbered by descent from King Leopold I of Belgium.

1st generation|

* Crown Prince Louis-Philippe
* King Leopold II
* Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders

2nd generation|

* Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant
* Prince Baudouin
* King Albert I

3rd generation|

* King Leopold III
* Prince Charles, Count of Flanders

4th generation|

* King Baudouin
* King Albert II
* Prince Alexandre

5th generation|

* King Philippe
* Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este*
* Prince Laurent

6th generation|

* Prince Gabriel
* Prince Emmanuel
* Prince Amedeo*
* Prince Joachim*

*The  Royal Decree of 2 December 1991 gave titles to husbands and children of any Princess of Belgium by birth

* v
* t
* e

Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Forefather|

Duke Francis I*

1st generation|

* Duke Ernest I*
* Prince Ferdinand*
* King Leopold I of the Belgians*

2nd generation|

| Ducal|

* Duke Ernest II*
* Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom*

|

Koháry|

* King Ferdinand II of Portugal and the Algarves*
* Prince August*
* Prince Leopold*

Belgium|

* Crown Prince Louis Philippe
* King Leopold II
* Prince Philippe

3rd generation|

| United Kingdom|

* King Edward VII
* Duke Alfred I
* Prince Arthur
* Prince Leopold

|

Portugal|

* King Pedro V
* King Luís I
* Infante João
* Infante Fernando
* Infante Augusto

Koháry|

* Prince Philipp
* Prince Ludwig August
* Tsar Ferdinand I of the Bulgarians

Belgium|

* Prince Leopold
* Prince Baudouin
* King Albert I

4th generation|

| United Kingdom|

* Prince Albert Victor
* King George V
* Hereditary Prince Alfred
* Prince Arthur
* Duke Charles Edward I

|

Portugal|

* King Carlos I
* Infante Afonso

Koháry|

* Prince Leopold Clement
* Prince Pedro Augusto
* Prince August Leopold
* Prince Joseph Ferdinand
* Prince Ludwig Gaston

Bulgaria|

* Tsar Boris III
* Prince Kiril

Belgium|

* King Leopold III
* Prince Charles

5th generation|

| United Kingdom|

* King Edward VIII
* King George VI
* Prince Henry
* Prince George
* Prince John
* Prince Alastair

|

Ducal|

* Hereditary Prince Johann Leopold
* Prince Hubertus
* Prince Friedrich Josias

Portugal|

* Prince Luís Filipe
* King Manuel II

Koháry|

* Prince Rainer
* Prince Philipp

Bulgaria|

* Tsar Simeon II

Belgium|

* King Baudouin I
* King Albert II
* Prince Alexandre

6th generation|

| Ducal|

* Prince Andreas

|

Koháry|

* Prince Johannes Heinrich

Bulgaria|

* Prince Kardam
* Prince Kyril

Belgium|

* King Philippe I
* Prince Laurent

7th generation|

| Ducal|

Prince Hubertus

|

Bulgaria|

* Prince Boris

Belgium|

* Prince Gabriel
* Prince Emmanuel
* Prince Nicolas
* Prince Aymeric

*Titled as Princes of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld before 11 February 1826

* v
* t
* e

Current monarchs of sovereign states

Africa|

* Mswati III
* Letsie III
* Mohammed VI

Americas|

* Charles III

Asia|

* Hamad
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Europe|

* Joan Enric Vives i Sicília and Emmanuel Macron
* Philippe
* Frederik X
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Oceania|

* Charles III
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* See also: Current heirs of sovereign monarchies

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Heads of state of the European Union member states

* Van der Bellen
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EU portal

Authority control databases

International|

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National|

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People|

* Deutsche Biographie

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