Prince Lorenz
Archduke of Austria-Este (more)
Prince Lorenz at the wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden in 2010
Born (1955-12-16) 16 December 1955
Belvedere Clinic, Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1984)​
Issue
Names
Lorenz Otto Carl Amadeus Thadeus Maria Pius Andreas Marcus d'Aviano
HouseAustria-Este
FatherRobert, Archduke of Austria-Este
MotherPrincess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta

Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 16 December 1955) is a member of the Belgian royal family as the husband of Princess Astrid of Belgium. He is the head of the House of Austria-Este, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine; he has held this position since 1996.

Early life

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Commission for Human Rights was ruled inadmissible by the court.[1] Further, in June 2011, the Habsburg Law was repealed by the Austrian Parliament.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

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 King Albert II and Queen Paola. The couple has five children: Prince Amedeo, Princess Maria Laura, Prince Joachim, Princess Luisa Maria, and Princess Laetitia Maria. 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

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

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]

Ancestry

Honours

National

Foreign

Coat of Arms as Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit.

Military ranks

References

  1. ↑ Decision made on 14 December 1989; case number 15344/89
  2. ↑ Association Royale des Demeures Historiques de Belgique: Conseil d'Administration Archived 15 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Goosse, Georges. "Membres - Europae Thesauri". europaethesauri.eu.
  4. ↑ Almanach de Gotha, Société des Amis de l'Almanach de Gotha
  5. ↑ "EXCLUSIV: Personaj CHEIE, dat afară din Casa Regală a României - Flux24.ro". 2 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz". Official website of the Belgian Monarchy. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  7. ↑ ministere des affaires etrangeres, du commerce exterieur et de la cooperation internationale (5 April 2002). "Arrêté Royal ordres nationaux ordre de leopold par arrete royal du 20 decembre 2000 a ete nomme : grand cordon le prince lorenz, otto, carl, amedeus, prince de belgique, archiduc d'autriche-este . par arrete royal du 23 novembre 2(...) commandeur le comte de liedekerke beaufort, humbert, president honoraire de l'association de la(...)". etaamb.openjustice.be (in French). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Presidency of the Republic - Chancellery of Portuguese Honorary Orders". dre.pt.
  9. ↑ "Boletín Oficial del Estado" (PDF).
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