BURIAL CHURCH OF BELGIAN SOVEREIGNS

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BRUSSELS (BELGIUM)
BURIED IN THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF LAKEN
(Bruxelles, l'église N. D. de Laeken, Parvis Notre Dame;
Brussel, Kerk van O. L. V. van Laken, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwvoorplein):

01. King LEOPOLD I (+1865)
02. Queen LOUISE OF ORLÉANS (+1850), wife of King Leopold I
03. King LEOPOLD II (+1909)
04. Queen MARIA HENRIETTA OF AUSTRIA (+1902), consort of King Leopold II
05. King ALBERT I (+1934)
06. Queen ELIZABETH OF BAVARIA (+1965), wife of King Albert I
07. King LEOPOLD III (+1983)
08. Queen ASTRID OF SWEDEN (+1935), wife of King Leopold III
09. King BALDWIN (+1993)
10. Queen FABIOLA (+2014), consort of King Baldwin

LIST OF BELGIAN SOVEREIGNS FROM 1831

KINGDOM OF BELGIUM FROM 1830/31:
HOUSE OF SAXE-COBURG
1831-1865: LEOPOLD I
Born in 1790 in Coburg.
Father: Duke Francis I of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Mother: Duchess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf.
Married firstly in 1816 in London Princess Charlotte of Great Britain (*1796 London,+1817 London).
Married secondly in 1832 in Compiègne/France Princess LOUISE MARIE of Orléans (*1812 Palermo,+1850 Ostende).
He was never crowned.
His issue who reigned:
-LEOPOLD II (*1835,+1909; son of Louise-Marie),
-Charlotte (*1840,+1927; Empress of Mexico; daughter of Louise-Marie).
Died in 1865 in Laken.
Buried with his Queen Louise Marie in the Church of Our Lady of Laken in Brussels-Laken.
His first wife Princess Charlotte of Wales was buried in St George's Chapel in Windsor (England).

1865-1909: LEOPOLD II
Born in 1835 in Brussels.
Father: King Leopold I of the Belgians.
Mother: Queen Louise-Marie of Orléans.
Married in 1853 in Brussels Archduchess MARIA HENRIETTA of Austria (*1836 Buda,+1902 Spa).
He was never crowned.
Died in 1909 in Laken.
Buried with his Queen Maria Henrietta in the Church of Our Lady of Laken in Brussels-Laken.

1909-1934: ALBERT I
Born in 1875 in Brussels.
Father: Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders.
Mother: Princess Marie of Hohenzollern.
Married in 1900 in Munich Duchess ELIZABETH of Bavaria (*1876 Possenhofen,+1965 Brussels).
He was never crowned.
His issue who reigned:
-LEOPOLD III (*1901,+1983),
-Marie-Jose (*1906,+2001; Queen of Italy).
Died in 1934 in Marche-les-Dames near Namur.
Buried with his Queen Elizabeth in the Church of Our Lady of Laken in Brussels-Laken.

1934-1951: LEOPOLD III
Born in 1901 in Brussels.
Father: King Albert I of the Belgians.
Mother: Queen Elizabeth of Bavaria.
Married firstly in 1926 in Stockholm (Protestant ceremony) and in Brussels (Catholic ceremony) Princess ASTRID of Sweden (*1905 Stockholm,+1935 Küssnacht am Rigi, Switzerland).
Married secondly in 1941 in Laken Mary Lilian Baels (*1916 London,+2002 Waterloo; from 1941 Princess Lilian).
He was never crowned.
His issue who reigned:
-Josephine-Charlotte (*1927,+2005; Grand Duchess of Luxembourg; daughter of Astrid),
-BALDWIN (*1930,+1993; son of Astrid),
-ALBERT II (*1934; son of Astrid).
Exiled 1944-1950 in Austria and Switzerland. Abdicated in 1951 in Brussels.
Died in 1983 in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert near Brussels.
Buried with his Queen Astrid and Princess Lilian in the Church of Our Lady of Laken in Brussels-Laken.

1951-1993: BALDWIN (Boudewijn/Baudouin)
Born in 1930 in Laken near Brussels.
Father: King Leopold III of the Belgians.
Mother: Queen Astrid of Sweden.
Married in 1960 in Brussels Doña FABIOLA Mora y Aragón (*1928 Madrid,+2014 Brussels).
He was never crowned.
Died in 1993 in Motril (Spain).
Buried with his Queen Fabiola in the Church of Our Lady of Laken in Brussels-Laken.

1993-2013: ALBERT II
Born in 1934 in Laken near Brussels.
Father: King Leopold III of the Belgians.
Mother: Queen Astrid of Sweden.
Married in 1959 in Brussels PAOLA Ruffo di Calabria (*1937 Forte dei Marmi).
He was never crowned. Abdicated in 2013 in Brussels.
His issue who reigned: PHILIP (*1960).

FROM 2013: PHILIP (Filip/Philippe)
Born in 1960 in Laken near Brussels.
Father: King Albert II of the Belgians.
Mother: Queen Paola.
Married in 1999 in Brussels MATHILDE d'Udekem d'Acoz (*1973 Uccle/Ukkel).
He was never crowned.
Issue of marriage: Elisabeth (*2001), Gabriel (*2003), Emmanuel (*2005), Eléonore (2008).

TOMBS OF BELGIAN SOVEREIGNS

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The tomb of King LEOPOLD I and his Queen LOUISE MARIE OF ORLÉANS in the Church of Our Lady of Laken, Brussels (Belgium)

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The tomb of King LEOPOLD II and his Queen MARIA HENRIETTA OF AUSTRIA in the Church of Our Lady of Laken, Brussels (Belgium)

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The tomb of King ALBERT I and his Queen ELIZABETH OF BAVARIA in the Church of Our Lady of Laken, Brussels (Belgium)

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The tomb of King LEOPOLD III and his Queen ASTRID OF SWEDEN in the Church of Our Lady of Laken, Brussels (Belgium)

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The tomb of King BALDWIN (Baudouin) and his Queen FABIOLA in the Church of Our Lady of Laken, Brussels (Belgium)

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FOREIGN ROYAL BURIALS IN BELGIUM

AFFLIGEM:
Adeliza of Louvain, Queen of England, consort of King Henry I
LEUVEN/LOUVAIN:
Mary of Brabant, Empress and German Queen, consort of King and Emperor Otto IV

THE BELGIAN REGALIA

The coronation was never introduced in the Kingdom of Belgium. The kings usually take an oath before the Belgian Parliament, which serves as the act of their official accession to the throne of Belgium. The Kingdom of Belgium never had its own regalia, although the Queen of the Belgians had a personal crown made for her in the 19th century.

01. Belgian royal standard until 1909.
02. Belgian royal standard since 1909. The standard of the king and the queen are identical except the royal cyphers in the corners:
A for kings Albert I, Albert II and Queen Astrid (King Leopold III’s consort)
B for King Baldwin
E for Queen Elizabeth (King Albert I’s consort)
F for Queen Fabiola (King Baldwin’s consort)
FP for King Philip
L for King Leopold III
M for Queen Matilda (King Philip’s consort)
P for Paola (King Albert II’s consort).





Select Bibliography

Burke's Royal Families of the World, vol. I: Europe and Latin America, London 1977
Dumont G.: La Dynastie Belge, Bruxelles 1959
De Fossa Ch. & Van Daele H.: Six Reines, Bruxelles 1996
De Fossa Ch. & Van Daele H.: Six Rois, Bruxelles 1994
Flaggenbuch, Berlin 1905
Flags of All Nations, London 1930
Flags of Maritime Nations, Washington 1899
Fogd-Pedersen Ch.: Alverdens flag i farver, København 1970 & 1979
Kannik P.: Alverdens flag i farver, København 1956
Le Gras M. A.: Album des pavillons, guidons, flammes de toutes les puissances maritimes, Paris 1858