Succession to the throne (Belgium)

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The Belgian throne shall be governed by Articles 85 to 87 of the Constitution of 1994 . These comply with Articles 60 to 62 of the Constitution of 1831 , of which Articles 60 and 61 with effect from 20th / 21 July 1991 had been adopted much new.

The heir to the throne traditionally bears the title of Duke of Brabant .

Succession to the throne from 1991

Inheritance from birth

The immediate, natural (i.e. not adopted) and legitimate (i.e. not illegitimate) descendants of King Leopold I are entitled to inheritance according to the birthright. Anyone who enters into marriage without the approval of the king or regent is excluded from the line of succession. The king is entitled to a pardon in this regard, but only with the approval of both chambers of parliament.

Personnel unions

A king also needs the double-qualified approval of both chambers of parliament if he wants to be head of another state at the same time. To this end, at least two thirds of the MPs must take part in the vote and approve them with a two-thirds majority.

Transitional law

Due to transitional rights, the new rules of succession only apply to the descendants of King Albert II . The marriage of Princess Astrid, which was only accepted into the line of succession as a result, was subsequently legitimized by the same transitional law.

For descendants of Leopold I who are not descendants of Albert II, the old rule of succession from 1893 still applies. According to this, only the male line was entitled to inheritance; Women and their descendants were always excluded from the line of succession.

Heir to the throne list

This results in the following final list of heirs to the throne for the successor to the current king:

Leopold III. → Albert II → Philippe
1. Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant , Crown Princess of Belgium * October 25, 2001:
eldest child of King Philippe, fifth grandchild of King Albert II, who would become the first reigning queen of the Belgians upon accession to the throne.
2. Prince Gabriel , born August 20, 2003, second child of King Philippe, seventh grandchild of King Albert II.
3.Prince Emmanuel , born October 4, 2005, third child of King Philippe, ninth grandchild of King Albert II.
4. Princess Eléonore , born April 16, 2008, the fourth child of King Philippe, the twelfth grandchild of King Albert II.
Albert I. → Leopold III. → Albert II.

5. Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este , * June 5, 1962, second child of King Albert II.

6. Archduke Amedeo of Austria-Este; Prince of Belgium, * February 21, 1986,
eldest child Princess Astrids, eldest grandchild of King Albert II.
7. Archduchess Anna Astrid of Austria-Este, * May 17, 2016, eldest child Prince Amedeos, eldest grandchild Princess Astrid.
8. Archduke Maximilian of Austria-Este, * 6 September 2019, youngest child Prince Amedeos, second grandchild Princess Astrid.
9. Archduchess Maria Laura of Austria-Este Princess of Belgium, * August 26, 1988, second child of Princess Astrids, second grandchild of King Albert II.
10. Archduke Joachim von Österreich-Este, Prince of Belgium, born December 9, 1991, third child Princess Astrids, third grandchild of King Albert II.
11. Archduchess Luisa Maria of Austria-Este Princess of Belgium, born October 11, 1995, fourth child Princess Astrids, fourth grandchild of King Albert II.
12. Archduchess Laetitia Maria of Austria-Este Princess of Belgium, * April 23, 2003, youngest child Princess Astrids, sixth grandchild of King Albert II.

13.Prince Laurent , born October 19, 1963, third and youngest child of King Albert II.

14th Princess Louise, born February 6, 2004, eldest child Prince Laurent, eighth grandchild of King Albert II.
15th Prince Nicolas, born December 13, 2005, second child of Prince Laurent, tenth grandchild of King Albert II.
16. Prince Aymeric, twin brother Prince Nicolas, third child Prince Laurent, eleventh grandchild of King Albert II.

Descendants of King Leopold I who are not entitled to the throne.

The following lines are excluded from the line of succession:

  • Delphine Boël , illegitimate child of King Albert II;
  • the descendants of Grand Duchess Josephine of Luxembourg , the eldest sister of King Albert II, wife of the former Grand Duke Jean , as she was permanently excluded from the line of succession as a woman with her descendants according to the succession regulation in force until 1991;
  • the three half-siblings of King Albert II from the second, morganatic marriage of King Leopold III. , since this marriage was considered illegitimate (controversial, but only relevant with regard to the childless Prince Alexander);
  • the descendants of ex-Queen Marie José of Italy for the same reasons as the descendants of Grand Duchess Josephine;
  • the descendants of the two surviving sisters of King Albert I , Henriette Marie and Joséphine Caroline ;
  • the descendants of King Leopold II , since only daughters and illegitimate sons of the king survived;
  • the descendants of King Leopold I's illegitimate children

Extinction of the royal family

Thus the succession to the throne is in fact limited to the descendants of King Albert II and is subject exclusively to the law of the firstborn.

If there are no more descendants of King Leopold I (or Albert II), the king can appoint an heir to the throne with the double-qualified approval of both chambers of parliament. If no valid appointment has been made, the throne becomes vacant. In this case, both chambers of parliament jointly determine a new king within two months of their full election.

A prerogative of certain family branches - the closest would be the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg - does not exist here.