Prince Lorenz of Belgium
| Prince Lorenz | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archduke of Austria-Este (more) | |||||
 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 | Prince Amedeo Princess Maria Laura Princess Luisa Maria Princess Laetitia Maria | ||||
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| House | Austria-Este | ||||
| Father | Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este | ||||
| Mother | Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta | ||||
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Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 16 December 1955) is a member of the Belgian royal family by his marriage with Princess Astrid of Belgium. Since 1996 he is also head of the House of Austria-Este, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
Early life[]
Prince Lorenz was born in Belvedere Clinic, Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France, as the second child of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este and his wife, Archduchess Margaret (née Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta). He is grandson of Charles I of Austria, the last Emperor of Austria.
Education and career[]
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (July 2020) |
After finishing school, Archduke Lorenz did his military service in the regiment of Gebirgsjäger ("Alpine Hunters") of the Federal Austrian Army, and he was promoted to Reserve Leutnant (Second Lieutenant) in 1980.
Lorenz studied economics at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and the University of Innsbruck in Austria. He then worked at various banks in London, Paris, and Rome. In 1983, he joined the Gutzwiller private bank in Basel, where he eventually became a Managing Partner. In 1993, he spent one year as a consultant to SWIFT, a company which provides services to the financial industry. In 1995, he became Advisor to the Board of Directors of BNP Paribas bank in Paris. He was formerly a director of UCB, Sita (a worldwide waste management company located in France) and Ondeo Nalco (a water management company in the United States).
Marriage[]
On 22 September 1984 in Brussels, 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 have five children: Prince Amedeo, Princess Maria Laura, Prince Joachim, Princess Luisa Maria, and Princess Laetitia Maria. Prince Lorenz is a godfather to Prince Carl-Johan of Nassau, youngest child of Prince Jean of Luxembourg, and Count Costantino Secco di Aragona, oldest son of his cousin, Archduchess Catharina-Maria of Austria.
Patronages[]
Since 2004, Lorenz has been the honorary president of the Council of the Koninklijke Vereniging der Historische Woonsteden van België/Association Royale des Demeures Historiques de Belgique.[1] Since 2005, he has been the Patron of , an association of European cathedral and church treasuries.[2]
Lorenz has also served as deputy chairman of the Société des Amis of the Almanach de Gotha.[3] He is named member of the Royal Crown Council of Romania in 2015.[4]
Title[]
The title "Prince of Belgium" was granted to him by Royal Decree of 10 November 1995 by his father-in-law, King Albert II of Belgium. He is also referred to as Archduke of Austria-Este by the Belgian monarchy.[5]
Honours[]
National[]
House of Habsburg: 1,285th Knight of the Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece
Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
Foreign[]
Germany: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau
Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
Montenegrin Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Danilo I
Norway: Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry[6]
Romanian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Crown
Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit[7]
Sweden: Commander Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star
Military ranks[]
Austria 1980– : Austrian Armed Forces, Leutnant as Reserve Officer
References[]
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Presidency of the Republic - Chancellery of Portuguese Honorary Orders". dre.pt.
- ^ "Boletín Oficial del Estado" (PDF).
External links[]
- Belgian royal princes
- 1955 births
- Living people
- Austria-Este
- Austrian princes
- Dukes of Modena
- Belgian people of Austrian descent
- Belgian people of Hungarian descent
- Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria
- Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Netherlands)
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania)
- Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit
- Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star
- University of St. Gallen alumni
- Austrian people of Belgian descent