Monarchy of Belgium
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Monarchy in Belgium is constitutional in nature. The hereditary monarch, presently Albert II, is the head of state and is officially called King of the Belgians (Dutch: Koning der Belgen, French: Roi des Belges, German: König der Belgier).
Origins
The National Congress of Belgium chose a constitutional monarchy as the form of government for the newly-independent Belgian state on 22 November 1830 by 174 votes to 13. In February 1831 it nominated the son of the French king Louis-Philippe, Louis, Duke of Nemours, but international considerations deterred Louis-Philippe from accepting the honour for his son. Following this refusal, the National Congress appointed Erasme-Louis, Baron Surlet de Chokier Regent of Belgium on 25 February 1831, who became the first head of state of independent Belgium. On 4 June, Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was designated King of the Belgians by the National Congress. He took the constitutional oath on 21 July 1831.
List of Kings of the Belgians
Successive Belgian kings are
| Dates | English name | French name | Dutch name | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 July 1831-10 December 1865 | Leopold I | Léopold Ier | Leopold I | |
| 17 December 1865-17 December 1909 | Leopold II | Léopold II | Leopold II | his son |
| 23 December 1909-17 February 1934 | Albert I | Albert Ier | Albert I | his nephew |
| 23 February 1934-16 July 1951 | Leopold III | Léopold III | Leopold III | his son |
| 17 July 1951-31 July 1993 | Baldwin I | Baudouin Ier | Boudewijn I | his son |
| 9 August 1993-Present | Albert II | Albert II | Albert II | his younger brother |
Regents
- 25 February-21 July 1831: Erasme Louis Surlet de Chokier
- 20 September 1944-20 July 1950: Prince Charles, Count of Flanders (son of Albert I and younger brother of Leopold III)
Prince Royal
- From 11 August 1950 until he took the oath as the fifth King of the Belgians, Prince Baudouin acted as Prince Royal.
The proper title of the Belgian monarch is King of the Belgians rather than 'King of Belgium'. The title 'King of the Belgians' indicates a popular monarchy linked to the people of Belgium, whereas the former would indicate standard constitutional or absolute monarchy linked to territory and a state. Similarly, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is referred to as 'Queen of Scots' rather than 'Queen of Scotland' when she visits that part of her realm. In 1830 King Louis Philippe was proclaimed "King of the French" rater than the traditional "King of France". The now abolished Greek monarchy similarly was titled "King of the Hellenes", indicating a personal link with the people, not just the state. Moreover, the Latin translation of "King of Belgium" would have been Rex Belgii, which from 1815 was the name for the King of the Netherlands. Therefore the Belgian separatists chose Rex Belgarum.
It is also noteworthy that Belgium is the only current European monarchy that does not apply the tradition of the new monarchy automatically ascending the throne upon the death or abdication of the former monarch. According to the Belgian constitution, the monarch accedes to the throne only upon taking a constitutional oath. For example, the present king did not become monarch on July 31, 1993 (the day his brother died) but on August 9, 1993 (when he took the constitutional oath). In all other present European monarchies, the monarch assumes the title the moment the predecessor dies or abdicates. The Belgian constitutional oath is as follows: "I swear to observe the Constitution and the laws of the Belgian people, to maintain the national independence and the integrity of the territory."
Belgium has three official languages, of which Dutch and French are the most important. Members of the royal family are often known by two names: a Dutch and a French one. For example, the current heir-apparent is called Philippe in French and Filip in Dutch; the fifth King of the Belgians was Baudouin in French and Boudewijn in Dutch; the three kings who are known as Léopold in French are known as Leopold (without accent) in Dutch.
In German, which is Belgium's third official language, monarchs are usually referred to by their French names. The same is true for English (with the exception of Leopold, where the accent is removed for the purpose of simplicity).
In Belgium, monarchs are always officially designated an ordinal, even when they are the first of their name. So King Baudouin was "King Baudouin I", even though there had not yet been a "King Baudouin II". (This is contrary to the system of ordinals used in Britain.)
Constitutional role
The Belgian monarchy combines several public and political missions. On the one hand, the king symbolises and maintains a feeling of unity by representing the country in public functions and international meetings.
Additionally, the monarch has a number of responsibilities in the process of the formation of the Government. The procedure usually begins with the nomination of the “Informateur” by the monarch. After the general election the Informateur officially informs the monarch of the main political formations which may be available for governance. After this phase, the monarch can appoint another "informateur" or appoint a “Formateur”, who will have the charge of forming a new government, of which he/she generally becomes the Prime Minister.
The Belgian Constitution entrusts the monarch with federal executive power. The monarch has the power to appoint and dismiss ministers, is responsible for the implementation of the laws passed by the Federal Parliament, may submit bills to the Federal Parliament and managing international relations. The monarch sanctions and promulgates all laws passed by Parliament. In accordance with Article 106 of the Belgian Constitution, the monarch cannot act alone without the countersignature of the responsible minister, who in doing so assumes political responsibility for the action. This means that federal executive power is exercised in practice by the Federal Government, which is accountable to the Chamber of Representatives in accordance with Article 101 of the Constitution.
The monarch receives the prime minister at the Palace of Brussels at least once a week, and also regularly calls other members of the government to the palace in order to discuss political matters. During these meetings, the monarch has the right to be informed of proposed governmental policies, the right to advise, and the right warn the government on any matter that the monarch thinks fit. The monarch also holds meetings with the leaders of all the major political parties as well as regular members of parliament. All of these meetings are organised by the monarch's personal Political Cabinet ( not to be confused with the Cabinet of ministers ) which is part of the Royal Household
The monarch is the Commander-in-Chief of the Belgian Armed Forces and makes appointments to the higher officer positions. The names of the nominees are sent to the monarch by the Ministry of Defence. The monarch's military duties are carried out with the help of the Military Household that is headed by a General officer. King Leopold III was the last Belgian King to take personal command of the army in the field; this was during World War II.
Finally, Belgians can write to the monarch when they meet difficulties with administrative powers.
The monarch is also one of the three components of the federal legislative power, in accordance with the Belgian Constitution, together with the two chambers of the Federal Parliament: the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate. All laws passed by the Federal Parliament must be signed and promulgated by the monarch.
Inviolability
Article 88 of the Belgian Constitution provides that "the King's person is inviolable, his ministers are responsible". This means that the King cannot be prosecuted, arrested or convicted of crimes, that he cannot be summoned to appear before a civil court and that he is not accountable to the Federal Parliament. This inviolability was criticised on several occasions because Article 27 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court states that official capacity shall not exempt a person from criminal responsibility under the Statute.[1]
Actual members of the Belgian Royal Family
| Belgian Royal Family |
|---|
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- Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant (born April
15, 1960). He married, on December 4, 1999, Jonkvrouwe Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, who was
created HRH Princess Mathilde of Belgium a day before their marriage. She is a daughter of Baron (now Count) Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz and his wife, Countess Anna Maria Komorowska. They
have three children:
- Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, who will inherit the throne after her father, thanks to a 1991 act of succession which created full cognatic primogeniture, altering the order of succession from eldest son to eldest child.
- Prince Gabriel of Belgium
- Prince Emmanuel of Belgium
- A fourth child is expected to be born in the spring of 2008.
- Princes Astrid of Belgium (born June 5, 1962). She is the wife of His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Modena, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, whom she married on September 22, 1984 and who was created a Prince of Belgium in 1995. Princess Astrid, with her own descendants, is before her brother Laurent in the order of succession to the Belgian throne, thanks to the 1991 act of succession mentioned above. They have five children:
- Prince Laurent of Belgium (born October 19, 1963). He married Claire Coombs, an Anglo-Belgian former real-estate agent, on April 12, 2003. She was created HRH Princess Claire of Belgium 11 days before their marriage. They have one daughter and two sons:
Queen consorts
- Queen Marie-Louise — Louise-Marie Thérèse Charlotte Isabelle d'Orléans (second wife of King Leopold I, whose first wife Charlotte, Princess of Wales had died before he came to the throne. Subsequently, Leopold's only daughter, Carlota of Mexico, was named after her.)
- Queen Marie Henriette — Marie Henriette of Austria (wife of King Leopold II)
- Queen Elisabeth — Elisabeth Gabriele Valérie Marie von Wittelsbach (or of Bavaria) (wife of Albert I)
- Queen Astrid — Astrid Sofia Lovisa Thyra of Sweden (wife of King Leopold III)
- Princess Lilian — Mary Lilian Henriette Lucie Josephine Ghislaine Baels (as Princess de Réthy second wife of King Leopold III)
- Queen Fabiola — Fabiola de Mora y Aragón (wife of King Baudouin I)
- Queen Paola — Paola Ruffo di Calabria (wife of King Albert II)
- Princess Joséphine-Charlotte (Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, sister of Kings Baudouin and Albert II)
See also
References
- ^ Minutes of the Belgian Senate of September 9, 2004 (Dutch). The Belgian Senate. Retrieved on 2007-09-17.
External links
- Belgian monarchy official site
- Res Publica : Belgium an international anti-monarchy Web directory
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