| Princess Maria Laura | |
|---|---|
| Archduchess of Austria-Este | |
| Full name | |
| Maria Laura Zita Beatrix Gerhard | |
| House | House of Habsburg-Lorraine |
| Father | Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este |
| Mother | Princess Astrid of Belgium |
| Born | 26 August 1988 Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Woluwe-St-Lambert, Belgium |
Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (Maria Laura Zita Beatrix Gerhard, born 26 August 1988[1][2]), Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Princess of Modena, is the second child and oldest daughter of Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este and Princess Astrid of Belgium. She was born at the University Clinic St. Luc, Woluwe-St-Lambert, Belgium and is currently eighth in line to the Belgian throne.
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Family
Maria Laura has one older brother, Amedeo (b. 1986), one younger brother, Joachim (b. 1991) and two younger sisters: Luisa Maria (b. 1995) and Laetitia Maria (b. 2003). Her godparents are her paternal uncle Archduke Gerhard of Austria-Este and her elder paternal aunt Archduchess Maria Beatrix of Austria-Este, Countess von und zu Arco-Zinneberg.
Education
Maria Laura was raised until 1993 in Basel, Switzerland, at which point her parents relocated to Belgium. She was educated, like her siblings and younger cousins, at the strict Jesuit school College Sint Jan Berghmans (founded 1604) in Brussels. She completed her secondary education at the St. John's International School in Waterloo, Belgium, during which time she was involved in a minor accident (see below). She then went to London, like her brother Amedeo (educated at the London School of Economics and Political Science, but attended SOAS in London, where she studied Chinese. In 2007-2008, she spent time in China as part of her studies.[1] She then enrolled at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales in Paris in 2008, where she is still studying.[3]
Public life
Princess Astrid has guarded the private lives of her children, and Princess Maria Laura has thus made very few public appearances. She appeared in family photos, and at the marriages of her uncles Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant in 1999 and Prince Laurent of Belgium in 2003. She has appeared with her mother a few times, most recently at the grand wedding of her second cousin Marie-Christine to Comte Rodolphe de Limburg-Stirum last December. She has also been to a Chanel fashion show, and she met Karl Lagerfeld[4]
The Princess is fluent in French, Dutch, and German, the three official languages of Belgium.
Mentions in the press
On 9 September 2005, Maria Laura, along with six other students, were riding home from St. John's International School in Waterloo when the bus collided into three cars and rolled over several times. All of the students managed to escape before the bus burst into flames. Maria Laura was unharmed but was taken to the hospital for observation and released to her parents after a few hours.[5]
Ancestry
The Princess descends from the Austrian, Belgian, Italian, Scottish, French, Spanish and Swedish royal families.
References
- ^ a b Regine N. "Les 20 ans de la Princesse Maria Laura de Belgique" 26 August 2008
- ^ Monarchie - Birthdays
- ^ Regine N. "La rentrée scolaire des petits-enfants du Roi Albert II" 29 August 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
- ^ Regine N. "Les 20 ans de la Princesse Maria Laura de Belgique" 26 August 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2009
- ^ De Morgen - Boete voor bestuurster die ongeval prinses Maria Laura veroorzaakte
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Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este
Cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Born: 26 August 1988 |
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| Belgian royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Prince Amedeo, Archduke of Austria-Este |
Line of succession to the Belgian throne 8th position |
Succeeded by Prince Joachim, Archduke of Austria-Este |
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External links
- Paul Theroff. Imperial House of Austria
- Paul Theroff. Royal House of Belgium
- Regine ___. "Les 20 ans de la Princesse Maria Laura de Belgique" 26 August 2008. Contains a photo of Princess Maria Laura.
- Maria Laura with her mother in 2005. Contains a photo of the princess with her mother in 2005.
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