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Princess Astrid of Belgium

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Princess Victoria de Croÿ (born 21 June 1991) is a Belgian aristocrat and former fashion executive, known for her work as Vogue’s Global Head of Fashion from 2018 to 2023. Since 2024, she is a senior lecturer at the University of the Arts London

Her Serene Highness

Princess Victoria de Croÿ
Princess Victoria in 2023.
Full name
Victoria Louise Marie
Born (1991-06-21) June 21, 1991 (age 33)
Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium[1]
Noble familyCroÿ
FatherCarl II, 15th Duke of Croÿ
MotherViscountess Diane de Spoelberch

Early life and family

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Le Roeulx Castle in Hainaut, Belgium.

Princess Victoria was born on 21 June 1991 in Brussels, Belgium. Her father is Carl II, 15th Duke of Croÿ, head of the House of Croÿ of the Belgian nobility, son of Carl, 14th Duke of Croÿ and Princess Gabrielle of Bavaria. Her mother is Viscountess Diane de Spoelberch, daughter of Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium (daughter of King Leopold III of Belgium) and billionaire businessman Viscount André de Spoelberch, shareholder of AB InBev, one of the leading brewing companies in the world.

She grew up between the Château du Roeulx in Hainaut and the family’s mansion in London. She was mostly homeschooled throughout her childhood and later attended the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland.

The House of Croÿ is one of the most prominent families of the Belgian high nobility. The Dukes of Croÿ held a seat in the Imperial Diet from 1486, and were elevated to the rank of Princes of the Holy Roman Empire in 1594.

All male-line members of the family are entitled to the title Prince/ss de Croÿ in the Kingdom of Belgium with the style of Serene Highness, while the Head is also the Duke. The family is related to many European royal and noble families, among them the House of Wittelsbach, the grand ducal family of Luxembourg, the House of Habsburg, the House of Braganza and the House of Arenberg.

When her grandfather died in 2016, she inherited a stake of the InBev Group, estimated at approximately $US 1-1.6 billion, according to Forbes

Career

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Princess Victoria studied Fashion Styling and Production at the London College of Fashion and obtained her master's degree in Fashion Communication & Image in Central Saint Martins in London. During her college years, she joined British Vogue as a fashion editor and after 7 years she became the magazine's fashion director. After working closely with editor in chief Edward Enninful, she was promoted to Global Network Lead & European Features Director in 2020, a position she held for three years.

On May 2023, she joined Anna Wintour's executive team in American Vogue as Global Head of Fashion Network, a role previously held by Virginia Smith.

Ancestry

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Biography

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Princess Astrid was born one day before her father's 28th birthday at the Belvédère Château in Laeken, northern Brussels, and was named after her late paternal grandmother, Astrid of Sweden, King Leopold III's popular first wife, who had died in 1935 in a car accident aged 29. Princess Astrid's godparents were her uncle Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 7th Duke di Guardia Lombarda, and her aunt Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.[citation needed]

Marriage and issue

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Princess Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, subsequently head of the Archducal House of Austria-Este, on 22 September 1984 at the Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon in Brussels.[2][3] Lorenz is the eldest son of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este (1915–1996), and Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta (1930–2022).[3] Her husband was also created Prince of Belgium by Royal Decree on 27 November 1995.[3]

Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz have five children:[2][3][4]

Royal role

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Astrid was formerly President of the Belgian Red Cross,[3] a position which ended on 31 December 2007. She declined to stand again for election to the role in light of internal struggles in the organisation in reconciling its Flemish-speaking and French branches, each of which seeks greater autonomy. The princess is also a colonel in the Medical Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. Her official residence is the Royal Castle of Laeken on the edge of Brussels.[3]

She is a member of the Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee.[12]

In April 2015, the Princess took over the reins of the Prince Albert Fund from her father King Albert.[13]

Special Envoy

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Princess Astrid has been for many years an advocate for landmine survivors rights, participating actively in the work of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, also known as the Ottawa Treaty, since Belgium joined in 1998.[citation needed]

In 2013, the Princess was named Special Envoy of the convention,[14] and has promoted the acceptance of a global ban on landmines and promoted the rights of survivors in various UN meetings.[14][15][16]

In 2014, she met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah, to encourage Oman to join the treaty, which occurred a few months later.[citation needed]

In 2019, she carried out a mission to Lebanon to promote the convention.[17][18] In Beirut she met with President Michel Aoun, and Minister of National Defense Elias Bou Saab.[19]

Titles, styles and honours

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Styles of
Princess Astrid,
Archduchess of Austria-Este
Reference styleHer Imperial and Royal Highness
Spoken styleYour Imperial and Royal Highness

Titles

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  • 5 June 1962 – 22 September 1984: Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium
  • 22 September 1984 – present: Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este[note 1]

Honours

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See also: List of honours of the Belgian royal family by country

National

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Foreign

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Awards

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Other

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2016 : Honorary mayor and The Hidalgo Award of San Antonio, Texas.[22]

Arms

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Coat of arms of Princess Astrid of Belgium
Notes
As a Princess of Belgium and a descendant of King Leopold I, the Princess is entitled to use a coat of arms which was stipulated in the Royal Decree of King Philippe in 2019.[23]
Adopted
12 July 2019
Coronet
Princely crown of Belgium
Escutcheon
On a lozenge, sable, a lion rampant or, armed and langued gules (Belgium), on the shoulder an escutcheon barry of ten sable and or, a crancelin vert (Wettin), overall a bordure or.
Supporters
Two lions guardant proper
Motto
French: L'union fait la force
Dutch: Eendracht maakt macht
German: Einigkeit macht stark
Other elements
The whole is placed on a mantle purpure with ermine lining, fringes and tassels or and ensigned with the Royal crown of Belgium.

Ranks

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1997 2003

Ancestry

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Note

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  1. ^ She has held the title "Princess of Belgium" from birth under Belgian law. By marriage to an archduke of the house of Austria-Este, she gained, in addition to her native title, the style "Imperial and Royal Highness" and the title "Archduchess of Austria-Este". Upon her husband's succeeding to the headship of his house in 1996, as wife of the Archduke of Austria-Este, internationally or depending on the situation, she is also accorded the traditional title "Her Imperial and Royal Highness The Archduchess of Austria-Este" or, more formally, reflecting both her native and marital titles, is addressed as HI&RH Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este. Her children by Archduke Lorenz bear the titles "Prince(ss) of Belgium" by Belgian decree of 2 December 1991, in addition to their Austrian titles borne by tradition, "Archduke/Archduchess of Austria".

References

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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference lundy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Enache, Nicolas. La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 44-45,50. French
  3. ^ a b c d e f Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Furstlicher Hauser Bande XVI, C.A. Starke Verlag, Haus Osterreich, Limburg, 2001, pp. 91–92. German
  4. ^ a b William Bortrick. "HM The King of the Belgians and HM The Queen of the Belgians. The Royal Family of Belgium. Houses of Wettin and Belgium". Burke's Peerage. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Prins Amedeo en Lili trouwen in de zon". VTM. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  6. ^ NWS, VRT. "Nederlands". vrtnws.be. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  7. ^ Due to a royal decree issued by his uncle King Philippe, which limits the range of family members bearing the title "Prince of Belgium", Amedeo's children do not bear the princely title nor the style of Royal Highness.[6]
  8. ^ Dubuisson, Martine (9 August 2016). "Quel nom pour les princes qui ne seront plus «de Belgique»?" [What name for the princes who will no longer be "of Belgium"?] (in French). Le Soir. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Dès lors, comment s'appelle-t-elle ? A la rubrique « nom et prénoms », son acte de naissance porte en effet, comme nous avons pu le voir : « Son Altesse Impériale et Royale la Princesse Anna Astrid Marie Archiduchesse d'Autriche-Este (Habsburg-Lorraine) » [So what is her name? Under the heading "surname and first names", her birth certificate indeed bears, as we have seen: "Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Anna Astrid Marie Archduchess of Austria-Este (Habsburg-Lorraine)"]
  9. ^ "België is een prinsje rijker: zoontje voor prins Amedeo en prinses Elisabetta". De Standaard. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  10. ^ "A third child is born to Princess Elisabetta and Prince Amedeo". The Brussels Times. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  11. ^ "31 JANVIER 2022. - Arrêté royal autorisant Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Maria Laura d'Autriche-Este (Habsburg-Lorraine), Princesse de Belgique, à contracter mariage" [31 JANUARY 2022. - Royal Decree authorizing Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Laura of Austria-Este (Habsburg-Lorraine), Princess of Belgium, to enter into marriage] (in French). ejustice.just.fgov.be. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Honorary Board". IPC.
  13. ^ "About Archive".
  14. ^ a b "AP Mine Ban Convention: Special envoy Princess Astrid of Belgium welcomes Oman's decision to join the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention". www.apminebanconvention.org.
  15. ^ "AP Mine Ban Convention: Princess Astrid of Belgium calls for greater assistance to landmine survivors". www.apminebanconvention.org.
  16. ^ "Maputo Summit: 3rd Review Conference". www.maputoreviewconference.org.
  17. ^ "Lebanon aims at joining Ottawa Treaty: president - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  18. ^ Liban, Délégation de l'Union Européenne au (3 October 2019). "Envoyé spécial en visite au Liban pour l'encourager à prendre des mesures concrètes pour adhérer au traité historique de désarmement humanitaire". Libnanews, Le Média Citoyen du Liban (in French). Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  19. ^ "AP Mine Ban Convention: Special Envoy asks the Lebanese Republic to join anti-landmine treaty". www.apminebanconvention.org. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Tildelinger av ordener og medaljer". www.kongehuset.no.
  21. ^ "Photo" (PDF). www.boe.es.
  22. ^ Guenther, Rocío (7 December 2016). "City Welcomes Princess Astrid of Belgium to San Antonio". San Antonio Report. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  23. ^ Philippe, Koning der Belgen (12 July 2019). "Koninklijk besluit houdende vaststelling van het wapen van het Koninklijk Huis en van zijn leden" (PDF). Moniteur Belge/ Belgisch Staatsblad. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  24. ^ Le Soir, Article (French) announcing the rank
  25. ^ Belgian Defense Website, Article evoking Princess Astrid & Prince Laurent
  26. ^ Belgian Defense Website, Article evoking Princess Astrid, last section "Mon colonel !" Archived 3 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Princess Astrid of Belgium.
Princess Astrid of Belgium
Born: 5 June 1962
Belgian royalty
Preceded by Line of succession to the Belgian throne
5th position 		Succeeded by
Titles in pretence
Preceded by — TITULAR —
Duchess Consort of Modena
7 February 1996 – present
Reason for succession failure:
Duchy of Modena merged into the Unification of Italy 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_Astrid_of_Belgium&oldid=1275603308#Marriage_and_issue"