His Royal Highness Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant (Philippe Léopold Louis Marie Wettin), styled HRH The Duke of Brabant (born 15 April 1960), is the eldest son and heir apparent of Albert II, King of the Belgians. His Dutch name is Filip Leopold Louis Marie.
Biography
He is married to Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, daughter of a Belgian noble family, and they have two children: a daughter, Princess Elisabeth, born 25 October 2001, who, thanks to an alteration of succession laws (the Lex Salica, or Salian Law) from eldest son to eldest child, will follow her father in the succession, and a son, Prince Gabriel Baudouin Charles Marie (Dutch: Gabriël Boudewijn Karel Maria), born 20 August, 2003. On April 14, 2005, it was announnced that the couple will have another child in October 2005.
The present Duchess of Brabant would become the first Belgian Queen to be born Belgian, when Philippe assumes the throne.
Recently, the Prince has been a target of criticism within Belgium for his political and social conservatism, and vocal detractors have called for him to step out of the line of succession to allow a more liberal member of the royal family to take his place.
For some years, Philippe, though second-in-line to the throne, had been treated as being the Heir Presumptive of his childless uncle, King Baudouin. However on Baudouin's death, the first-in-line, the late King's brother, Albert, chose to become king himself. It is believed that Philippe's then unmarried status was the reason why his father opted unexpectedly to take the crown, but this has never been proven.
Titles
Contrary to Albert II, King of the Belgians, Prince Philippe is Prince of Belgium, not Prince of the Belgians, a title which does not exist. He is also Duke of Brabant since Belgium's first in line to succeed to the King is given this title. When citing its titles, one must cite first "Duke of Brabant" then "Prince of Belgium".
See also
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