Princess Claire of Belgium

Princess Claire of Belgium
Princess Claire
Spouse Prince Laurent of Belgium
Issue
Princess Louise
Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric
Full name
Claire Louise
House House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Father Nicholas Coombs
Mother Nicole Mertens
Born 18 January 1974 (1974-01-18) (age 37)
Bath, England
Belgian Royal Family
Greater Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg

HM The King
HM The Queen


HM Queen Fabiola
HRH Princess Léa
HRH Princess Marie-Christine
HRH Princess Marie-Esméralda


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Princess Claire of Belgium, (born Claire Louise Coombs, in Bath, England, on 18 January 1974) is the wife of Prince Laurent of Belgium and is a land surveyor.

Contents

Biography

She is a daughter of Nicholas Coombs, a British-born businessman, and his Belgian wife, Nicole, née Mertens. Her family relocated to Dion-le-Val, near to Brussels in francophone Wallonia in 1977. She has therefore lived in Belgium since age 3.

Wedding and descendance

On 12 April 2003, she married Prince Laurent of Belgium, the second son of Albert II of Belgium. The civil ceremony was held at Brussels Town Hall, and the religious ceremony at the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula. She was created a Princess of Belgium in her own right shortly before the ceremony, on 1 April 2003 and upon her marriage, she became Her Royal Highness Princess Claire.

The royal couple has a daughter, Her Royal Highness Princess Louise Sophie Mary, who was born on 6 February 2004. On 28 June 2005, they announced that Princess Claire was pregnant with twins. She was expected to give birth in January 2006 but, following complications, she gave birth to Prince Nicolas Casimir Marie and Prince Aymeric Auguste Marie on 13 December 2005.

Duties

Unlike her two sisters-in-law, Mathilde and Astrid, Claire has no defined official role, though she occasionally appears in public accompanying her husband, generally in support of environmental causes or animal charities. Princess Claire has been awarded the Order of Leopold. She is also a leading patron of the Brussels Choral Society, which sang at the religious part of her marriage ceremony.

Titles and styles

  • Miss Claire Louise Coombs (1974-2003)
  • Her Royal Highness Princess Claire of Belgium (2003–present)

In contrast to King Albert II's title, King of the Belgians, Princess Claire is called Princess of Belgium, not Princess of the Belgians, a title that does not exist. She received this title from the King on the day of her marriage, by Royal Decree of April 1st 2003. This title is no longer automatic for a consort since a Royal Decree of 1991, abrogating the 1891 Royal Decree that provided this automatism.

Prince Laurent doesn't hold a personal title as younger princes used to in the past, such as Count of Flanders or Prince of Liège. So she has no other title as a consort.

Honours

Styles of
Princess Claire of Belgium
Coats of arms of Belgium Government.svg
Reference style Her Royal Highness
Spoken style Madame

Belgian honours

Foreign honours

External links

References

  1. ^ Photo from the Royal Family's official website - ribbon : Ribbon bar of the Order of the Crown (Netherlands).gif
  2. ^ Photo from Website of Belga Pictures - ribbon : Den kongelige norske fortjenstorden storkors stripe.svg
  3. ^ Photo from Website of Belga Pictures - ribbon : PRT Order of Prince Henry - Grand Cross BAR.png
  4. ^ Photo from the Royal Family's official website





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