Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este

Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born December 16, 1955) is a member of the Belgian Royal Family and since 1996 head of the Modenese ducal family. He holds the titles Duke of Modena, Prince of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia. He is styled "His Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Lorenz of Belgium".

Early life and marriage

Prince Lorenz was born in Clinique du Belvédère, Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France as the second child of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este and of Archduchess Margaret, née Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta.

On September 22, 1984 in Brussels Lorenz married Princess Astrid of Belgium, the only daughter of the then Prince of Liège, now King Albert II of the Belgians. They have five children:
* Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (b. 1986)
* Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (b. 1988)
* Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (b. 1991)
* Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (b. 1995)
* Princess Laetitia Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (b. 2003)

Lorenz was created Prince of Belgium by Royal Decree of November 10, 1995. His children bear the titles "Prince(ss) of Belgium - by Royal Decree of 2 December 1991 in addition to their Austrian titles -, Archduke/Archduchess of Austria-Este, Prince(ss) Imperial of Austria, Prince(ss) Royal of Hungary and Bohemia".

Lorenz has been head of the Ducal Family of Modena since 7 February 1996 after this status was given to his father in 1917 by Emperor Charles I of Austria, his grandfather.

Education and career

Lorenz studied economics at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and the University of Innsbruck in Austria. He worked at various banks in London, Paris, and Rome. In 1983 he joined the Gutzwiller private bank in Basel where he eventually became a Managing Partner. In 1993 he spent one year as a consultant to Swift, a company which provides services to the financial industry. In 1995 he became Advisor to the Board of Directors of BNP Paribas Bank in Paris. He is currently a director of UCB, a global pharmaceutical manufacturer. [ [http://www.ucb-group.com/investor_relations/CorporateGovernance/195.asp UCB: Board of Directors] ] He was formerly a director of Sita (a worldwide waste management company located in France) and of Ondeo Nalco (a water management company in the United States). [ [http://www.investors.ucb-group.com/VisitorsWeb/Staging/group/biographical_cards/HRHPrinceLorenzofBelgium.asp UCB: H.R.H. Prince Lorenz of Belgium] ]

Patronages

Sinc 2004 Lorenz has been the honorary president of the Council of the "Association Royale des Demeures Historiques de Belgique". [ [http://www.demeures-historiques.be/fr/conseil_administration.php Association Royale des Demeures Historiques de Belgique: Conseil d'Administration] ] Since 2005 he has been the Patron of "Europae Thesauri", an association of European cathedral and church treasuries. [ [http://www.europaethesauri.eu/F-Membres.htm Europae Thesauri: Membres.] ]

Lorenz has also served as deputy chairman of the Société des Amis of the Almanach de Gotha. [Almanach de Gotha, [http://web.archive.org/web/20060211154659/www.almanachdegotha.com/site/soc.htm Société des Amis de l'Almanach de Gotha] ]

Ancestry

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1= 1. Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este
2= 2. Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este
3= 3. Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta
4= 4. Charles I of Austria
5= 5. Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma
6= 6. Amedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta
7= 7. Princess Anne of Orléans
8= 8. Archduke Otto Franz of Austria
9= 9. Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony
10= 10. Robert I, Duke of Parma
11= 11. Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal
12= 12. Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta
13= 13. Princess Hélène of Orléans
14= 14. Jean, Duke of Guise
15= 15. Princess Isabelle of Orléans
16= 16. Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria
17= 17. Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
18= 18. George of Saxony
19= 19. Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal
20= 20. Charles III, Duke of Parma
21= 21. Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of France
22= 22. Miguel of Portugal
23= 23. Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
24= 24. Amadeo I of Spain
25= 25. Princess Maria Victoria al Pozzo della Cisterna
26= 26. Philippe, Count of Paris
27= 27. Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans
28= 28. Robert, Duke of Chartres
29= 29. Princess Françoise of Orléans
30= 30. Philippe, Count of Paris (= 26)
31= 31. Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans (= 27)

Notes

External links

* [http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/austria.html Imperial House of Austria]
* [http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/belgium.html Royal House of Belgium]