Prince Gabriel of Belgium (French: Gabriel Baudouin Charles Marie, Dutch: Gabriël Boudewijn Karel Maria; born 20 August 2003) is the elder son and second child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. He is currently second in line to the throne of Belgium after his elder sister, Elisabeth.[1]
| Prince Gabriel | |||||
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.jpg) Prince Gabriel on National Day, 2023 | |||||
| Born | 20 August 2003 Erasmus Hospital, Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium | ||||
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| House | Belgium | ||||
| Father | Philippe of Belgium | ||||
| Mother | Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz | ||||
Early life
editPrince Gabriel was born at 1:15 am CET on 20 August 2003 in the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht, Brussels.[2] He was christened at Ciergnon Castle, one of the royal family's summer residences, on 25 October 2003 by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels.[3] His godparents are his maternal uncle Count Charles-Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz (born 1985); and his paternal second cousin, Baroness Maria Christina von Freyberg-Eisenberg (born 1965). King Philippe stated in an interview that he finds the name Gabriel, which is new in the royal family, not only beautiful, short and powerful, but also the name unites the three major religious traditions. He was named after his great-uncle King Baudouin of Belgium, his maternal uncle and godfather Count Charles-Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz and Virgin Mary (traditional name in Catholic royalty).[2]
Gabriel's older sister, Elisabeth, precedes him in the line of succession following the 1991 adoption of absolute primogeniture. He also has a younger brother, Prince Emmanuel, and a younger sister, Princess Eléonore. He grew up at the Royal Palace of Laeken.[1]
Education and military training
editPrince Gabriel was initially educated at the Dutch-language St John Berchmans College, a public school in Marollen from September 2006 until September 2019.[4][5] In September 2019, Gabriel was transferred to the English-language International School of Brussels, a private school in Watermael-Boitsfort.[5] He finished his secondary education in August 2021.[6] After completing his secondary studies, he took a 1-year preparatory A-Level course in mathematics, further mathematics, and physics at the National Mathematics and Science College, a STEM-oriented sixth form college in Warwickshire, England.[1]
In July 2022, the Belgian Royal Court announced that Gabriel would undertake military training.[7] In August 2022, he entered the Royal Military Academy of Belgium, studying social and military sciences in Dutch language.[7] Among the 162nd promotion, he received his blue beret in September 2022 and was trained under the name "Gabriël van Saksen-Coburg".[8][9] In August 2024, Gabriel, as part of his training at the Royal Military Academy, start a five-month training at the Special Military School of Saint-Cyr in Coëtquidan, France to study geopolitics.[10]
Prince Gabriel speaks Dutch, French and English.[1]
Public appearances
editIn August 2013, Prince Gabriel accompanied his father King Philippe to a European Hockey Championship match in Boom, in which Belgium played (and won) against Germany.[11] Prince Gabriel read the prayer intentions at his great-aunt Queen Fabiola's funeral in December 2014.[12] Gabriel, his mother Queen Mathilde and sister Princess Elisabeth attended the finals of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition on 12 May 2018.[13] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Prince Gabriel had conversations over the phone with elderly people in residential care centers in order to encourage and support them.[1] In December 2020, Prince Gabriel and his sister Princess Eléonore volunteered at a convenience store and a warehouse in Ghent.[14] In June 2021, Prince Gabriel accompanied his father King Philippe on a visit to the 15Wing Air Transport at Military Airport Melsbroek.[15] In April 2023, Prince Gabriel accompanied King Philippe on a visit to French Guiana, where they witnessed the launch of the Ariane 5 rocket from the Kourou Space Center.[16][17] In May 2023, the Prince attended a garden party in honour of his father's reign's tenth anniversary.[18] On 21 July 2023, he and his sister Elisabeth were among the fellow students of the Royal Military Academy Belgium to parade during the Belgian National Day.[19]
Prince Gabriel has been involved in the Scouts since he was eight years old and has become a patrol leader in the last few years.[1]
Personal life
editPrince Gabriel plays the piano. He likes to practice taekwondo, football, cycling, tennis, swimming, skiing, sailing and hiking.[1] He was a member of Royal Evere White Star Hockey Club, a Belgian hockey club based in Evere but decided to quit hockey in 2019 to focus on his school work.[20]
Military ranks
edit- 30 September 2022 – present: Officer cadet, The Royal Military Academy.[21][22][8]
Arms
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References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Prince Gabriel". The Belgian Monarchy Official Website. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Dossier over Mathilde bij de Gazet van Antwerpen" [File on Mathilde at the Gazet van Antwerpen]. Gazet van Antwerpen. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ Somers, Anne-France (26 October 2003). "Baptême princier pour Gabriel" [Princely baptism for Gabriel]. dhnet.be (in French). Archived from the original on 7 May 2023.
- ^ "Prins Gabriël voor het eerst naar school" [Prince Gabriel goes to school for the first time]. De Standaard (in Dutch). 1 September 2006. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Belgian Prince Gabriel transfers from public to private school". The Bulletin. 29 August 2019. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "Le Prince Gabriel fête ses 18 ans aujourd'hui. Joyeux anniversaire ! ..." [Prince Gabriel turns 18 today. happy birthday! ...]. The Belgian Monarchy. 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024 – via X.
- ^ a b Mieze, Marta (26 July 2022). "Prince Gabriel to join Royal Military Academy on 22 August". The Brussels Times. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Waarom Elisabeth 'Van België' heette in het leger en Gabriël 'Van Saksen-Coburg' is" [Why Elisabeth was called 'Van Belgium' in the army and Gabriel is 'Van Saksen-Coburg']. HLN (in Dutch). 30 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
prins Gabriël (19) is voor zijn legeropleiding ingeschreven als 'leerling-officier Van Saksen-Coburg'. [Prince Gabriel (19) is registered for his army training as an 'Officer Cadet Van Saksen-Coburg'.]
- ^ Kockartz, Andreas (1 October 2022). "Prinz Gabriël erhielt von seinem Vater, König Philippe, das Blaue Barett und ist jetzt ein "echter Soldat"" [Prince Gabriel received the Blue Beret from his father, King Philippe, and is now a 'real soldier']. vrt.be (in German). Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ Belgian Royal Palace (19 August 2024). "Prins Gabriël wordt vandaag 21 jaar. ..." [Prince Gabriel turns 21 today. ...]. Instagram (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Prins Gabriël wordt ook international" [Prince Gabriel also becomes international]. Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 19 August 2013. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ Belga (12 December 2014). "Death of Queen Fabiola : funeral marked by "simplicity" and "joy"". The Brussels Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Queen Mathilde Attend The Queen Elisabeth Contest Finals At Bozar In Brussels". Getty Images. 13 June 2007. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ Belgian Royal Palace (25 December 2020). "Vrijwilligerswerk in de buurtwinkel en loods van @krasvzw in Gent. ..." [Volunteer work in the convenience store and warehouse of @krasvzw in Ghent. ...]. Instagram. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "King Philippe of Belgium and Prince Gabriel visits the 15Wing Air Transport at Military Airport Melsbroek". Getty Images. 23 June 2021. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Le roi Philippe et le prince Gabriel sont arrivés en Guyane: ils assisteront au lancement de la fusée Ariane 5" [King Philippe and Prince Gabriel have arrived in Guyana: they will attend the launch of the Ariane 5 rocket]. RTL (in French). 11 April 2023. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ "Koning Filip met zoon Gabriël naar Frans-Guyana vertrokken voor de lancering van de Ariane 5-raket" [King Philippe and his son Gabriel left for French Guiana for the launch of the Ariane 5 rocket]. vrt.be (in Dutch). 11 April 2023. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ Brunet, Victoire (15 May 2023). "Philippe et Mathilde de Belgique célèbrent leurs 10 ans de règne avec une garden party" [Philippe and Mathilde of Belgium celebrate their 10 years of reign with a garden party]. Point de Vue (in French). Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ Torfs, Michaël; Clapson, Colin (21 July 2023). "An emotional day for the king and queen as National Holiday celebrates King Filip's decade on the throne". vrt.be. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ "Prins Gabriël stopt met hockey" [Prince Gabriel retires from hockey]. Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 24 August 2013. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ Mieze, Marta (1 October 2022). "Belgian Prince Gabriel completes military initiation". The Brussels Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
The training is intended to immerse young future-office for a professional career in the armed forces and provide basic military skills. 190 students ultimately passed the training and received their symbolic blue berets on Friday, which officialises their new title of cadet.
- ^ Delorme, Philippe (28 August 2022). "Gabriel de Belgique, le service pour héritage" [Gabriel from Belgium, the inheritance service]. Point de Vue (in French). Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
Deuxième dans l'ordre de succession – qui fait désormais fi de la loi salique –, Gabriel sera donc élève-officier, interne durant une année à l'École royale militaire (ERM),... [Second in the order of succession – which now ignores the Salic law –, Gabriel will therefore be a cadet, an intern for a year at the Royal Military School (ERM), ...]
- ^ 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.