Amedeo of Austria-Este (Habsburg-Lorraine) (Amedeo Marie Joseph Carl Pierre Philippe Paola Marcus d'Aviano; born 21 February 1986),[1] Prince of Belgium, is a grandson of King Albert II of Belgium, and thus a member of the Belgian royal family. He is also heir-apparent to the headship of the House of Austria-Este,[2] a cadet branch (originally a tertiogeniture, later a secundogeniture) of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and is sixth in line to the throne of Belgium.
| Prince Amedeo | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archduke of Austria (more) | |||||
 | |||||
| Born | 21 February 1986 St-Luc University Hospital, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium | ||||
| Spouse |
Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein
(m. 2014) | ||||
| Issue | Archduchess Anna Astrid Archduke Maximilian Archduchess Alix | ||||
| |||||
| House | Habsburg-Lorraine (agnatic) Belgium (cognatic) | ||||
| Father | Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este | ||||
| Mother | Princess Astrid of Belgium | ||||
Birth and family
editAmedeo was born on 21 February 1986 at the Saint-Luc University Hospital in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium, as the first child and elder son of Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este, and Princess Astrid of Belgium.[2] He bears the same given name as his paternal great-grandfather, Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta. His godparents are his maternal uncle, King Philippe and grandmother, Queen Paola of Belgium.
Amedeo himself is godfather to his cousin, Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant. Amedeo has one younger brother, Joachim (b. 1991), and three younger sisters, Maria Laura (b. 1988), Luisa Maria (b. 1995) and Laetitia Maria (b. 2003).
He was baptised and married by the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Godfried Cardinal Danneels.
Education and career
editAmedeo undertook primary school and the greater part of his secondary education at the Jesuit school Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege (founded 1604) in Brussels, popular with Belgian aristocracy and royalty. He finished his secondary education at Sevenoaks School in Kent, England, between 2001 and 2004. He then spent a year in Belgium's Royal Military Academy. In September 2005, he began studies at the London School of Economics, where he graduated in 2008 with a BSc degree in Management, and took a sabbatical before entering professional life.[3]
From July 2009 to June 2012, Amedeo worked for Deloitte in New York City, first as a business analyst from July 2009 to June 2011, then as a management consultant in strategy and operations from July 2011 to June 2012. He then worked as a research analyst intern at Accumulus Capital Management, LLC from August through December 2012.[3]
During 2013 and 2014, Amedeo resumed his studies, obtaining an MBA degree at the Columbia Business School of Columbia University. He subsequently returned to Belgium, where he worked for McKinsey & Company in Brussels from September 2014 to September 2016. In January 2017, he began working at the Gutzwiller private bank in Basel, where his father is a partner.[3]
Marriage
editOn 15 February 2014, the Belgian Royal Court announced the engagement of Prince Amedeo to Nobile Elisabetta "Lili" Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, the only child of Italian film producer Nobile Ettore Rosboch von Wolkenstein (b. 1945) and his wife Donna Anna Maria "Lilia" dei Conti de Smecchia[4] also a film producer.[5][6]
Patrilineally, Elisabetta descends from the House of Caracciolo, as her father is a natural child of Prince Filippo Caracciolo di Castagneto and Baroness Elisabeth Jaworski von Wolkenstein (1915–1959),[a] who at the time of his birth had been widowed for one year of Nobile Ettore Bernardo Rosboch (1893–1944),[7][b][8] Italian Fascist Finance Undersecretary of State.[7][9]
Amedeo and Elisabetta both descend from Don Giuseppe Tiberio Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 2nd Prince of Palazzolo, Count of Sinopoli (1627–1683), while through German princely dynasties their most recent common ancestor is Franz Albrecht I, Prince of Oettingen-Spielberg (1663–1737).[10][11]
The couple's wedding was celebrated on 5 July 2014 in Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere,[12] in the presence of the royal family (with the exception of his great-aunt Queen Fabiola), as well as members of the cadet branches of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, including the bridegroom's grandmother, Margherita of Savoy, Dowager Archduchess of Austria-Este, and members of other dynasties, including Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg and her husband Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, Princess Beatrice of York and Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon. After the marriage, Elisabetta was stylised as Her Royal Highness Princess Amedeo of Belgium.[13] The couple were planning to relocate in Belgium after the wedding.
Succession rights to the Belgian throne
editIn 1991, Amedeo obtained, along with his mother and younger siblings, succession rights to the Belgian throne.[20] In 1993, his maternal grandfather acceded to the throne as King Albert II and he became third in Belgium's line of succession, following his uncle Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant, and his mother. Upon Philippe's marriage in 1999, the prospect of Amedeo inheriting the throne substantially diminished, and the birth of a daughter and dynastic heir to Philippe in 2001 dropped his place in the order of succession down to fourth and eventually to seventh, following the birth of Philippe's other children. The abdication on 21 July 2013 of his grandfather King Albert II promoted him to sixth in line to the throne.
Although an announcement of Amedeo's engagement was published on the Royal Family's website, no dynastic authorisation for his marriage was published prior to his wedding, as foreseen in Article 85 of the Belgian Constitution. Speculation in the media included a commentator on the military parade for La Une who, on 21 July 2014 (Belgian National Day), alleged that no royal authorisation was announced because the prince intentionally chose not to request permission to marry, and therefore Amedeo was no longer deemed in the line of succession.[citation needed] In November 2015, a royal decree expressing King Philippe's retroactive permission for the marriage was gazetted in the Moniteur Belge,[21][22] without the consultation of the legislative chambers and in contravention of the Article 85 of the Belgian Constitution.[23]
Titles and styles
editAll the children of Princess Astrid and Archduke Lorenz bear the title of "Prince(ss) of Belgium", with the style of "Royal Highness", by Belgian Royal Decree of 2 December 1991, which is distinct from their traditional Austro-Hungarian titles.[2]
Ancestry
edit| Ancestors of Prince Amedeo of Belgium |
|---|
Military ranks
edit
2004–2005 Royal Military Academy (Social & Military Sciences)
September 2005 – September 2007: Belgian Land Component, Warrant-Officer as Candidate-officer (Adjudant Candidat-Officier), after his formation at Royal Military Academy- September 2007 – : Belgian Land Component, Second lieutenant (as a Reserve officer) of the Regiment Carabiniers Prins Boudewijn – Grenadiers[24]
Footnotes
edit- ^ Elisabeth Jaworski von Wolkenstein (1915–1959) was the daughter of Romuald von Jaworski (sentenced to forfeiture of his nobility [Adelsverlust] for violating nobility codes of conduct in 1916) and Countess Maria von Wolkenstein-Trostburg (1882–1965).
- ^ Undersecretary Rosboch and his wife Elisabeth had a daughter from their marriage, Nobile Patrizia Rosboch, Ettore Rosboch von Wolkenstein's older half-sister.[7]
References
edit- ^ Fontaine, Nicolas (6 January 2023). "Le prince Laurent n'est plus " de Belgique " : la famille royale belge redevient " de Saxe-Cobourg "". Histoires Royales (in French). Retrieved 15 January 2023..
- ^ a b c "Haus Österreich". Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels: Furstliche Hauser Band XVI. Limburg an der Lahn: C. A. Starke Verlag. 2001. pp. 87, 90–91, 524, 529. ISBN 3-7980-0824-8.
- ^ a b c de Vuyst, Pierre. "Amedeo banquier en Suisse!, Le Soir". Rue Royale (Soir Mag). Le Soir. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ Elward, Ronald (21 January 2014). "Austria-Este (Modena)". Heirs of Europe. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ [1] Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Announcement of the engagement.
- ^ "C'est officiel: le prince Amedeo et Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein vont se marier à Rome le 5 juillet". sudinfo.be (in French). 28 May 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ a b c Agnelli, Marella (2015). La Signora Gocà – 1ª ediz (in Italian). Milano: Adelphi Edizioni Piccola Biblioteca Adelphi 674. pp. 234–235–236. ISBN 9788845930409.
- ^ "Filippo Caracciolo, VII Principe di Castagneto". Geni.com. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "Ettore Bernardo Rosboch". Camera dei deputati – Portale Storico (in Italian). Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ vtm. Royalty. Vriendin prins Amedeo is verre nicht. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2015. (Flemish).
- ^ "Leo's Genealogics Website". genealogics.org. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Prins Amedeo en Lili trouwen in de zon". VTM. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Le Prince et la Princesse Amedeo de Belgique ..." Belgian Monarchy Facebook. 17 May 2016. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ NWS, VRT. "Nederlands". vrtnws.be. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ 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.[15]
- ^ 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 (Habsbourg-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)"]
- ^ "België is een prinsje rijker: zoontje voor prins Amedeo en prinses Elisabetta". De Standaard. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "A third child is born to Princess Elisabetta and Prince Amedeo". The Brussels Times. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels: Furstliche Hauser Band XIX. Limburg an der Lahn: C. A. Starke Verlag. 2011. pp. 6–8. ISBN 978-3-7980-0849-6.
- ^ "Le prince Amedeo réintègre l'ordre de succession au trône | Metro". Archived from the original on 25 November 2015.
- ^ royal decree of 12 November 2015. Moniteur Belge, second edition, 24 November 2015, p.70312
- ^ Jacobs, Jasper (15 February 2016). "La N-VA accuse le roi Philippe (et Charles Michel) d'avoir violé la Constitution". rtbf.be (in French). Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ Belgian Defense Website, Prince Amedeo's officer swear on 27 September 2007, Photos 1, 2, 3