Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este

Princess Maria Laura Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (more) Born (1988-08-26) 26 August 1988 Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Woluwe-St-Lambert, Belgium Full name Maria Laura Zita Beatrix Gerhard House Austria-Este Father Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este Mother Princess Astrid of Belgium

Styles of Princess Maria Laura of Belgium 85px Reference style Her Imperial and Royal Highness Spoken style Your Imperial and Royal Highness Alternative style Madame

Belgian Royal Family HM The King HM The Queen HRH The Duchess of Brabant HRH Prince Gabriel HRH Prince Emmanuel HRH Princess Eléonore HM King Albert II HM Queen Paola HI&RH The Archduchess of Austria-Este HI&RH The Archduke of Austria-Este HI&RH Prince Amedeo HI&RH Archduchess Elisabetta HI&RH Princess Maria Laura HI&RH Prince Joachim HI&RH Princess Luisa Maria HI&RH Princess Laetitia Maria HRH Prince Laurent HRH Princess Claire HRH Princess Louise HRH Prince Nicolas HRH Prince Aymeric HRH Princess Léa HRH Princess Marie-Christine HRH Princess Marie-Esméralda

Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (Maria Laura Zita Beatrix Gerhard, born 26 August 1988) is the second child and oldest daughter of Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este and Princess Astrid of Belgium. She was born at the University Clinic St. Luc, Woluwe-St-Lambert, Belgium and is currently sixth in line to the Belgian throne.

Family

Maria Laura has one older brother, Amedeo (b. 1986), one younger brother, Joachim (b. 1991) and two younger sisters: Luisa Maria (b. 1995) and Laetitia Maria (b. 2003). Her godparents are her paternal uncle Archduke Gerhard of Austria-Este and her elder paternal aunt Archduchess Maria Beatrix of Austria-Este, Countess von und zu Arco-Zinneberg.

Education

Maria Laura was raised until 1993 in Basel, Switzerland, at which point her parents relocated to Belgium. She was educated, like her siblings and younger cousins, at the Jesuit school College Sint Jan Berchmans in Brussels. She completed her secondary education at the St. John's International School in Waterloo, Belgium, during which time she was involved in a minor accident (see below). She then went to London, and attended SOAS in London, where she studied Chinese. In 2007–2008, she spent time in China as part of her studies. She then enrolled at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales in Paris in 2008, where she is still studying.

Public life

Princess Astrid has guarded the private lives of her children, and Princess Maria Laura has thus made very few public appearances. She appeared in family photos, and at the marriages of her uncles Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant in 1999 and Prince Laurent of Belgium in 2003. She has appeared with her mother a few times, including the wedding of her second cousin Marie-Christine to Count Rodolphe van Limburg-Stirum.

The Princess is fluent in French, Dutch, and German, the three official languages of Belgium, as well as English.

Mentions in the press

On 9 September 2005, Maria Laura, along with six other students, were riding home from St. John's International School in Waterloo when the bus collided into three cars and rolled over several times. All of the students managed to escape before the bus burst into flames. Maria Laura was unharmed but was taken to the hospital for observation and released to her parents after a few hours.

Titles and styles

• 26 August 1988 – 2 December 1991: Her Imperial and Royal Highness Archduchess Maria Laura of Austria-Este, Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia
• 2 December 1991 – 7 February 1996: Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia
• 7 February 1996 – present: Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Princess of Modena

All the children of the Archduke of Austria-Este, Prince Lorenz, bear the title "Prince(ss) of Belgium" by Belgian Royal Decree of 2 December 1991, in addition to their traditional Austrian and other titles.

Ancestry

Family of Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este

16. Archduke Otto Franz of Austria               8. Charles I of Austria                       17. Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony               4. Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este                             18. Robert I, Duke of Parma               9. Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma                       19. Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal               2. Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este                                   20. Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta               10. Prince Amedeo of Savoy, 3rd Duke of Aosta                       21. Princess Hélène of Orléans               5. Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta                             22. Jean d'Orléans, duc de Guise               11. Princess Anne of Orléans                       23. Princess Isabelle of Orléans               1. Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este                                         24. Albert I of Belgium               12. Leopold III of Belgium                       25. Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria               6. Albert II of Belgium                             26. Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland               13. Princess Astrid of Sweden                       27. Princess Ingeborg of Denmark               3. Princess Astrid of Belgium                                   28. Beniamino Tristano Ruffo di Calabria, 5th Duke di Guardia Lombarda               14. Fulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke di Guardia Lombarda                       29. Laura Mosselman du Chenoy               7. Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria dei Principi di Scilla                             30. Augusto Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana               15. Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana                       31. Maria dei Conti Rignon

External links

• Regine ___. "Les 20 ans de la Princesse Maria Laura de Belgique" 26 August 2008. Contains a photo of Princess Maria Laura.
• Maria Laura with her mother in 2005. Contains a photo of the princess with her mother in 2005.

Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este House of Austria-Este Cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine Born: 26 August 1988
Lines of succession
Preceded by Princess Astrid	Line of succession to the Belgian throne 6th position	Succeeded by Prince Joachim