Belgium

Find everything you wanted to know about the Belgian monarchy here!

Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830, at which time the country needed to find a Head of State. As all surrounding countries were monarchies, the Belgian government opted to ask a number of royal and noble “spares” to consider the post. Leopold of Saxe-Coburg Gotha was not their first choice, but he was the one who accepted, thus founding a new dynasty, which rules to this day.

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Today in Royal History

Francis II of France was born on 19 January 1544, 10 years after his parents' wedding. His mother, Catherine de' Medici, had no power at her husband's court, having to defer to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Henri II died when Francis was only 15, and Catherine finally had the power she craved as regent. Francis, who was married to Mary Queen of Scots, lived for only a year as king, dying in 1560.

Charlotte of Belgium, daughter of Leopold I (Queen Victoria's maternal uncle), married Maximilian of Austria in 1857; he was offered the Mexican throne in 1864, at which Charlotte became Empress Carlota. By 1867 Maximilian had been executed by revolutionary forces and Carlota was having mental problems. She spent the rest of her life in Europe, dying in Belgium on 19 January 1927.

Princess Margriet of The Netherlands, younger sister of Queen Beatrix, was born on 19 January 1943 in Ottawa, Canada, where her parents had lived since the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands in 1940. In order that she should hold Dutch citizenship only, not Canadian citizenship, the Canadian government declared the maternity ward where she was born to be temporarily extraterritorial.