A Daughter for Laurent and Claire

[hollywood0220]

Congrats to them.... Congrats to Belgium.... YAY! What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.... GIRL POWER!


Chanel

[Fireweaver]

Pretty name too. Rather close to her cousin's, but, I like how since they liked the name, they kept it instead of changing it :)

[jun5]

Congratulations to the new parents, and the Royal Family for the baby girl! :flower:

Royal's girl power!!! It is amazing!

[Martine]

I heard Astrid and 4 of her children and phillip and mathilde allready visited baby louise :-)

[Alexandria]

Bigger versions of the images Martine first posted:

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: King Albert of Belgium (L) and Queen Paola © leave the St-Luc Hospital after their visit to Princess Claire who give birth to a girl named Louise Sophie Mary 06 February, 2004. BELGA PHOTO JACQUES COLLET

Two grandmas and a grandpa

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: King Albert of Belgium and Queen Paola, leave the St-Luc Hospital after their visit to Princess Claire who gave birth to a girl named Louise Sophie Mary, late 06 February 2004. Princess Claire, wife of Prince Laurent, the younger son of Belgian King Albert II, gave birth to the couple's first child, Princess Louise weighing 3.42 kilogrammes (7.54 pounds) and measuring 54 centimetres (21 inches). AFP PHOTO BELGA Jacques COLLET

Grandpa Albert and Grandma Paola

[norwegianne]

Question: Is there something in the water that the royals of Europe drink these days? Since the majority is getting girls I mean....

Anyway, congrats to Laurent and Claire. A newborn baby is a lovely thing.

[hollywood0220]

I can't wait to see what the stork brings for Fred and Mary and Leti and Felipe....

[Alexandria]

Originally posted by chanel@Feb 7th, 2004 - 12:49 pm
I can't wait to see what the stork brings for Fred and Mary and Leti and Felipe....

Maybe some royal boy power to equal the playing field! Of course any sons they have will be at least a year younger than all the royal girls, but who says age mattere?! :P

[Fireweaver]

He looks so excited. How cute :)

[Alexandria]

Yahoo News

New royal baby in Belgium
Sat Feb 7, 8:34 AM

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Princess Claire, wife of Prince Laurent, the younger son of Belgian King Albert II, has given birth to the couple's first child, Princess Louise, the royal palace announced.

Louise, who was born on Friday night, is the eighth grandchild of the Belgian sovereigns and 11th in line to the throne.

She weighed in at 3.42 kilogrammes (7.54 pounds) and measured 54 centimetres (21 inches).

Prince Laurent, 40, is the youngest of the three children of Albert II and Queen Paola. He married Claire Cooms, a British-born half-Belgian surveyor, who has just turned 30, last April.

Prince Laurent is only 10th in line to the throne, behind his elder brother Philippe, 43, his niece Elisabeth and his nephew Gabriel, his sister Astrid, 41, and her five children.

A great advocate of the environment and animal rights, Prince Laurent is one of the most popular members of the Belgian royal family, despite having had the reputation of a tearaway when younger.

Keen on powerful cars, he has managed to get himself stopped for speeding on several occasions.

[sara1981]

i cant wait see Claire's baby! he really excited he told press! the couples become first time parents! if Claire was c-section or not she had normal birth?

Sara Boyce

[Alexandria]

Originally posted by sara1981@Feb 7th, 2004 - 10:49 pm
i cant wait see Claire's baby! he really excited he told press! the couples become first time parents! if Claire was c-section or not she had normal birth?

Sara Boyce

During the press conference after Louise's birth, Laurent said that Claire was only in actual labour for 40 minutes and that she had an epidural and was feeling fine. So, that means that it was a natural delivery.

[Alexandra]

Is there everything OK with little baby Louise? They waited quite a long time before giving the birth public and now there are not any pictures given to the press. Not, that they were compulsory, but well, we "commoner" have been spoiled seeing pictures of new royals very soon. Little Amalia was hardly an hour "old", when her first picture was released.

[Jelka]

Originally posted by Alexandra@Feb 8th, 2004 - 12:32 pm
Is there everything OK with wee little baby Louise? They waited quite a long time before giving the birth public and now there are not any pictures given to the press. Not, that they were compulsory, but well, we "commoner" have been spoiled seeing pictures of new royals very soon. Little Amalia was hardly an hour "old", when her first picture was released.

Here in Belgium, the royals wait 2-3 days after the birth to release the first pictures. Most of the time, with a video too. Prince Gabriel is born August 20th and we saw him first on August 24th.

[milli]

Does anyone have a photes of Clair's brother MatthewCoombs. I think he is gorgeous

[didem]

Congratulations Princess Claire and Prince Laurent

[ally_cooper]

Congratulations for them and all the Royal family. But, I think that they named her daughter very similar to Princess Luisa, Princess Astrid's daughter.

[ally_cooper]

When born? on the february 5th or 6th? They named her Louise Sophie Mary? Mary isn't english?

[Alexandria]

Laurent and Claire's daughter Louise was born on February 6. I don't understand what you mean by "Mary isn't English?" Mary might've been chosen because Claire is British. I don't know if there is another significance for the choice of the name.

[Alexandria]

Hello

Belgian Royals Welcome a New Addition

9 FEBRUARY 2004
Prince Laurent of Belgium and his British-born wife Princess Claire are celebrating the birth of their first child, a baby girl, the royal palace has announced.

Princess Louise Sophie Mary came into the world at a Brussels hospital on Saturday, weighing in at 7lbs 8oz and measuring 21 inches. Both mother and daughter are doing well, and have already been visited by King Albert and Queen Paola, as well as Nicole Coombs-Mertens, Claire's sister.

The little princess, the monarch's eighth grandchild, is 11th in the line of succession. Belgium's royal family has seen a year of new additions, welcoming Prince Gabriel, son of Crown Prince Philippe and Crown Princess Mathilde, last August. The king and queen's only daughter, 41-year-old Princess Astrid, gave birth to her fifth child, Laetitia Maria, last April.

Prince Laurent, 40, and 30-year-old Claire Coombs wed last April, and the princess' pregnancy was confirmed five months later.