Titles of the Belgian Royal Family 1: Ending Aug.2023

[Duc_et_Pair]

Elisabetta was again styled Princess Amedeo in the official announcement of her daughter's birth.
http://www.facebook.com/BeMonarchie/posts/1684077428522557

The Twitter account of Place Royale on RTL claims that the daughter of Prince and Princess Amedeo holds the title Princess of Saxe-Cobourg. In November, La Libre similarly claimed that the grandchildren of Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent would have the title Prince or Princess of Saxe-Cobourg. Both stories are unconfirmed.

Impossible. Only in Spain titles can be inherited by a female when she happens to be the eldest child. In all other countries and nobiliary systems titles are only hereditary via the senior male agnatic lineage.

To this adds that after WWI the Belgian monarchy has ended the use of its German titulature and now, more than a century later, it is a Princess von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha while her father is an Imperial and Royal Highness, an Archduke of Austria-Este, Prince Royal of Hungary and Duke of Modena... If there is any baby with no need for fantasy titles, it is this dazzling highborn Anna Astrid... Just nonsens by twittering folks without any clue.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

[...] But f.e. the countess Thierry de Limburg-Stirum calls herself Katia della Faille professionally.

On itself that is 100% correct. Her own name is Jonkvrouw Katia della Faille de Leverghem and she is Gravin Thierry van Limburg-Stirum by marriage. This style may be oldfashioned, it is also perfectly clear who is who and what.

Laurentien Brinkhorst uses her own name, for an example as author of the Mr Finney books. Being 'de prinses Constantijn' may sound oldfashioned but it shows what she is by virtue of marriage. The difference between born royals (prinses Astrid van België) and married ladies ("prinses Claire van België") gets completely confused. With "de prinses Laurent" it is immediaty clear who and what Claire Coombs is.

If that is archaïc, why then not make a plea for "mevrouw Van België"? Or is someone claiming that "prinses" or "koningin" is not archaïc?

 

[Spheno]

Accoding to wikipedia, she is Archduchess Anna Astrid of Austria-Este.
I think it's best solution (until we will see official information).

 

[Countessmeout]

Interesting. Then how does one explain Astrid's children are Prince/Princess of Belgium? They certainly didn't inherit the title from their father now did they? And if Philippe had not recently changed the rules, so only children/grandchildren of the king can be Prince/ss of Belgium, Amedeo's sisters would have passed the title on as well. Eleanor's children will be entitled, like her older sister's kids, to prince/ss of Belgium.

When speaking strictly nobility and not royal titles, it is not unheard of for women to inherit titles either. Yes, Spain is the only one that has changed the laws for all titles, but there are titles on an individual basis that have been inherited in the female line as well.

Clan Fraser in Scotland is a perfect example. It is male preference, but not salic inheritance. The current head of the clan is Marjorie 'Flora" Fraser, Lady Saltoun. She was the only elected member of the house of lords until her retirement. Her late husband Alexander was the only son of Princess Patricia. Her heir is her eldest daughter Katherine, Mistress Saltoun. After Katherine, Katherine's son will inherit. Alexander has older sisters, but because its male preference, he is heir. His sister Louise was heir prior to his birth though.

But back to Anna Astrid, I agree. It was determined by Philippe, that titles would only be inherited by children/grand children of the king. The baby will have titles, but those of Amedeo's Austrian side, which are of course simply a courtesy title.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

The children of Princess Astrid were created Prince (Princess) of Belgium by Law, so they became quadruple titled to speak: Austrian Empire, Kingdom of Hungary, Dukedom of Modena ánd Kingdom of Belgium.

Back then Prince Philippe and Prince Laurent still were unmarried and had no heirs. On a later date also Archduke Lorenz was created a Prince of Belgium. The Belgian title is only hereditary for children of the King and of the Heir, so the daughter of Amedeo only has the hereditary titles of her father: HI&RH Archduchess Anna Astrid of Austria-Este, in short.

 

[Countessmeout]

No. Lorenz was created a Prince of Belgium by law. Not the children.

Prior to 1991, Belgium practiced agnatic primogeniture. Astrid was not in line for the throne, and her children were not either. As such Maria Laura and Amedeo were not born Prince/ss of Belgium as they were born prior to the change. Baudouin is said to have pushed for the change to limit the chance Laurent would be king, as he had issues with his nephew. The change placed Astrid and her children ahead of him. Since Joachim, Maria Laetitia and Luisa Maria were born after the change, they were all titled Prince/ss of Belgium at birth. The change in succession, like in Sweden, was done retroactively (applying to all descendents of Albert) so when the law was passed, Astrid's children automatically inherited the Belgian titles from their mother.

The same will happen with Eleanor and Elisabeth's children. As grandchildren of King Philippe, they will inherit Prince/ss of Belgium from their mother. It will be their spouses that a law would be required to grant the spouse a title as well.

 

[Prisma]

There was a decree on 2 December 1991 that all descendants of Albert, then-Prince of Liege were entitled to Prince/ss of Belgium. Archduke Lorenz was created Prince of Belgium in 1995.

A new decree on 12 November 2015 restricted the Prince/ss of Belgium to children and grandchildren of the Sovereign, and children and grandchildren of the heir going forward. The 2015 decree doesn't remove the title from existing Prince/ss of Belgium.

2015 decree:
LOI - WET
Le Roi limite l’octroi du titre de "prince de Belgique" - La Libre.be

 

[Countessmeout]

The Belgian title is only hereditary for children of the King and of the Heir.

Small correction, the title is only hereditary for the children and Grandchildren of the king. All Philippe's future grandchildren will be entitled to the title. Meaning Gabriel, Emmanuel and Eleanor's children, as long as they marry with permission, will be prince/ss of Belgium.

Anna Astrid is not a granddaughter of the king, therefore she is not a princess of Belgium.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

The daddy in this thread -Amedeo- who was born in 1986 was created Prince of Belgium in the 1990's. As everyone already noted, the Belgians forgot (?) to limit the descendants of Prince Albert in both male and female lineage, with the risk of an exploding number of Princes and Princesses of Belgium. King Philippe was so wise to limit it with a new Decree. So in effect the Belgian titles of Amedeo and his siblings, as well of Laurent's children, have become ad-personam and non-hereditary.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Small correction, the title is only hereditary for the children and Grandchildren of the king. All Philippe's future grandchildren will be entitled to the title. Meaning Gabriel, Emmanuel and Eleanor's children, as long as they marry with permission, will be prince/ss of Belgium.

Anna Astrid is not a granddaughter of the king, therefore she is not a princess of Belgium.

I dare to bet a good bottle of wine that this will be restricted furtherer. The King has a big family and -like in other monarchies- the focus is to limit it to the core royals. There will be a new debate about the positions of Astrid and Laurent. And when Elisabeth, Emmanuel, Gabriel, etc. get childre who are all HRH Prince or Princess of Belgium too, the clutter of royals remain. Typical Belgium, never the guts to make a clear line.

 

[Mbruno]

Elisabetta was again styled Princess Amedeo in the official announcement of her daughter's birth.
http://www.facebook.com/BeMonarchie/posts/1684077428522557

The Twitter account of Place Royale on RTL claims that the daughter of Prince and Princess Amedeo holds the title Princess of Saxe-Cobourg. In November, La Libre similarly claimed that the grandchildren of Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent would have the title Prince or Princess of Saxe-Cobourg. Both stories are unconfirmed.

I don't think she can be a Princess of Saxe-Coburg as King Albert I gave up that title for himself and for all his future descendants, didn't he ?

 

[Countessmeout]

Leopold III I believe was the last holder of the title, could be wrong.


Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is salic though, even if the Belgians hadn't given it up. As the son of the female line, neither Amedeo nor his daughter would be able to inherit it. If it were to be granted to them, I would think it would have to be granted specially by the current head of the family, Andreas.


I think the difference being made here is the dropping of Gotha. The suggested name is Princess Anna Astrid of Saxe-Coburg (no Gotha). The Belgians belong to the royal house of Saxe-Coburg, Amedeo does on his mother's side. It would be along the lines of Friso being given the title Prince of Orange-Nasau when he married. Or the Swedish princes who married morgantically being named Prince Bernadotte. Or the children of Prince Louis of Luxembourg who are Princes of Nassau instead of Luxembourg.


But considering Amedeo has titles (all be it courtsy) titles from his father, and his daughter is an Archduchess and Princess through that, there is no real need.

 

[Mbruno]

That's interesting and I also wonder if the grandchildren of Prince Laurent would be styled HRH Prince/Princess of Saxe-Cobourg or just H.H.Prince/Princess of Saxe-Cobourg?

The Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha are styled as "Highness".

 

[Countessmeout]

But Laurent's children wouldn't be Prince/ss of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. They would simply be Prince/ss of Saxe-Coburg. Like Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, Prince Noah and Gabriel of Nassau and so on. It would be a new creation by Philippe, so it would fall to him at what HH, H or what designation they got.


And as far as I recall, Andreas and his son are HH not simply highness.

 

[Mbruno]

Interesting. Then how does one explain Astrid's children are Prince/Princess of Belgium? They certainly didn't inherit the title from their father now did they? And if Philippe had not recently changed the rules, so only children/grandchildren of the king can be Prince/ss of Belgium, Amedeo's sisters would have passed the title on as well. Eleanor's children will be entitled, like her older sister's kids, to prince/ss of Belgium.

There was a royal decree issued by King Baudouin that extended the title of Prince/Princess of Belgium to all descendants of his brother Albert (the title itself was not automatic with the constitutional amendment that introduced equal primogeniture). King Philippe's recent royal decree restricted the title to his own children and grandchildren, plus the grandchildren of Princess Elisabeth, while, at the same time, keeping Astrid's, Laurent's, and their respective children's titles.

Duc's point was that, even if Albert held the title of Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which he did not BTW, Astrid could not have passed it to her children anyway , as the title can only be inherited in male line.

But Laurent's children wouldn't be Prince/ss of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. They would simply be Prince/ss of Saxe-Coburg. Like Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, Prince Noah and Gabriel of Nassau and so on. It would be a new creation by Philippe, so it would fall to him at what HH, H or what designation they got.

I guess that would be possible, but it would require another royal decree. The new title would be a princely title in the nobility of Belgium and the usual style would still be HH.

 

[Countessmeout]

Duc made a general sweeping comment that only Spanish aristocrats daughters inherit titles. That is false.


We're not talking SCG, we're talking simply Sax-Coburg. That is the name of the family house. This would be a new title and creation. If it was created for Anna-Astrid, then whoever created it would have the ability to decide if it could be inherited and by whom. There are aristocratic titles outside Spain inheritable by women. I don't see Philippe creating a title under salic law, when his own daughter is his heir.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Meaning Gabriel, Emmanuel and Eleanor's children, as long as they marry with permission, will be prince/ss of Belgium.

Their children will be Prince/ss of Belgium even if the parents marry without permission; the royal decree does not even require that the parents be married.

Article 1er. Dans les actes publics et privés qui les concernent, les Princes et les Princesses, enfants et petits-enfants, issus de la descendance directe du Roi ainsi que les Princes et les Princesses, enfants et petits-enfants, issus de la descendance directe du Prince héritier ou de la Princesse héritière portent le titre de Prince ou de Princesse de Belgique à la suite de leur prénom et, pour autant qu'ils les portent, de leur nom de famille et de leur titre dynastique et avant les autres titres qui leur reviennent de droit par leur ascendance. Leur prénom est précédé par le prédicat Son Altesse Royale.

I guess that would be possible, but it would require another royal decree. The new title would be a princely title in the nobility of Belgium and the usual style would still be HH.

No such royal decree has been issued, thus if the alleged title exists, it would be a Belgian courtesy title, comparable to the title "Princess Amedeo of Belgium." (Article 4 of the decree of Nov. 12, 2015, which involves descendants who do not have the title Prince/ss of Belgium, nonetheless calls them Princes and Princesses, which is presumably by courtesy.)

Art. 4. Les Princes et Princesses, issus de la descendance directe de Sa Majesté Léopold, Georges, Chrétien, Frédéric de Saxe-Cobourg qui ne sont pas visés par les articles 1er à 3, portent à la suite de leur prénom et, pour autant qu'ils le portent, de leur nom de famille, les titres qui leur reviennent de droit par leur ascendance.

12 NOVEMBRE 2015. - Arrêté royal relatif à l'octroi du titre de Prince ou Princesse de Belgique

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Accoding to wikipedia, she is Archduchess Anna Astrid of Austria-Este.
I think it's best solution (until we will see official information).

People Magazine mentions Princess Anna Astrid. However, the article mentions the child will not be a Princess of Belgium.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Le Soir has two articles by Martine Dubuisson about the Royal Decree of November 12, 2015 and royal titles and surnames.

Quel nom pour les princes qui ne seront plus «de Belgique»?

Antoine Clevers from La Libre wrote about the same topics back in November.

Le Roi limite l'octroi du titre de "prince de Belgique" - La Libre.be

Their stories are based on unnamed sources and have not been authenticated.


The preamble of the Royal Decree mentions that, considering the laws regulating the transmission of family names and the National Register, and the involvement of royal family members in economic life, "it is advisable to as much as possible avoid confusion between the family name and the titles".

12 NOVEMBER 2015. - Koninklijk besluit betreffende de verlening van de titel van Prins of Prinses van België

The explanation given by Mr. Clevers:
- An objective of the Royal Decree was to avoid the confusion between the family name and the title. The royal family's real surname is Saxe-Coburg and not "of Belgium", which comes from a confusion between the title of Prince of Belgium and the name Saxe-Coburg.
- From January 1, 2016, it is legally required to indicate on identity documents both a surname (Saxe-Coburg) and a title (Prince).
- King Philippe seeks to avoid his younger children using their title for special privileges in their future professional lives.

Ms. Dubuisson says that in Belgian nobiliary law, the surname and the title are supposed to be separate, but the distinction was never clear in the royal family. In their birth certificates, it was the title which appeared in the box "name". The surname "of Saxe-Coburg" or "of Belgium" derived from the title Prince of Saxe-Coburg or Prince of Belgium.

Mr. Clevers, and Place Royale, wrote that the grandchildren of Astrid and Laurent would be Princes(ses) of Saxe-Coburg. However, Ms. Dubuisson only says that the Princes(ses) who are not Princes(ses) of Belgium could be called "of Saxe-Coburg", since they are descendants of Leopold I. She states that the Palace wants to limit the number of people who wear the name "of Belgium", and the "of Belgiums" are charged with choosing a surname for their children from the "titles to which they are entitled by their ancestry" (article 4 of the Royal Decree).

In fact, Prince and Princess Amedeo used the same surname and title that appeared on the birth certificate of Amedeo in 1986 for their daughter. When Amedeo became Prince of Belgium in 1991, his birth certificate was completed with a "marginal note" that he is also "prince of Belgium", but the surname was not changed. On Princess Anna Astrid's birth certificate, "Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Anna Astrid Marie Archduchess of Austria-Este (Habsbourg-Lorraine)" was indicated under the heading "name and forenames".

(What would be interesting to see is how she is addressed by the Palace, since it gives Prince Lorenz and his family the style of HRH rather than HI&RH, and the Royal Decree granted the style of HRH to the Princes(ses) of Belgium alone.)

 

[Mbruno]

Le Soir has two articles by Martine Dubuisson about the Royal Decree of November 12, 2015 and royal titles and surnames.

Quel nom pour les princes qui ne seront plus «de Belgique»?

Antoine Clevers from La Libre wrote about the same topics back in November.

Le Roi limite l'octroi du titre de "prince de Belgique" - La Libre.be

Their stories are based on unnamed sources and have not been authenticated.


The preamble of the Royal Decree mentions that, considering the laws regulating the transmission of family names and the National Register, and the involvement of royal family members in economic life, "it is advisable to as much as possible avoid confusion between the family name and the titles".

12 NOVEMBER 2015. - Koninklijk besluit betreffende de verlening van de titel van Prins of Prinses van België

The explanation given by Mr. Clevers:
- An objective of the Royal Decree was to avoid the confusion between the family name and the title. The royal family's real surname is Saxe-Coburg and not "of Belgium", which comes from a confusion between the title of Prince of Belgium and the name Saxe-Coburg.
- From January 1, 2016, it is legally required to indicate on identity documents both a surname (Saxe-Coburg) and a title (Prince).
- King Philippe seeks to avoid his younger children using their title for special privileges in their future professional lives.

Ms. Dubuisson says that in Belgian nobiliary law, the surname and the title are supposed to be separate, but the distinction was never clear in the royal family. In their birth certificates, it was the title which appeared in the box "name". The surname "of Saxe-Coburg" or "of Belgium" derived from the title Prince of Saxe-Coburg or Prince of Belgium.

Mr. Clevers, and Place Royale, wrote that the grandchildren of Astrid and Laurent would be Princes(ses) of Saxe-Coburg. However, Ms. Dubuisson only says that the Princes(ses) who are not Princes(ses) of Belgium could be called "of Saxe-Coburg", since they are descendants of Leopold I. She states that the Palace wants to limit the number of people who wear the name "of Belgium", and the "of Belgiums" are charged with choosing a surname for their children from the "titles to which they are entitled by their ancestry" (article 4 of the Royal Decree).

In fact, Prince and Princess Amedeo used the same surname and title that appeared on the birth certificate of Amedeo in 1986 for their daughter. When Amedeo became Prince of Belgium in 1991, his birth certificate was completed with a "marginal note" that he is also "prince of Belgium", but the surname was not changed. On Princess Anna Astrid's birth certificate, "Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Anna Astrid Marie Archduchess of Austria-Este (Habsbourg-Lorraine)" was indicated under the heading "name and forenames".

(What would be interesting to see is how she is addressed by the Palace, since it gives Prince Lorenz and his family the style of HRH rather than HI&RH, and the Royal Decree granted the style of HRH to the Princes(ses) of Belgium alone.)

King Philippe's children and future grandchildren do not have a family name. According to the Royal Decree, Princess Elisabeth for example is named "Her Royal Highness the Princess Élisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène, Duchess of Brabant, Princess of Belgium", whereas Gabriel, who doesn't have a dynastic title of his own like his sister, is simply "His Royal Highness the Prince Gabriel Baudouin Charles Marie, Prince of Belgium ".

Amedeo, on the other hand, can use his father's family titles, which are not Belgian dynastic titles, after his title of Prince of Belgium, and may use his family name before it. It is not clear if he is legally entiltled to use the style HI&RH in Belgium or not, but it is clear in the royal decree that he is entitled to be addressed as HRH.


In other words, under the terms of the royal decree, Amedeio's style in Belgium should be IMHO: "His Royal Highness the Prince Amedeo Marie Joseph Carl Pierre Philippe Paola Marcus d'Aviano (von Habsburg-Lothringen ?), Prince of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este, (Prince Imperial of Austria), (Prince Royal of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia) ."

 

[Tatiana Maria]

The Royal Decree of 2015, as distinct from the Royal Decree of December 2, 1991, allows all of the Princes(ses) of Belgium, the children and future grandchildren of King Philippe along with the children of Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent, to use a family name and/or extra family titles.

1991

"Article 1. Dans les actes publics et privés qui les concernent, les Princes et Princesses issus de la descendance en ligne directe de S.A.R. le Prince Albert, Félix, Humbert, Théodore, Christian, Eugène, Marie, Prince de Liège, Prince de Belgique, seront qualifiés Princes ou Princesses de Belgique, à la suite de leurs prénoms."

2015 (Children and grandchildren of King Philippe)

"Article 1er. Dans les actes publics et privés qui les concernent, les Princes et les Princesses, enfants et petits-enfants, issus de la descendance directe du Roi ainsi que les Princes et les Princesses, enfants et petits-enfants, issus de la descendance directe du Prince héritier ou de la Princesse héritière portent le titre de Prince ou de Princesse de Belgique à la suite de leur prénom et, pour autant qu'ils les portent, de leur nom de famille et de leur titre dynastique et avant les autres titres qui leur reviennent de droit par leur ascendance. Leur prénom est précédé par le prédicat Son Altesse Royale."

2015 (Children of Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent)

"Art. 2. Dans les actes publics et privés qui les concernent, les Princes et les Princesses, enfants et petits-enfants, issus de la descendance directe de Sa Majesté le Roi Albert II portent le titre de Prince ou de Princesse de Belgique à la suite de leur prénom et, pour autant qu'ils les portent, de leur nom de famille et de leur titre dynastique et avant les autres titres qui leur reviennent de droit par leur ascendance. Leur prénom est précédé par le prédicat Son Altesse Royale."

 

[Mbruno]

The Royal Decree of 2015, as distinct from the Royal Decree of December 2, 1991, allows all of the Princes(ses) of Belgium, the children and future grandchildren of King Philippe along with the children of Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent, to use a family name and/or extra family titles.

Yes, but only provided that they use a family name. My point exactly was that King Philippe's children do not use any family name.

 

[maria-olivia]

On their identity card it is written de Belgique .
At school they are Elisabeth , Gabriel , Emmanuel , Eleonore van Belgie

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Yes, but only provided that they use a family name. My point exactly was that King Philippe's children do not use any family name.

I am not sure if King Philippe's children use a family name in their identity documents, as I have not seen any transcriptions, but Antoine Clevers wrote that a surname would be required from January 1, 2016.

On their identity card it is written de Belgique .
At school they are Elisabeth , Gabriel , Emmanuel , Eleonore van Belgie

Is it written "Elisabeth, Princesse de Belgique", "Princesse Elisabeth de Belgique", or only "Elisabeth de Belgique"?

 

[maria-olivia]

Her Identity card is Elisabeth de Belgique/van Belgie.
At School they are normal students no Prince/Princess etc..

 

[Mbruno]

Her Identity card is Elisabeth de Belgique/van Belgie.
At School they are normal students no Prince/Princess etc..

Someone mentioned in another thread a long time ago that, in his "Acte de Mariage", Philippe signed his name as "Philippe de Belgique" whereas (then) prince Henri, who served as a witness, signed as "Henri de Luxembourg". In the preamble to the marriage act, the prince himself was referred as:

"Son Altesse Royale le Prince Philippe Léopold Louis Marie, Duc de Brabant, Prince de Belgique, Sénateur, Grand Cordon de l'Ordre de Léopold, titulaire de diverses distinctions honorifiques étrangères ."

King Albert II, on the order hand, was referred to as:

"Sa Majesté le Roi Albert II Félix Humbert Théodore Christian Eugène Marie, Roi des Belges, Prince de Belgique, Grand Maître de l'Ordre de Léopold, titulaire de diverses distinctions honorifiques étrangères"

The most interesting reference though was to the Queen Paola who, like Queen Máxima, was not referred to as "Queen of the Belgians", but rather "HM Queen Paola [etc.], Princess of Belgium". More specifically, the text in French was:

"Sa Majesté la Reine Paola Margherita Maria-Antonia Consiglia des Princes Ruffo di Calabria, Princesse de Belgique, Grand Cordon de l'Ordre de Léopold"

In any case, my understanding though is that "de Belgique" is not a family name, bur rather a title.

 

[Marchesina]

Someone mentioned in another thread a long time ago that, in his "Acte de Mariage", Philippe signed his name as "Philippe de Belgique" whereas (then) prince Henri, who served as a witness, signed as "Henri de Luxembourg". In the preamble to the marriage act, the prince himself was referred as:

"Son Altesse Royale le Prince Philippe Léopold Louis Marie, Duc de Brabant, Prince de Belgique, Sénateur, Grand Cordon de l'Ordre de Léopold, titulaire de diverses distinctions honorifiques étrangères ."

King Albert II, on the order hand, was referred to as:

"Sa Majesté le Roi Albert II Félix Humbert Théodore Christian Eugène Marie, Roi des Belges, Prince de Belgique, Grand Maître de l'Ordre de Léopold, titulaire de diverses distinctions honorifiques étrangères"

The most interesting reference though was to the Queen Paola who, like Queen Máxima, was not referred to as "Queen of the Belgians", but rather "HM Queen Paola [etc.], Princess of Belgium". More specifically, the text in French was:

"Sa Majesté la Reine Paola Margherita Maria-Antonia Consiglia des Princes Ruffo di Calabria, Princesse de Belgique, Grand Cordon de l'Ordre de Léopold"

In any case, my understanding though is that "de Belgique" is not a family name, bur rather a title.

"de Belgique/van Belgie" is indeed a title, but at the same time it has become a family name over the years. The family name of the Belgian Royal Family is "Saxe-Coburg and Gotha", but just like their British cousins, they decided to cut any possible German connection after the First World War.
As for Queen Paola's titles, I think the distinction was made as she's Queen by marriage, sharing her husband's title, while the Princess title is something that she acquired on her own right (same as Mathilde and Claire, who were made Princesses of Belgium prior to their wedding).

 

[Tatiana Maria]

In any case, my understanding though is that "de Belgique" is not a family name, bur rather a title.

"de Belgique/van Belgie" is indeed a title, but at the same time it has become a family name over the years. The family name of the Belgian Royal Family is "Saxe-Coburg and Gotha", but just like their British cousins, they decided to cut any possible German connection after the First World War.

King Philippe apparently thinks that the real family name is "of Saxe-Coburg" and on that account the descendants of the royal family who will not be Princes(ses) of Belgium should not use the last name "of Belgium". But the legal specialists whom Le Soir consulted disagreed with the King's analysis.

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f29/titles-of-the-belgian-royal-family-38975-9.html#post1920463

The report that accompanied the draft of the Royal Decree of March 14, 1891, which conferred the title "Prince(ss) of Belgium" on the princes and princesses of the royal family, reads that "in other countries, they call our princes and princesses by the name of Belgium" and that the Royal Decree "confers this name on them".

Royal Titles in Belgium - Titres Royaux en Belgique

In March, the history of the Houses of Wettin and Saxe-Coburg was added to the official website. It states that the Belgian royal family is a branch of the House of Wettin.

http://www.monarchie.be/en/royal-family/history/origins-of-the-dynasty

 

[Mbruno]

"de Belgique/van Belgie" is indeed a title, but at the same time it has become a family name over the years. The family name of the Belgian Royal Family is "Saxe-Coburg and Gotha", but just like their British cousins, they decided to cut any possible German connection after the First World War.
As for Queen Paola's titles, I think the distinction was made as she's Queen by marriage, sharing her husband's title, while the Princess title is something that she acquired on her own right (same as Mathilde and Claire, who were made Princesses of Belgium prior to their wedding).

That is indeed the case. Prior to 1991, all legitimate agnatic descendants of King Leopold I were princes of Belgium and their respective wives automatically became princesses of Belgium. Thus, Paola became a princess of Belgium upon marrying Albert and holds that title for life. Mathilde's and Claire's situation is slightly different as, since King Baudouin's 1991 royal decree, wives of princes of Belgium no longer automatically get the title of Princess of Belgium upon marriage. Mathilde and Claire were made princesses of Belgium in their own right though by separate royal decrees issued by King ALbert II.

Going back to my previous post, what surprised me is that the consort of the King of the Belgians is often called the Queen of the Belgians, including in official invitations from other royal courts. Philippe's marriage Act seems to imply though that this is actually legally incorrect.

 

[Marchesina]

King Philippe apparently thinks that the real family name is "of Saxe-Coburg" and on that account the descendants of the royal family who will not be Princes(ses) of Belgium should not use the last name "of Belgium". But the legal specialists whom Le Soir consulted disagreed with the King's analysis.

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f29/titles-of-the-belgian-royal-family-38975-9.html#post1920463

The report that accompanied the draft of the Royal Decree of March 14, 1891, which conferred the title "Prince(ss) of Belgium" on the princes and princesses of the royal family, reads that "in other countries, they call our princes and princesses by the name of Belgium" and that the Royal Decree "confers this name on them".

Royal Titles in Belgium - Titres Royaux en Belgique

In March, the history of the Houses of Wettin and Saxe-Coburg was added to the official website. It states that the Belgian royal family is a branch of the House of Wettin.

http://www.monarchie.be/en/royal-family/history/origins-of-the-dynasty

I think it is only fair from Philippe's part not to want an endless line of princes of Belgium and to keep conferring the title only to the King's grandchildren (the way it was during Albert's reign). We'll see in the future what will happen when Laurent's kids will have their own children, as Astrid kids have the Habsburg name to carry on.

As for the family name and the family history, I think that it is safe to say that no one can deny those origins and nowadays the relations between Belgium and Germany are good enough, and IMO it makes no sense to hide where the family comes from...it's not like they can have any claim one the duchy, anyway.