Engagement of Princess Maria Laura and William Isvy; 27 Dec 2021

[eya]

"Belgian Princess Maria Laura, 33, is getting married.

Her parents Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz announced that their daughter is engaged to William Isvy.
They live in London. She is analyst in the climate change sector, he works in the asset management industry."

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHmZum2WQAgsU2a?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHmA9wnWYAAr6Oc?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

https://twitter.com/x/status/1475375478328512518

Congratulations to the couple!

 

[iceflower]

Congratulations to the couple!

The following article contains some more information about William Isvy and a video of the couple taken earlier this month:


** nieuwsblad article: Oudste dochter van prinses Astrid stapt in huwelijksbootje ** translation **

 

[Marengo]

The groom-to-be is the son of a British mother and a French-Moroccan father. He was born in Paris but raised in Londen, where he attended the Lycée français Charles de Gaulle. Later he studied finance at the McGill University in Canada. He likes tennis and travelling.

https://www.sudinfo.be/id435648/art...-royale-la-princesse-maria-laura-va-se-marier

 

[Blog Real]

Congratulations to the couple!

I really like the photos of the newlyweds that were released by the royal house.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CX-rhNfqiWW/?utm_medium=copy_link

 

[Elektra]

Nice surprise ! Congratulations to the couple !

 

[MAfan]

Quite a surprise indeed! Many congratulations to the happy couple!

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Some information and a few questions about the future titles of the couple and their potential children. (I am unsure whether this should be discussed in the engagement or titles thread. I've made the post in the titles thread but quote it in this one.)

The princess:

Princess Maria Laura's official style will certainly continue to be HRH Princess Maria Laura, in the same way that her mother (since the succession changes of 1991) is officially styled as HRH Princess Astrid, Princess of Belgium.

https://www.monarchie.be/en/royal-family/princess-astrid

However, if Laura and William continue to live in Britain, I wonder if she will call herself Mrs. Isvy in private life, in accordance with British custom.


Her future husband:

William Isvy will not acquire any legal titles; Prince Amedeo's wife Lili Rosboch did not.

However, the Royal Palace currently styles Lili by courtesy as Princess Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein, which is often shortened to Princess Elisabetta.

https://www.lesoir.be/246315/articl...dit-le-prince-amedeo-et-sa-femme-annoncent-la
https://www.theroyalforums.com/foru...elgian-royal-family-38975-17.html#post2186635

Will the Palace likewise give William Isvy the courtesy style of Prince William Isvy or Prince William after marriage? Probably not, as there is little to no modern precedent in the nobility for a man to be addressed with his spouse's title even as a courtesy, but unlike the nobility, the royal family has introduced gender-equal succession for the descendants of King Albert II.


The possible future children of the marriage:

Any children from the marriage will almost certainly take their surname from their father. It remains exceedingly rare for a Belgian woman to transmit her surname to her children, and I believe it is even rarer amongst the nobility.

Any children also will not inherit their mother's HRH or territorial designation "of Belgium". The predicate HRH and the title Prince/ss of Belgium are no longer hereditary, except for the children and grandchildren of the King or Crown Princess, under the Royal Decree of November 24, 2015.

https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/c..._date=2015-11-24&numac=2015021075&caller=list

However, Article 4 of the decree refers to "Princes and Princesses" who descend from King Leopold I but are not Princes and Princesses "of Belgium". Prince Amedeo's children appear to fall under that category, as his daughter Anna Astrid was entered into her birth certificate as "Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Anna Astrid Marie Archduchess of Austria-Este (Habsburg-Lorraine)" (emphasis added). Moreover, the Royal Palace has always given her the style of Princess Anna Astrid (rather than Archduchess Anna Astrid).

https://www.lesoir.be/53935/article...ur-les-princes-qui-ne-seront-plus-de-belgique
https://www.theroyalforums.com/foru...elgian-royal-family-38975-16.html#post2117594

But it is unclear if Princess Maria Laura's possible children would be styled in the same way, being children of a Princess instead of a Prince. Although Article 4 of the Royal Decree says nothing about "male line", titles of nobility such as Prince/ss are normally transmitted in the male line only.

https://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/services/Protocol/nobility_and_honorary_distinctions/nobility/faq

ETA: Thank you to Mbruno for another point I neglected to mention:

There is some confusion as to whether Anna-Astrid and Maximilian are referred to as Princess/Prince based on their membership of the House of Austria-Este or as a consequence of Art 4 of the Royal Decree of 2015. Hopefully, that will be clarified once and for all when Princess Maria Laura has children of her own as they will be the first great-grandchildren of King Albert II who are not entitled to the style of HRH and the title of Prince or Princess of Belgium under the Royal Decree of 2015 and do not hold any other royal title inherited in paternal line.

Unfortunately, considering the past record of the Royal Palace, I doubt any of the uncertainties will be clarified in the foreseeable future.

 

[Tilia C.]

Congratulations to the happy couple! What delightful and exciting news. Was it even known that the couple were dating? For me this engagement comes as a complete surprise, because Maria Laura live a rather private life.

 

[Biri]

Congratulations to the happy couple! What delightful and exciting news. Was it even known that the couple were dating? For me this engagement comes as a complete surprise, because Maria Laura live a rather private life.

Yes, she definitely can can keep her personal life private!

Congratulations to her and William!?

P.S. William is 30 years old, so surely born in 1991.
And he is definitely bilingual, speaking equally English and French.

 

[Somebody]

Indeed wonderful news. While her brother's girlfriend was widely known (even prior to his Covid-mistake), this is a complete surprise. I hope they will be able to continue to live their lives without press intrusion.

 

[cdm]

Ah that’s wonderful news.
I’m curious to find out where they will get married.

 

[Biri]

Maybe in Westmister Cathedral?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Cathedral

 

[Stefan]

Maybe in Westmister Cathedral?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Cathedral

It was announced that the Wedding will be in Brussels.

 

[cdm]

Can I ask where Brussels was announced? I only saw a timing (on the Palace IG and some Flemish news outlets)

 

[Stefan]

Can I ask where Brussels was announced? I only saw a timing (on the Palace IG and some Flemish news outlets)

It was said by some belgian Royal Experts on Twitter that the Wedding would be in the second half of 2022 in Brussels.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

By virtue of Article 85 of the Constitution, Princess Maria Laura requires the consent of the King to marry, or she will be deprived of her right to the Crown.

Under Article 106, a constitutional act of the King requires the signature of a Government minister. Therefore, for previous royal marriages, consent was granted through a Royal Decree signed by the King and one or more ministers of Government.

Example: https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/c..._date=2015-11-24&numac=2015021074&caller=list

Article 85

The constitutional powers of the King are hereditary through the direct, natural and legitimate descent from H.M. Leopold, George, Christian, Frederick of Saxe-Coburg, by order of primogeniture.

The descendant mentioned in the first paragraph who marries without the King’s consent or, in his absence, without the consent of those exercising the King’s powers in cases provided for by the Constitution shall be deprived of his right to the crown.

Nonetheless, this right may be restored by the King or, in his absence, by those exercising the powers of the King in cases provided for by the Constitution, but only with the assent of both Houses.


Article 106

No act of the King can take effect without the countersignature of a minister, who, in doing so, assumes responsibility for it.

https://www.lachambre.be/kvvcr/pdf_sections/publications/constitution/GrondwetUK.pdf​

There was a row in Parliament in 2015 after Maria Laura's brother Prince Amedeo married without the King and Government's legal consent but then sought and received consent retroactively. That act was controversial because according to Article 85 (see above) the consent of Parliament is necessary in order to restore a descendant after a marriage without consent, but the King and Government stood by their actions.

https://www.rtbf.be/info/belgique/d...-une-entourloupe-constitutionnelle?id=9211559

I hope that is not going to happen again this time.

So far, no royal decree consenting to the marriage has been published in the Staatsblad. But the royal decrees granting consent for the marriages of Philippe and Laurent were published eleven and nine days respectively following the announcements of their engagements, so I suppose we must wait and see.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Congratulations to Princess Maria Laura and William! ????

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Congratulations to the happy couple! What delightful and exciting news. Was it even known that the couple were dating? For me this engagement comes as a complete surprise, because Maria Laura live a rather private life.

A great many reports in the Belgian press are emphasizing that the announcement came as a surprise because the relationship was not known to the public.

All the same, HRH's choice of husband seems to be very much what one might have predicted from her family background: a foreigner (as with most of the marriages in her immediate family), who is chiefly British (the country where she has now lived and worked for the majority of her adult life), but has strong connections to France (her father's native country), and is employed in the financial sector (in which she, her father, all of her adult siblings, and many other of her relatives have worked at one time or another).

From the other marriages in the family, a spouse from a noble/wealthy and Catholic family would be the most predictable option. But it seems the palace's media release did not mention Mr. Isvy's social class or religion.


There is a noticeable contrast between the low-key film clip of the casually dressed couple chatting by themselves in London and the festive family photoshoot that occurred for her brother's engagement. I wonder how much of the contrast can be attributed to the pandemic and how much to the couples' preferences.

As the sudinfo article says, Princess Luisa Maria and William Isvy both studied at McGill University. Luisa is four years younger than William, but I still wonder if she may have met him through mutual friends at the university and introduced him to her sister.

 

[Somebody]

William Isvy's LinkedIn-account is no longer available... While it had over 500 connections. He used the acronym CFA behind his name: Chartered Financial Analyst.

Laura's LinkedIn-account is also gone.

I am pretty confident that Jordan Isvy is William's younger brother.

 

[iceflower]

Here's another photo of the couple taken earlier this month.


** Twitter post **

 

[Mbruno]

A great many reports in the Belgian press are emphasizing that the announcement came as a surprise because the relationship was not known to the public.

All the same, HRH's choice of husband seems to be very much what one might have predicted from her family background: a foreigner (as with most of the marriages in her immediate family), who is chiefly British (the country where she has now lived and worked for the majority of her adult life), but has strong connections to France (her father's native country), and is employed in the financial sector (in which she, her father, all of her adult siblings, and many other of her relatives have worked at one time or another).

From the other marriages in the family, a spouse from a noble/wealthy and Catholic family would be the most predictable option. But it seems the palace's media release did not mention Mr. Isvy's social class or religion.


There is a noticeable contrast between the low-key film clip of the casually dressed couple chatting by themselves in London and the festive family photoshoot that occurred for her brother's engagement. I wonder how much of the contrast can be attributed to the pandemic and how much to the couples' preferences.

As the sudinfo article says, Princess Luisa Maria and William Isvy both studied at McGill University. Luisa is four years younger than William, but I still wonder if she may have met him through mutual friends at the university and introduced him to her sister.

It appears to me that William Isvy's profile differs somewhat from the usual choice of a groom for a daughter of a Habsburg archduke and a Belgian royal princess. I would expect someone from a traditional Catholic royal or noble family, but, as I said before, royals now go to "normal" schools and universities and have normal jobs, so it is inevitable that their social circle will be enlarged to include especially the upper middle-class and wealthy burghers. With an expanded social circle, marriages outside the narrower royal/noble bubble are also more likely.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

William is very much a clone to Archduke Lorenz in type, profession, looks, fashion, based on the few photographs.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Princess Maria Laura and William Isvy's engagement has been announced in the official court agenda, as was her brother's more high-profile engagement. One of the couple's engagement portraits is also posted there.

https://www.monarchie.be/nl/agenda/verloving
https://www.monarchie.be/fr/agenda/fiancailles

Hunne Koninklijke Hoogheden Prinses Astrid en Prins Lorenz hebben het grote genoegen om de verloving aan te kondigen van Hare Koninklijke Hoogheid Prinses Maria Laura met de Heer William Isvy. De bruiloft zal in de tweede helft van 2022 plaatsvinden.

Leurs Altesses Royales la Princesse Astrid et le Prince Lorenz ont la grande joie d’annoncer les fiançailles de Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Maria Laura avec Monsieur William Isvy. Le mariage aura lieu au second semestre 2022.
​

Translation:

Their Royal Highnesses Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz have the great pleasure of announcing the engagement of Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Laura and Mr. William Isvy. The wedding will take place in the second half of 2022.
​

(Note that as always, Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz and their children are known by the style HRH.)



The Royal Palace's social media also posted a short, informal message announcing the engagement, but not the longer communiqué which was sent to the press.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1475379707948507136

https://twitter.com/x/status/1475379707948507136

https://www.instagram.com/p/CX-rhNfqiWW/

https://www.facebook.com/BeMonarchie/posts/3082040835392869

Prinses Maria Laura en de heer William Isvy hebben zich verloofd.
Felicitaties aan de toekomstige bruid en bruidegom!

La Princesse Maria Laura et Monsieur William Isvy se sont fiancés.
Félicitations aux futurs mariés!
​

Translation:

Princess Maria Laura and Mr. William Isvy are engaged.
Congratulation to the future bride and groom!
​

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

The newspaper De Standaard wrote that the unexpected engagement is "a proof that anonimity works for Princess Astrid's family".

That is nonsense. Her brother Prince Philippe's engagement to jonkvrouw Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz was equally unexpected and he never had a life in anonymity.

 

[Mbruno]

William is very much a clone to Archduke Lorenz in type, profession, looks, fashion, based on the few photographs.

Well, I think there is a slight difference between Lorenz's and William's family trees to say the least.

I am not trying to be picky or implying that William is not a suitable husband for Maria Laura, but we cannot deny that it is an unequal marriage, which is becoming the norm for younger royals.

 

[Skippy]

Because she is a princess and he is a commoner? I'd say the most important is that they are equal in character, values and general outlook on life.


And hereby a belated congratulations to Princess Maria Laura and William Isvy

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Well, I think there is a slight difference between Lorenz's and William's family trees to say the least.

I am not trying to be picky or implying that William is not a suitable husband for Maria Laura, but we cannot deny that it is an unequal marriage, which is becoming the norm for younger royals.

His appearance, his fashion, his education, his professional direction, very much Lorenz in William, for so far one can say so based on impressions. I haven't even thought about blue blood but indeed not the archetypical catholic aristocrat but hadn't Otto von Habsburg eleminated all dynastical requirements anyway?

 

[Biri]

Maybe William is also a Catholic, who knows?
Girls usually tend to choose for their husbands men similar to their fathers.
After all, Maria-Laura will never be a Queen of Belgium, she lives and works like a "commoner" does not take any official duties.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Does anyone have a link or transcript of the palace communiqué to the media containing biographical information about the couple as well as the engagement announcement? All of the royal reporters appear to be using the same information from the communiqué to write their engagement articles, and some have directly quoted from the communiqué, but I have not seen the full text.


Further information from what seems to be the communiqué, followed by my summary.

https://www.rtl.be/info/royautes/le...les-au-sein-de-la-famille-royale-1346787.aspx
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2021/12/27/prinses-maria-laura-huwt/


HRH Princess Maria Laura completed high school at the Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in Brussels and studied Chinese and international relations at the Institute of Eastern Languages in Paris. Following an internship in New York, she moved to Shanghai in 2012 to work in the private sector. After two years in China, she moved to London, where she conducted research at a think tank and subsequently obtained a master's degree in international affairs and diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She next worked for three years at the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (BERD), and following that joined CIFF, a major philanthrophic foundation, in 2020, where she now works as an analyst in the field of climate change.

Mr. William Isvy, a French and British national, was born in Paris to a British mother and a French-Moroccan father. He spent the greater part of his childhood in London, where he obtained his high school diploma from the Lycée français Charles de Gaulle. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in finance from McGill University in Montréal, he began his professional career in the mergers and acquisitions department of a major American investment bank in London and is now employed in asset management.

The couple met in London in 2015 and currently live and work there. They share a passionate interest in tennis and travel.

The marriage will take place in Brussels in the second half of 2022.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I didn't even know the Princess was dating but congratulations to Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este and Mr. William Isvy on the happy news.