Brussels: Belgium's King Albert has abdicated after a 20-year reign with his son Philippe ready to take the oath as the nation's seventh king later in the day.
At the royal palace today, the 79-year-old Albert signed away his rights as the kingdom's largely ceremonial ruler in the presence of Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, who holds the political power in this 183-year-old parliamentary democracy.
53-year-old Philippe will take oath before the nation's legislators at the parliament building a short walk across the Royal Park in the heart of the city.
Early in the day, both Albert and Philippe mingled with the crowds under a royal blue sky following a Catholic ceremony that set off the festivities.
Afterward, King Philippe and new Queen Mathilde are expected to greet the crowds below in a balcony scene at the palace before fireworks end a slew of ceremonies marking the day.
Albert announced his abdication plans less than three weeks ago, so there was little time to turn the occasion into a huge international event and no foreign royals were expected at the crowning. Since the royal transition coincides with Belgium's national day celebrations, a military parade had already been planned.
Philippe will face a tough task in the coming months. The fractious nation, ever-more divided by language, holds parliamentary elections in June 2014 amid calls for even more autonomy for the 6 million Dutch-speaking Flemings and 4.5 million French-speakers. The monarchy could find its role even more diminished.
After the last elections in 2010, it took a record 541 days before a government could be formed amid much bickering about how much more power should be sapped from the central state to profit the separate language groups.
Unlike his five predecessors, Albert tried to avoid politics as much as possible and Philippe is expected to do likewise.
Philippe has been groomed for the job as a leader of foreign trade delegations over the past two decades. He and Mathilde have four children.
At the royal palace today, the 79-year-old Albert signed away his rights as the kingdom's largely ceremonial ruler in the presence of Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, who holds the political power in this 183-year-old parliamentary democracy.
53-year-old Philippe will take oath before the nation's legislators at the parliament building a short walk across the Royal Park in the heart of the city.
Afterward, King Philippe and new Queen Mathilde are expected to greet the crowds below in a balcony scene at the palace before fireworks end a slew of ceremonies marking the day.
Advertisement
Philippe will face a tough task in the coming months. The fractious nation, ever-more divided by language, holds parliamentary elections in June 2014 amid calls for even more autonomy for the 6 million Dutch-speaking Flemings and 4.5 million French-speakers. The monarchy could find its role even more diminished.
Advertisement
Unlike his five predecessors, Albert tried to avoid politics as much as possible and Philippe is expected to do likewise.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
France Edge Tense Clash With Belgium To Reach Euro 2024 Quarter-Finals France vs Belgium Highlights, Euro 2024 Round Of 16: France Register Narrow Win Over Belgium To Reach Euro 2024 Quarterfinals France vs Belgium Live Streaming Euro 2024 Round Of 16 Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Madhya Pradesh's CBI Move: Agency Needs Written Consent To Probe Cases Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report OpenAI Unveils Cheaper Small AI Model GPT-4o Mini Man Insulted By Employer's Son Takes Revenge, Robs Him Off Rs 3.5 Crore Norton Motorcycles To Be Launched In India; Six Motorcycles Announced For Global Markets Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.