King Philippe of the Belgians supported his sister and brother-in-law by attending the funeral of Prince Lorenz’s mother.
His Majesty arrived at the Loreto Chapel, located alongside the homonym monastery, in Muri, Argovia canton, Switzerland, alongside his sister Princess Astrid and her husband.
The funeral service for Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este took place on Saturday, 29 January, and began around 11 am local time, and saw the presence not only of Belgian royals but also of Sovereign Prince Hans Adam and Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, as well as around 150 other guests.
Archduchess Margherita will be laid to rest next to her husband in the family grave, located in the Muri monastery’s crypt.
Prince Lorenz’s mother passed away on 10 January at the age of 92, surrounded by the love of her children and her grandchildren.
Archduchess Margherita was born on 7 April 1930 in Naples as Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta. In 1953, she married Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este, giving her the title she was most known with. The couple had five children; Lorenz was the second child and first son. In 1984, Lorenz married Princess Astrid of Belgium, King Albert and Queen Paola’s second child.
Following the marriage, the couple moved to Paris, France, where Archduke Robert was a bank clerk.
Since 1996, Archduchess Margherita has been a widow, for her husband died one day before his 81st birthday in a hospital in Basilea, Switzerland. The title of Archduke of Austria-Este passed on to Prince Lorenz of Belgium, who has been holding it ever since.
With the death of Archduchess Margherita, it is not yet known if Prince Lorenz, as head of the Austria-Este family, will inherit some of the family jewels and if we will, therefore, see more Savoy-Aosta family pieces on Princess Astrid.
