Like most in Europe, the Belgian line of succession is governed by absolute primogeniture (the eldest child, regardless of gender, ascends to the throne) through the descendants of King Albert II.
The new laws of succession took effect in 1991, and if all the descendants of Albert die, the line then falls to the male descendants of King Leopold I’s male line.
To remain in the line of succession, a prince or princess must get the monarch’s permission to marry; permission can be granted after the marriage has taken place, as it happened in the case of Prince Amedeo’s marriage to Princess Elisabetta.
Belgium’s current line of succession to follow King Philippe has 16 people and is as follows:
- Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant
- Prince Gabriel
- Prince Emmanuel
- Princess Eleonore
- Princess Astrid
- Prince Amedeo
- Archduchess Anna Astrid
- Archduke Maximilian
- Princess Maria Laura
- Prince Joachim
- Princess Luisa Maria
- Princess Laetitia Maria
- Prince Laurent
- Princess Louise
- Prince Nicolas
- Prince Aymeric
King Albert II’s daughter from an extramarital affair, Princess Delphine, and her two children are not in the line of succession as her parents were not married when she was born.
