Philippe Leopold Louis Marie, Duke of Brabant and heir to the throne of Belgium, was born April 15, 1960 in Brussels, Belgium. At that time, his parents, Prince Albert of Belgium and Paola Ruffo di Calabria, an Italian noblewoman, were not the direct heirs to the throne of Belgium-- they came after the family of the current king and queen, Baudouin and Fabiola. However, when the royal couple did not have children of their own, it became apparent that Philippe would one day succeed to the throne. Today his father is King Albert II, and one day Philippe will also be King of the Belgians.

The Prince spent his early educational years in Belgium, where he attended both the Abdijschool van Zevenkerken in Sint-Andries-Brugge and the College Saint-Michel in Brussels. After finishing secondary school, Philippe went on to the Royal Miltary Academy in 1978, beginning the first of his experiences in the Belgian armed forces. After leaving the Academy in 1980, he gained experience as a pilot in the Belgian Air Force, and then moved on to become a paratrooper. Today he holds the rank of Colonel in the Belgian Air Force. Philippe began studying abroad in 1983 after experiences in the military. He spent a few months in 1983 studying Constitutional History at Trinity College, Oxford, UK, and from there moved on to Stanford University, California, USA, from which he emerged with a master's degree in political science in June, 1985.

Today, one of Prince Philippe's major roles is to promote Belgian interests as the Honorary President of the Belgian Office for Foreign Trade. As such, he has helped open doors for Belgian businessmen in Latin America and the Far East, among other regions of the world. He also has sampled every aspect of Belgian life through visits in the countryside. Along with his sister Astrid, Philippe also holds a seat in the Belgian Senate.

Belgians were beginning to believe that Philippe would never marry until the royal family announced in September 1999 his surprise engagement to Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, the daughter of Belgian aristocrat Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz and Countess Anne Komorowski and a former speech therapist. Princess Mathilde was born on January 21, 1973 in Uccle, Belgium. The couple was married on December 4, 1999, with the new Princess Mathilde being hailed as a unifying symbol in divided Belgium. The Princess comes from a Flemish family and was born in the Dutch-speaking region, but was raised in French-speaking Wallonia and lived before her marriage in bilingual Brussels. She will also someday be Belgium's first native Belgian queen since the monarchy was established. The marriage also helped Philippe's, giving his public image a much-needed boost.

Since their marriage, Mathilde has been the darling of the Belgian people, compared to Britain’s Princess Diana for her glamour and common touch. Mathilde gave birth to the couple’s first child, Princess Elisabeth Therese Marie Helene, on October 25, 2001. Elisabeth is third in line for the throne behind her father and since the abolishment of the Salic Law in Belgium, will be its first queen.

Despite receiving a degree from one of the United States' most prestigious universities and playing a large role in the Belgian trade sector, the media in Belgium has not treated Prince Philippe kindly. The Prince is known for being slightly shy and lacking in social skills to his fellow Belgians. Some say that the nation favors his sister Princess Astrid as the next monarch, prompting Philippe to state that he would not step aside in the succession in her favor. Though his fitness to succeed to the throne of diverse Belgium is questioned, the exposure his foreign trade delegations bring to Belgium is an unquestioned benefit, and his marriage has silenced many of his media foes. In February 2002, university students protested when the University of Leuven gave the Prince an honorary doctorate, saying he had done nothing to deserve the honor except be the heir to the throne. Yet through all the controversy, Prince Philippe of Belgium quietly gains the experience necessary for his role as future King.

Astrid Josephine Charlotte Fabrizig Elisabeth Paola Marie, the second child of Albert II and his wife Paola, was born on June 5, 1962 in Brussels. She holds the titles of Princess of Belgium and Archduchess of Austria-Este. The Princess is highly popular in Belgium, and the succession was changed in 1991 to put her in front of Prince Laurent to succeed to the Belgian throne.

The Princess attended secondary school in Brussels and then went on to higher education, studying art history in Leiden, the Netherlands, for a year before going on to study at the Institut d'Etudes Europeennes in Geneva, Switzerland and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA studying art history..

On September 22, 1984, Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, born on December 16, 1955. The couple went on to have four children in Brussels. Prince Amedeo was born on February 21, 1986. Princess Maria Laura came on August 26, 1988. Her brother Prince Joachim was born on December 9, 1991, and finally, Princess Luisa Maria Anna Martine Pilar came into the world on October 11, 1995. All four of the children are Archdukes and Archduchesses of Austria. Since the laws of succession were changed, all four children, as well as their father Archduke Lorenz, currently are Princes and Princesses of Belgium as well.

Princess Astrid is known as a devout Roman Catholic, and also plays an active role in Belgium as second in line to the throne. She is the chairwoman of the Belgian Red Cross among other things. She also has a seat in the Belgian Senate along with her brother Philippe.

In the questions swirling around the fitness of Prince Philippe to take the throne, Princess Astrid has become an alternative for many Belgians. Rumors have swirled that Philippe will step aside in her favor, and some believe that she would be a better monarch than Philippe. Astrid continues, however, to be a stable force in the Belgian royal family, shedding a positive light on the royal family through all the scandals of recent years..

Of all the Belgian royals, Prince Laurent has been one of the more controversial in recent years. Laurent Benoit Baudouin Marie, Prince of Belgium, was born on October 19, 1963. He is, after Princess Astrid and her children, currently seventh in line for the Belgian succession.

Prince Laurent went to secondary school at Pius X College in Antwerp. After secondary school he went into the military in 1980 at the Royal Cadet High School in Laeken. He followed his father into the navy, going into the Royal Military Academy in Brussels to train as a midshipman. In 1985 he left the academy and began practical training on ships in the Belgian Navy, learning the skills of a diver and helicopter pilot. He currently holds the rank of commander after completing helicopter pilot training and becoming a combat diver. He completed his education at an American university and then spent time in the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Environment Program..

Prince Laurent is known for his passion for wildlife and his work on environmental issues. As such, he is the founder and President of the Royal Institute for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and the Promotion of Clean Technologies in Belgium. He is also president of the foundation that bears his name: the Prince Laurent Foundation for the Welfare of Domestic and Wild Animals. This was created in 1995. He has also set up free animal clinics in Belgium for those who cannot pay to have their animals treated. In 2001 he became an ambassador for Future Harvest, a Washington, DC-based agricultural research organization.

Like his brother Prince Philippe, the media has not always treated Prince Laurent kindly. Early in 1999, it was disclosed that he had spent three days in a Brussels hospital specializing in nervous breakdowns for treatment of what has been called a "brain-fag." He attributed his problems to being overworked. He was also accused in the press of stalking a previous girlfriend, and the press has repeatedly run stories that the Salic Law in Belgium, which only allows males to succeed to the throne, was abolished in 1991 specifically so that Prince Laurent would never succeed. Laurent is currently, after his brother's marriage, the only single member of his family, though he has been known to have relationships in the past. Laurent is also known to be more open about his problems than other members of his family. He has spoken to the Belgian press about his feelings about the succession laws and his health. Laurent is often also seen representing the Belgian royal family at events like the funeral of the Count of Paris in 1999.

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