Belgium will have 2 Kings and 3 Queens

Belgium will have two queens and three queens by the time Crown Prince
Philippe ascends the throne on July 21. Image credit: Reuters

The abdication of King Albert II will give Belgium more living kings and queens that any other countries in the world. Unlike the neighboring kingdom of the Netherlands, in Belgium, a former reigning sovereign gets to keep his title. This was not the case for Queen Beatrix. When she abdicated in April, she ceased from being Queen, but reverted to her former title as a Princess of the Netherlands.

So, that makes King Albert still a king, but the real, reigning sovereign and head of state would be his son and successor, King Philippe.

Belgium will also have three queens: the new Queen Consort, Mathilde; Queen Paola, King Albert's wife; and Queen Fabiola, widow of King Baudouin, who died in 1991.

There was also an instance when the United Kingdom had three queens. On the death of King George VI in 1952, his elder daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, succeeded on the throne. He was survived by his consort, Queen Elizabeth, who took the title Queen Mother, and  by his mother, Queen Mary, who died a little less than a year later, in 1953.

Belgian royals to start paying taxes: What a great gift to birthday boy King Albert

Belgian Royal Family to start paying taxes. Image credit: Almanach de Gotha

Wednesday, June 5 – Happy birthday, King Albert! And his subjects in the government just gave him the best birthday gift ever—taxing his family member.

Finally, Belgium’s royals will have to pay taxes. Since the kingdom was granted independence in 1830, not a single member of the royal family has contributed a cent to the state coffers. Now, that is going to change.  

The coalition government has already approved the reform.

Expactica.com reports His Majesty, however, receives an annual tax-free allowance of 11.5 million euros ($15 million). This exemption has been possible because the constitution any rules for the reigning royal to be altered.

However, the other members of the king’s family will be hard-hit by this household reforms, including his children and his sister-in-law, Queen Fabiola.

Crown Prince Philippe, who receives receives around 923,000 euros a year, will have to adjust to a reduced circumstances. Under the new law, he will only receive a gross salary of 180,000 euros. And that could dwindle further after tax. However, any amount paid for staff and meeting household expenses in relation to their job as working royals shall be tax exempt, although the government will still keep a scrutinizing look at their accounts.

The king’s younger children, Princess Astrid and PrinceLaurent, will each receive a gross salary 90,000 euros.

Meanwhile, the king’s frail and wheelchair-bound sister-in-law, Queen Fabiola, window of King Baudoin, saw her annual stipend slashed from 1.4 million euros to 923,000 euros.

The dowager queen was criticized lately after she decided to set up a private foundation that will take charge in disbursing her estate to her nephews and for Catholic charities upon her death. However, critics were quick to point out that the foundation is actually intended to funnel the funds to her Spanish relatives so she could avoid paying 70 percent death duties currently implemented in Belgium.

The recent rules however provided that the surviving spouse of a sovereign will only receive an amount equal to two-thirds of what an heir to the throne receives for 10 years. Afterwards, the amount will be slashed to just half of it.

In the future, the government will only pay for the allowance of the heir to the throne.

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Queen Fabiola's inheritance plan earns rebuke

Queen Fabiola of Belgium

Queen Fabiola's plan to set up a private foundation to dispose funds to her nephews and for her Catholic charities in the event of her death has earned the criticism of the media, the public and politicians, reports AFP. It was revealed that the 84-year-old Queen, consort of the late King Baudouin, did not bother to consult his brother-in-law King Albert II about this.


The Queen receives 1.4 million euros a year since 1993, the year of her husband's death. Her Majesty made it clear that she never planned to "put money from the stipend into the foundation" and that "all the money from the stipend is used on the expenses of my home, the main item being the wages of the staff." She also mentioned in a rare statement that the cash to be entrusted to the foundation are from her inheritance, consisting of "property and art works that I carefully kept until today."

The Queen, now bent and wheelchair-bound was highly popular since the 1960s. Born Dona Fabiola de Mora y Aragon, she was a member of the Spanish aristocracy until she wedded the King. She immediately became a popular figure in Belgium because of her numerous charities, earning her the moniker as Belgium's "First Social Worker."