List of Belgian monarchs The royal palace in Brussels Successive Belgian kings are Leopold I (1831-1865) Leopold II (1865-1909) Albert I (1909-1934) Leopold III (1934-1951) abdicated Prince Charles of Belgium (1944-1950) Prince Regent Baudouin I (1951-1993) Albert II (1993- ) None of these were "King of Belgium": their title is "King of the Belgians". The latter phrase indicates a popular monarchy linked to the people of Belgium, whereas the former would indicate standard constitutional or absolute monarchy linked to territory and a state. Similarly, King Louis Philippe was proclaimed "King of the French" in 1830, not the traditional "King of France". The now abolished Greek monarchy similarly was titled "King of the Hellenes", indicating a personal link with the people, not just the state. It is also noteworthy that Belgium is the only current European monarchy that does not apply the tradition of the new king automatically ascending the throne upon the death or abdication of the former king. According to the Belgian constitution, the king only accedes to the throne when he takes a constitutional oath. For example, the present king did not become monarch on July 31, 1993 (the day his brother died) but on August 9 of that same year (when he took the constitutional oath). In all other current monarchies, the monarch becomes a monarch the moment his predecessor dies or abdicates. Belgium has three official languages, of which Dutch and French are the most important. Many kings and members of the royal family are known under two names: a Dutch and a French one. For example, the current heir apparent is called Philippe in French and Filip in Dutch; the fifth King of the Belgians was Baudouin in French and Boudewijn in Dutch; the three kings who are known as Léopold in French are known to the Dutch speaking Belgians as Leopold (without accent). In German, which is Belgium's third official language, kings are usually referred to under their French names. The same is true for English. The exception is Leopold, which is probably used not because of the fact that it is Dutch, but because some German-language and English-language keyboards do not include an "é". In Belgium, kings are always officially known with a ordinal, even when they are the first of their name. So King Baudouin was "King Baudouin I", even though there has not yet been a "King Baudouin II". (This is contrary to the expectations of those familiar only with the system of ordinals used in Britain.) Other members of the Belgian Royal Family Fabiola de Mora y Aragón or Queen Fabiola Astrid of the Belgians Princess Josphine-Charlotte of Belgium Mary Lilian Baels, Princess de Rethy See also Lists of incumbents List of Succession to the Belgian Throne Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html for use of this content. To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Belgian_monarchs