King Albert of Belgium is all smiles as he leaves hospital in Brussels
Happily heading home! King Albert of Belgium, 89, is all smiles as he is discharged from Saint-Luc hospital in Brussels following eight-day stay with dehydration
- The former King of Belgium abdicated in 2013 so his son Phillipe could rule
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King Albert of Belgium appeared in great spirits this afternoon as he was discharged from hospital in Brussels.
The former monarch, 89, was admitted to Saint-Luc hospital on 27 June as a ‘precautionary measure’.
King Albert and his wife of 64 years Queen Paola, 85, were staying at their official residence Castle Belvédère in Laeken when the former monarch began showing signs of dehydration last week.
At first, a royal spokesperson said the ex-King would only be monitored in hospital for a couple of days.
However, the royal – who abdicated in 2013 – ended up being in the hospital’s care for a total of eight days.
Pictured: King Albert – who abdicated in 2013 – pictured leaving Saint-Luc hospital in Brussels this afternoon
King Albert seemed cheerful as he left the hospital this afternoon with his wife Queen Paola.
The pair stopped to talk to members of staff and waving at crowds before heading home.
Albert II, the father of Belgium’s current King Philippe, was the third and youngest child of King Leopold III.
He became monarch on August 9, 1993 at the age of 59, taking over after his brother Baudouin died without children.
At the time of his abdication his love child Princess Delphine launched a legal bid to be officially recognised as Albert’s daughter – which she won in October 2020.
After Princess Delphine was born in 1968, the King initially remained in frequent contact with his child and her mother. But when Delphine reached her 16th birthday, the King began to distance himself.
Now the 55-year-old has the right to bear the royal name de Saxe-Cobourg and is formally recognised as a member of the Belgian royal family as are her two children Princess Joséphine of Belgium, 19, and Prince Oscar of Belgium, 14, who she shares with partner James O’Hare.
Speaking to Tatler last year, the princess, who is an artist, revealed her father’s rejection when she was young still hurts, but added she doesn’t blame him and holds no ill-will towards him.
The former King was joined by his wife Queen Paola, 85, as he left the hospital in Brussels this afternoon
The royal pair stopped to talk to members of staff and waving at crowds before heading home today
Albert II, the father of Belgium’s current King Philippe, was the third and youngest child of King Leopold III
Left: King Albert his wife of 64 years Queen Paola at the wedding of Prince Willem-Alexander and his Argentine bride Maxima Zorreguieta in 2002. Right: Pictured: Jim O’Hare and Princess Delphine of Belgium at the 5th Canneseries Festival in April 2022
She argued that royal life is ‘isolating’ and she believed her father had been badly advised at the time.
Now Delphine has attended royal engagements and says her relationship with her father has healed after years of bitterness.
When she launched her legal action in 2013, she told Belgian radio show Matin Premiere: ‘I feel like I have a right to exist. Not to exist in the royal family but as me.
‘My decision to call for help through the law, I feel today that it was the right thing to do… The judicial system said that I was right and that I had the right to exist.’
Since the legal action has been settled, Princess Delphine has slowly become integrated in the Belgian royal family.
She met her brother, King Philippe of Belgium who is one of 20 Belgian royals she is related to – in 2020, where they posted a socially distanced picture to Facebook, describing it as a ‘warm meeting.’ Her other royal half-siblings are Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent.
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