Princess Maria Laura of Belgium has given birth to a son, named Albert, the Belgian palace has announced.
The Belgium royal, 36, welcomed her first child with her husband, William Isvy, in Brussels on 26 January – with the the exciting news arriving on the same day British royal Princess Beatrice announced the birth of her daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose yesterday.
Albert is now 11th in line to the throne but has made history as the first Belgium royal not to have been awarded a title.
The arrival of baby Albert came as a surprise to fans as the royal couple had not revealed their pregnancy prior to the birth.
The Belgian Royal Palace released a statement yesterday announcing the surprise birth alongside an adorable picture of the newborn baby snuggled up in a cream jumper.
The statement read: ‘Princess Maria Laura and William Isvy are delighted to announce the birth of their son Albert, born on Sunday, January 26, in Brussels.
‘Albert weighs 3.5 kg and is doing well, just like his mother.The families of the young parents share in their happiness.’
The new royal was named after his great-grandfather, Albert II of Belgium who reigned as King of from 1993 until his abdication in 2013.
Princess Maria Laura of Belgium has given birth to a son, named Albert, the Belgian palace has announced (pictured)
Princess Maria Laura married her husband, William on 10 September 2022 with a stunning nuptial in Brussels
She married her husband, William on 10 September 2022 with a stunning nuptial in Brussels.
William, who is a British investment banker, tied the knot with the princess in a civil ceremony before attending a religious celebration at the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula a day later.
Maria Laura was raised away from the royal spotlight and grew up in Bazel, Switzerland, until the age of five as her father worked for an international bank.
Alongside her siblings – Prince Amedeo, Prince Joachim. Princess Luisa Maria and Princess Laetitia Maria, she was raised away from royal duty and rarely appears at pubic engagements.
In 1993, her family relocated to Villa Schonenberg, part of the Royal Domain of Laeken. While there, she went to the St. John Berchmans College in Brussels and. John’s International School in Waterloo, Belgium.
She then went on to study sinology and international relations in Paris, and she obtained a Master’s Degree in international relations and diplomacy at SOAS. University of London.
After graduating, she went on to do an internship at the UN in New York and worked for Louis Vuitton in Shanghai.
Maria Laura was raised away from the royal spotlight and grew up in Bazel, Switzerland, until the age of five as her father worked for an international bank
The new royal was named after his great-grandfather, Albert II of Belgium who reigned as King of from 1993 until his abdication in 2013
She has been spotted at some official events including the annual mass to commemorate the deceased members of the Belgian Royal Family – and joined her mother on official trips to China.
Meanwhile, her husband, William was born in Paris to a British mother and an French-Moroccan father but spend most of his childhood in London.
Albert’s arrival comes hot on the heels of another major royal birth, with Princess Beatrice having announced the she had delivered her second daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose, last week.
Yesterday, the Royal Palce announced that the King’s niece, 36, welcomed her second daughter with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Athena Elizabeth becomes 11th in line to the throne, pushing her aunt Princess Eugenie down to 12th place.
She becomes the third child in the Mapelli Mozzi brood alongside Beatrice’s three-year-old daughter Sienna, and Wolfie, eight, from Edo’s first marriage to Dara Huang. Princess Beatrice often describes Wolfie as her ‘bonus’ child.
In a sweet Instagram post, Buckingham Palace wrote: ‘Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, born on Wednesday, 22nd January, at 12:57pm.
‘The baby was born weighing 4 pounds and 5 ounces.
The Belgian Royal Palace released a statement yesterday announcing the surprise birth alongside an adorable picture of the newborn baby snuggled up in a cream jumper
‘The King and Queen, and other members of The Royal Family, have all been informed and are delighted with the news.
‘Princess Beatrice and Mr Mapelli Mozzi would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care.
‘Her Royal Highness and her daughter are healthy and doing well, and the family are enjoying spending time together with Athena’s older siblings, Wolfie and Sienna.’
Athena is the fourth grandchild for Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York. Their others include Princess Eugenie’s sons August, three, and Ernest, one, whom she shares with her husband Jack Brooksbank.
Edo, 41, also posted on Instagram to reveal his new daughter was ‘tiny and absolutely perfect’.
He shared a photograph of Athena wrapped in a blanket, with the caption: ‘Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi.
‘We welcomed baby Athena into our lives last week. She is tiny and absolutely perfect.
‘We are all (including Wolfie and Sienna) already completely besotted with her.
‘Our hearts are overflowing with love for you, baby Athena.
‘A massive thank you from my wife and I goes out to all the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their exceptional care and support during this incredibly special time.’
Reposting the baby announcement on her Instagram story, Athena’s aunt Princess Eugenie wrote ‘welcome baby girl’.
Her grandmother, Sarah Ferguson, wrote: ‘Overflowing with love and joy to be able to welcome Athena Elizabeth Rose into the world. She is already so adored and I’m incredibly blessed to be a Granny once again. So proud of Edo, Beatrice and the rest of my little 5-a-side team!’