King Albert II of Belgium, 89, has been admitted to hospital with ‘signs of dehydration’, Palace announces

Former King Albert II of Belgium was hospitalized earlier today with signs of dehydration, a palace spokesman said.

The ex-king, 89, “was hospitalized as a precaution,” spokesman Xavier Vaert told AFP, confirming reports from state broadcasters VRT and RTBF.

“Investigations are being done. He is conscious,” Vaert said.

Albert II, the father of the current Belgian King Philippe, was the third and youngest child of King Leopold III.

He became monarch on 9 August 1993 at the age of 59 and took over after his brother Boudewijn died without children.

Prince Emmanuel was seen arriving at Saint-Luc Hospital in Brussels to be at the former king’s side

Albert II reigned until his abdication on July 21, 2013, handing over the crown to Philippe, who is 63 years old today. The former king and his wife, Queen Paola, 85, have staggered their public appearances in recent years.

King Philippe canceled his planned engagement at Ghent University to visit his father in hospital, the newspaper said People.

Other family members, including Prince Laurent, King Albert’s youngest son, and Prince Emmanuel were reportedly seen arriving at Saint-Luc Hospital in Brussels to be at his side.

Speaking to the BBC at the time of his abdication, King Albert said: ‘I realize that my age and my health no longer allow me to perform my duties as I would like. Prince Philippe is well prepared to succeed me.’

At the time of his abdication, his love child Princess Delphine launched a legal bid to be officially recognized as Albert’s daughter – which she won in October 2020.

After the birth of Princess Delphine 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 is entitled to bear the royal name de Saxe-Cobourg and is formally recognized as a member of the Belgian royal family, as are her two children, Princess Joséphine of Belgium, 19, and Prince Oscar of Belgium, 14. , which she shares with partner James O’Hare.

Speaking to Tatler last year, the princess, who is an artist, revealed that her father’s rejection when she was young still hurts, but added that she doesn’t hold it against him and harbors no ill will towards him.

Prince Emmanuel arrives in a car at the Saint-Luc hospital in Brussels

The ex-king, 89, “was hospitalized as a precaution,” spokesman Xavier Vaert told AFP, confirming reports from state broadcasters VRT and RTBF. The photo shows the entrance to the Sint-Luc hospital in Brussels

She argued that royal life is “isolating” and she believed her father had been ill-advised at the time.

However, she said, “You don’t just take a kid and kick it.”

Reflecting on her seven-year legal battle, Delphine said the action she brought was not about money or status, but about “principles.”

Now Delphine has attended royal engagements and says her relationship with her father has healed after years of bitterness.

When she started her lawsuit in 2013, she told the Belgian radio program Matin Premiere: ‘I feel that I have a right to exist. Not to exist in the royal family but as me.

“My decision to seek help through the law, I feel today it was the right thing to do… The justice system said I was right and I had a right to exist.”

Since the lawsuit was settled, Princess Delphine has slowly been integrated into the Belgian royal family.

She met her brother, King Philippe of Belgium, one of 20 Belgian royals to whom she is related, in 2020, where they posted a socially distanced photo on Facebook, describing it as a “warm meeting.” Her other royal half-sisters are Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent.