Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium

Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium (11 October 1927 – 10 January 2005) was Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as the wife of Grand Duke Jean. She was the first child of King Leopold III of Belgium, and sister of the late King Baudouin and former King Albert II and aunt of King Philippe. She was also the maternal first cousin of the late King Harald V of Norway, maternal second cousin of former Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and a paternal third cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

Childhood Queen Astrid of the Belgians with her daughter Joséphine-Charlotte. Joséphine-Charlotte was born in 1927 at the Royal Palace of Brussels. She was the oldest child and only daughter of the King Leopold III of Belgium and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden. She was christened a month after her birth. Her godfather was her uncle, Prince Charles, Count of Flanders and her godmother was her future mother-in-law, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg. While expecting her daughter, Astrid had read a biography of her ancestress, the French empress Joséphine de Beauharnais. Josephine was also the name of one of the child's great-aunts, Princess Joséphine-Caroline of Belgium, the dearest sister of King Albert I. She was called "little Jo" by her mother. She was the older sister of Belgian monarchs Baudouin and Albert II. Leopold and Astrid were devoted parents to their children.

Education

Joséphine-Charlotte first attended school at the Royal Palace in Brussels, where a small class had been organized for her. In August 1940, Joséphine-Charlotte and her brothers returned to Belgium. Unlike her predecessors, Joséphine-Charlotte played her role as Grand Duchess perfectly, albeit always reservedly, which resulted in Joséphine-Charlotte's low popularity among the Luxembourgers. She also never fully mastered the Luxembourgish language. During her tenure as a consort, she and her husband hosted 39 state visits to Luxembourg. Iranian Imperial Family: Recipient of the Commemorative Medal of the 2,500 year Celebration of the Persian Empire Recipient of the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Bailiff Dame Grand Cross in Obedience of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Grand Cordon (Paulownia) of the Order of the Precious Crown Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Beatrix, Princess of Orange and Claus van Amsberg Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav Grand Cross of the Order of Christ Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Member of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (12 September 1983) Recipient of the 50th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (30 April 1996) Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Chula Chom Klao Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal