Portrait of Princess Clémentine of Belgium

Birthday profile

Princess Clémentine of Belgium

Princess Clémentine of Belgium (died 1955)

Born
July 30, 1872
Died
March 8, 1955
Zodiac sign
Leo
Birth year
1872

About Princess Clémentine of Belgium

Princess Clémentine of Belgium (French: Clémentine Albertine Marie Léopoldine, Dutch: Clementina Albertina Maria Leopoldina; 30 July 1872 – 8 March 1955) was the third daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium, and Marie Henriette of Austria. She was by birth a Princess of Belgium and member of the House of Wettin in the branch of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; as such she was also styled Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duchess in Saxony. In 1910, Clémentine became Princess Napoléon, and claimant to be Empress consort of the French as the wife of Napoléon Victor Jérôme Frédéric Bonaparte, Bonapartist pretender to the Imperial throne of France as Napoleon V. == Life == === Early years === The third daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium and Queen Marie Henriette, Clémentine Albertine Marie Léopoldine of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born at the Palace of Laeken on 30 July 1872, at 6 p.m., three years after the accidental death of her older brother Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant, the King's sole direct heir. The latter nourished the hope of having a second son and had therefore resumed an intimate life with the Queen; but, after a miscarriage in March 1871, another girl was born: Clémentine. She was to be the couple's final child. She was baptized on 3 September 1872 at the Palace of Laeken during a short ceremony, followed by a gala lunch attended by around 80 guests. Her first name pays homage to her godmother and great-aunt, Princess Clémentine of Orléans, while her middle name refers to that of her godfather, Archduke Albrecht, Duke of Teschen, a cousin of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The royal couple already had two daughters, Louise and Stéphanie, aged 14 and 8 respectively, so the birth of a new daughter deeply disappointed the King. The coldness that had settled between Leopold II and Marie Henriette reflected on their relationship with their youngest daughter, and the Queen, above all, was particularly distant and bitter. She nicknamed Clémentine Reuske ("the little giant") because of her large size.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Princess Clémentine of Belgium timeline

  1. In 1910, she became Princess Napoléon and claimant to be Empress consort of the French as the wife of Napoléon Victor Jérôme Frédéric Bonaparte, Bonapartist pretender to the Imperial throne of France (as Napoleon V).
  2. In 1910, she became Princess Napoléon and claimant to be Empress consort of the French as the wife of Napoléon Victor Jérôme Frédéric Bonaparte, Bonapartist pretender to the Imperial throne of France.

The world when Princess Clémentine of Belgium was born

Princess Clémentine of Belgium was born in 1872. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1872

  • Best-selling bookAround the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Headlines and milestones

  • Top headlineYellowstone established as first national park
  • Technology milestoneCelluloid (first plastic) manufacturing begins
  • World population~1.52B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderUlysses S. Grant
  • U.S. population40.2M

1872 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Princess Clémentine of Belgium's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure18722026
Population40.2M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

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