Royal Profile: Princess Marie-Esméralda Adelaide Lilian Anna Léopoldine of Belgium, Lady Moncada

Princess Marie-Esméralda Adelaide Lilian Anna Léopoldine of Belgium, Lady Moncada was born 30 September 1956, as the second daughter and youngest child of King Leopold III of Belgium and his second wife, Lilian, Princess of Réthy {Source}. She has five older siblings, three of whom are from her father's 1st marriage{Source}:
  1. Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, Princess of Belgium (1927-2005, half-sister)
  2. King Baudin I of Belgium (1930-1993, half brother)
  3. King Albert II of Belgium (1932-, half brother)
  4. Prince Alexander of Belgium (1942-2009, full brother)
  5. Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium (1951-, full sister)
Her family ties also make her (in addition to being the aunt of members of the Belgian Royal Family) an aunt to members of the Grand Ducal family of Luxembourg.

She grew up with her parents and siblings in Belgium and her brother, King Albert II is one of her godparents. Due to her father having an out of order marriage ceremony for his second marriage, Princess Marie-Esméralda and her siblings are not in line for the Belgian Throne. If they were, Princess Marie-Esméralda and her siblings would be no higher than 14th place (currently occupied by her great-nephew Prince Aymeric).

She married Salvador Moncada on 4 April 1998 in London {Source}. Together, they have two children {Source}:
  1. Alexandra Leopoldine Moncada (1998)
  2. Leopoldo Daniel Moncada (2001)


While she has primarily stayed from the limelight, Princess Marie-Esméralda has made it her mission the last decade or so to keep the memories of her parents alive, mostly through documentary films. She has published two books dedicated to her father, Léopold III, mon père and Léopold III photographe{Source}. She is the president of the Fonds Léopold III pour l'Exploration et la Conservation de la Nature{Source}.



In March 2014, Princess Marie-Esméralda took part in a trip to Egypt to document her grandparents' visit to Egypt {Source}. This documentary is slated for release on Belgium television sometime in October {Source}.


Princess Marie-Esméralda trained as a journalist and writes under the name Esméralda de Réthy{Source}. In 2001, the Princess teamed up with Jean-Louis Peareau to write Christian Dior: The Early Years:1947-1957 {Source}.

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