Editing Philippe of Belgium (section)

==Early life==
Philippe was born on 15 April 1960 at the [[Belvédère Château]] in [[Laeken]], northern [[Brussels]]. His father, [[Albert II of Belgium|Prince Albert]], [[Prince of Liège]] (later King Albert II), was the second son of [[Leopold III of Belgium|King Leopold III]] and a younger brother of [[Baudouin of Belgium|Baudouin]]. His mother, [[Queen Paola of Belgium|Paola, Princess of Liège]] (later Queen Paola), is a daughter of the Italian aristocrat [[Fulco Ruffo di Calabria|Fulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda]]. His mother descends from the French [[House of La Fayette]], and the king is a descendant of [[Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette|Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette]], and [[Adrienne de La Fayette|Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles]].{{citation needed|date= July 2021}}

Philippe was [[baptism|baptised]] one month later at the [[Church of St.James on Coudenberg]] in Brussels on 17 May,<ref>{{cite web |language=fr |author=J.M. |title=Le baptême en l'église royale... |url=http://www.dhnet.be/archive/le-bapteme-en-l-eglise-royale-51b86e81e4b0de6db9a5324a |date=8 May 2001 |website=dh.be |access-date=11 December 2015}}</ref> and named Philippe after his great-great-grandfather [[Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders]]. His godparents were his paternal grandfather, [[Leopold III of Belgium|King Leopold III]], and his maternal grandmother, Donna Luisa, Princess Ruffo di Calabria.<ref>{{cite web |language=fr |title=Prince Philippe : la ligne du temps d'une vie passée devant les caméras |url=http://www.rtbf.be/info/belgique/detail_qui-est-philippe-le-futur-roi-des-belges?id=8032718 |website=RTBF.be |access-date=11 December 2015}}</ref>

Albert and Paola's marriage was unhappy, and they were usually absent from Philippe's life. The [[child neglect]] was so severe that child psychologist {{ill|Peter Adriaenssens|nl}} described it as "something that would justify intervention by [[social worker]]s".<ref name="moens20220721">{{Cite magazine |last=Moens |first=Barbara |date=2022-07-21 |title=Belgian king prepares to hand his daughter the curse of the crown |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/belgian-king-prepare-hand-daughter-curse-crown/ |magazine=Politico |language=en-US |access-date=2022-07-20}}</ref>

Philippe has a half-sibling, [[Princess Delphine of Belgium]] (born 1968).

He was also the fifth cousin of the late [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom]] since they share a common ancestor, [[Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld|Francis]] (he was the grandfather of [[Queen Victoria]] and one of his sons, [[Leopold I of Belgium|Leopold I]] would become the first King of the Belgians). Queen Elizabeth II and King Philippe had been 3rd cousins once removed through King [[Christian IX of Denmark]].