Belgium’s King Albert II to abdicate

Monarch says that he will vacate throne in favor of his son, Crown Prince Philippe, on July 21. Belgium’s King Albert II has announced that he will abdicate on July 21 and leave the throne to his son Philippe, saying at 79 he felt too old to carry out his duties properly.

Announcement that he will step down, after two decades in power, came in televised statement, on Wednesday.

“I realise that my age and my health are no longer allowing me to carry out my duties as I would like to,” the king said in his address. His 53-year-old heir, Philippe, studied at Trinity College, Oxford, and Stanford University, and has led trade delegations to countries such as the United States, China and Thailand.

Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said of Philippe that he has already shown repeatedly how much he loves Belgium and that the prince was willing to serve the country well. “He can count on the support of the government”, added the prime minister. Albert II is the first Belgian king to voluntarily give up the largely ceremonial post.

He is a rare uniting factor in the linguistically divided country which in recent years has seen more powers devolved to regional governments.

Aljazeera