When you play the game of thrones...

[Ashmada]

... you eventually retire, because, let's be honest, we don't do treachery as we once did. Daggers in the stomach: a lost art.

The King of the Belgians, Albert II, has announced his abdication.

In a national televised address, the 79-year-old monarch said he would step down in favour of his son Crown Prince Philippe, 53, on 21 July, Belgium's national day.

He said his health was no longer good enough to fulfil his duties, and he would step down after nearly 20 years on the throne.

King Albert was sworn in as the sixth king of the Belgians on 9 August 1993.

His accession to the throne followed the death of his brother, King Baudouin, at the age of 62.

"I realise that my age and my health are no longer allowing me to carry out my duties as I would like to," he said in his address.

"Prince Philippe is well prepared to succeed me."

King Albert met the Belgian government's cabinet earlier on Wednesday to inform them of his decision, Belgian state TV reported.


After he succeeded his brother, King Albert became embroiled in a major royal scandal when he was alleged to be the father of an out-of-wedlock daughter, Delphine Boel, and suffered a crisis in his marriage with Queen Paola.

That issue came to the fore again this spring when Ms Boel opened court proceedings to prove she was the king's daughter. There is some speculation in the media that this may have influenced his decision to abdicate.

Belgium has a constitutional monarchy in which the king plays a largely ceremonial role.

One of the duties the monarch does have is trying to resolve constitutional crises.

King Albert exercised his authority in mediating between political leaders on the formation of a government during the 2010-2011 parliamentary stalemate, when Belgium was left without a government for 541 days after elections failed to find a clear winner.

Tensions between the two main language communities of Flemish and French sometimes run high, and the issue has brought down several governments, creating frequent political instability.

Respect for the royal family, though, is one of the few factors that crosses the communal divide.

King Albert's announcement comes only three months after Queen Beatrix of the neighbouring Netherlands vacated the Dutch throne in favour of her son Willem-Alexander.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23167525

tl;dr: July, 21, we'll have our 7th King (Leopold, Leopold II, Albert, Leopold III, Baudouin, Albert II, Phillippe) of the Belgians.

Notable Twitter reaction:

Text from Prince Charles: "Belgium's King Albert II has abdicated to give his son a chance. He must really love him." Not replying

Here's the future King nobody'll give 2 shits about:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...nt_cropped.jpg

http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/bg/B...HJDr7OLXpl.jpg

http://s1.gva.be/imgpath/assets_img_...pt_5_460x0.jpg

Well, it's either him or a vagrant in a designer suit. Hard to tell, tbh.

[Mazmaz]

That man should never shave

[Ashmada]

Indeed, he suffers from Jonathan Frakes syndrome.

[Ksandra]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...nt_cropped.jpg

http://ironsalsa.files.wordpress.com...-the-world.jpg

http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/bg/B...HJDr7OLXpl.jpg

http://www.masterpiecepumpkins.com/G...20%20_orig.jpg

[ronin sparthos]

You're gonna like the way he rules, he guarantees it.

[MF Perm tha Fineass]

I came into this thread expecting to read about some nigga getting stabbed in the stomach and I get this Belgain faggotry

[Xno Kappa]

Spoiler: show

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...nt_cropped.jpg

http://ironsalsa.files.wordpress.com...-the-world.jpg

http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/bg/B...HJDr7OLXpl.jpg

http://www.masterpiecepumpkins.com/G...20%20_orig.jpg

Fucking aye lmao!

[Waraji]

Indeed, he suffers from Jonathan Frakes syndrome.

Everyone's thoughts exactly.

[Ashmada]

On the 21 (National Day, picked to commemorate the first King's crowning), a few things will happen:

- We'll have 2 Kings (Albert II & Philippe) and 3 Queens (Fabiola - Baudouin's widow ; Paola - Albert II's wife ; Mathilde - Philippe's wife).

- The new heir incumbent starts receiving money from the state.
http://cdn.mommyish.com/files/2011/09/610x_35.jpg
Future heir incumbent pictured in the middle, in front of the mic.

Yes, that means Princess Elisabeth, 11yo will start earning wages. It also means that, should he father meet an untimely demise, she'll sit on the throne... and have to carry the political duties of the monarch.
See, our monarchy isn't completely ceremonial, unlike the Swedish crown, the King/Queen has to sign new laws and appoint future heads of government after the elections.
In the last election, the King played a significant role in finally resolving the crisis... and next year's election will probably produce another.

- Albert II's getting dragged by The Bastard (picture below) before the courts.
His immunity will be revoked, so the paternity case will go forward.

http://img.tatler.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.../s_v/ta86o.jpg

[Blubbartron]

That bastard appears to have a decent rack.

[Abandon]

http://s1.gva.be/imgpath/assets_img_...pt_5_460x0.jpg

who is dis white womin

[Pirian]

It is mind blowing to me that some old monarchies/now democratic countries pay for the lifestyles of their old monarchs.

[Niiro]

For a lot of countries monarchs bring in a lot more money than they expend.

[BaneTheBrawler]

done right, with a competent, up-standing dynasty and the appropriate checks/balances, the system works pretty well. unfortunately the whole "up-standing dynasty" thing is extremely important and fairly unpredictable.

[Pirian]

For a lot of countries monarchs bring in a lot more money than they expend.

It has nothing to do with how much they bring in and everything to do with the inherited inherent privilege these people have as if they are better. I've never been one that has had romantic ideas about royalty, if you couldn't tell.

[Niiro]

I don't see how idolizing royalty is any different than the way idolize celebrities/athletes/etc.

[test123]

Better to have one King to rise up against then an oligarchy. The King is the head of the army, and can take down bad governments. Most Kings in europe today have no role in politics. I think it is a good system of checks and balances.

[Andalusian girls]

It has nothing to do with how much they bring in and everything to do with the inherited inherent privilege these people have as if they are better. I've never been one that has had romantic ideas about royalty, if you couldn't tell.

prolly cuz beneath the romance lies one of the most immoral and least equitable systems of governance ever devised by man

[Pirian]

I don't see how idolizing royalty is any different than the way idolize celebrities/athletes/etc.

Yeah, I don't understand nor do I agree with that either. Those people aren't living their lavish lifestyles on the unending dime of the populus, though, and often go completely broke due to their lifestyle.

[Niiro]

Point, but as I said royalty is usually a source of revenue rather than an expense. The UK may spend a lot of money on the Queen's ridiculous fancy hats but the amount of money the royal family generates for the country as a whole eclipses that many times over (I can't really speak for all monarchs but that's the example I'm most familiar with).

At the same time they function as a national symbol, sort of an unofficial PR entity for the government to lend it some perceived clout and legitimacy.

It doesn't really bother me terribly, it's not like in countries with monarchs anyone is actually required to kowtow to them, they're as much tabloid fodder as any other celebrity. I agree that it's a bit silly, but it's ultimately pretty benign.