Princess Claire gives birth to healthy twin boys

14 December 2005

BRUSSELS — Princess Claire gave birth to twin boys at the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc in Brussels on Tuesday night.

Both Claire — the wife of Prince Laurent — and the babies are in good health. It is rumoured the boys have been named Nicolas and Emeric.

The first child was born at 6.54pm on Tuesday, weighed 1.98kg and was 44cm long. The second child was born at 6.55pm, weighed 2.21kg and was 45.5cm long.

The twins were born prematurely, as the official due date was in January. A spokesman for the Belgian royal family said Princess Claire gave birth via Caesarian.

He could not reveal whether the children had been placed in an incubator, but stressed that the babies were “doing fine”, newspaper ‘De Standaard’ reported on Wednesday.

The pregnancy lasted for approximately 34 weeks, but one midwife said only premature babies younger than 32 weeks are considered to be in danger of complications.

“The weight of the boys is also not really concerning. A small arrears in growth is normal with twins,” she said.

It was previously reported that the pregnancy was proving difficult for Claire, who was rarely sighted in public since the pregnancy was announced at the end of June.

Her last public appearance was on 25 October in the royal palace for the autumn concert of the Festival of Flanders and the Festival of Wallonia, newspaper ‘Het Nieuwsblad’ reported.

However, the birth appears to have taken place without complications.

The two babies are currently the last in line to the Belgian throne. They come after Crown Prince Filip and his three children, Princess Astrid and her five children.

In the line of succession, the baby boys also trail their father Prince Laurent — the youngest son of King Albert II and Queen Paola — and older sister Louise.

The twins are therefore placed 13th and 14th respectively in the line of succession. Princess Louise was born on 6 February 2004.

The royal palace could not confirm on Tuesday night when prince Laurent will be able to answer media questions or when photos of the babies will be shown.

“That decision is up to the prince,” the spokesman said.

Subject: Belgian news