Ottoman Diplomats
Letters from the Imperial Legation in Brussels (1849–1914)
Synopsis
Entrée au Sénat de Mgr. le Prince Albert de Belgique.
Raghib Raïf Bey reports that on November 13th Prince Albert of Belgium (son of Prince Phillip, Count of Flanders, and nephew of King Leopold II) took his oath in the Senate. His wife, Princess Elisabeth, and his eldest son, Prince Leopold, attended the inaugural ceremony. Also the foreign mission heads were present. After his oath, the Prince spoke a few words, referring to the tradition, installed by King Leopold II, who became an active member of the Senate in his capacity of Duke of Brabant. Thereafter, the Speaker of the Senate, Count de Mérode-Westerloo, congratulated Prince Albert. Raghib Raïf Bey explains that the Prince was legally a Senator as from the age of 18 (the age at which King Leopold II became Senator in his capacity of Duke of Brabant), but only now, at more than 30 years old, he carried out his duty as a Senator. As the Belgian population was highly interested in this event, Raghib Raïf Bey decided to inform Tefvik Pacha about it.
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Consulted online at Ottoman Diplomats: Letters From the Imperial Legation in Brussels (1849–1914) (2014 Edition), Centre for Political History (PoHis), University of Antwerp, <http://dighum.uantwerpen.be/ottomandiplomats/>.
