Continue reading the main story King Philippe, his wife Mathilde and their four children wave to crowds from the balcony of the royal palace in Brussels Belgian King Philippe has been sworn in and joined by his wife and children to wave to supporters from the balcony of the royal palace in Brussels. Continue reading the main story 1/6 Continue reading the main story Related Stories Belgium's King Albert abdicates Belgium profile King's speech provokes Belgians Crown Prince Philippe has been sworn in as the new Belgian king after the emotional abdication of his father Albert II. The Oxford- and Stanford-educated, trained air force pilot took the oath as the country's seventh king in a ceremony in parliament. To warm applause, King Philippe, 53, promised to uphold the constitution. 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. In his final address before signing a legislative act to step down, 79-year-old King Albert said his country must remain a "source of inspiration" to Europe. He stressed his wish that Belgium - split between the Dutch-speaking north and the French south - remained united. His resignation on the grounds of ill-health came after nearly 20 years on the throne and was timed to coincide with Belgium's national day. Balcony appearance In a colourful ceremony topped off by trumpet fanfare and cannon-fire, Philippe took his oath in the country's three official languages - Dutch, French and German. King Albert II: "Philippe, you have all the emotional and intellectual qualities to serve our country well" Flag-waving supporters gathered in the midday sun waiting for their new king and his wife, Mathilde, to greet them from the balcony of the nearby royal palace. "The new king is a bit of history," said Xavier De Graef, draped in the red, yellow and black of the Belgian tricolour. "That doesn't happen very often so we wanted to be here," Mr De Graef, from French-speaking Liege, told Reuters news agency. But not everyone was celebrating. The far-right separatist Vlaams Belang party boycotted the swearing-in ceremony. Meanwhile, Jan Jambon, parliamentary head of the N-VA party that wants Dutch-speaking Flanders to break away from Belgium and favours a republic, said the occasion "leaves me cold". Constitutional crises In the abdication ceremony at the royal palace in Brussels, the former monarch told his son: "You have all the emotional and intellectual qualities to serve our country well." He thanked an audience of some 250 dignitaries and political leaders "for all that you have achieved during my reign". Ex-king Albert also thanked his wife, Paola, for the support she had given him during his reign, and was in turn thanked by Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo for his service to his country. Mr Di Rupo holds the political power in the 183-year-old parliamentary democracy. Albert II then embraced his son and signed the official abdication papers, ending his reign. 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 Dutch-speaking and French communities 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 abdication comes only three months after Queen Beatrix of the neighbouring Netherlands vacated the Dutch throne in favour of her son Willem-Alexander. More on This Story Related Stories Belgium's King Albert abdicates 03 JULY 2013, EUROPE Belgium profile 21 JULY 2013, EUROPE King's speech provokes Belgians 27 DECEMBER 2012, EUROPE 'Breakthrough' in Belgian talks 15 SEPTEMBER 2011, EUROPE From other news sites Yahoo! UK and Ireland Divided Belgium to swear in new kin 34 mins ago South China Morning Post* Belgium lays aside divisions for a day to swear in new king 51 mins ago Reuters UK Belgium lays aside divisions for a day to swear in king 1 hr ago Telegraph With a 'big kiss' to his queen, Belgium's king steps down amid deep divisions 1 hr ago The Independent Belgium's new King: Albert II abdicates after 20-year reign to make way for son Philippe 1 hr ago About these results * May require registration or subscription Share this page Share Facebook Twitter Email Print More Europe stories RSS Police patrol streets of Trappes, France (21 July 2013)Veil row sparks Paris suburb unrest Crowds of youths throw stones at French police and set cars alight in a second night of disturbances in the Paris suburb of Trappes. 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