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Belgium's 79-year-old King Albert II on Wednesday announced that he would abdicate on July 21, the country's national day, and leave the throne to his eldest son and crown prince Philippe.
The king cited "age and health" as the reasons for not continuing to carry out his duties. The crown prince Philippe, 53, is a fighter pilot and parachutist with degrees from the world's top universities.
"Prince Philippe is well prepared to succeed me," Albert said here on Wednesday in a televised address to the nation.
There had been rumors among local media about the king's resignation. Belgian national TV also reported that the king had informed the government's cabinet of his decision earlier on Wednesday.
Albert II was sworn in as Belgium's sixth king in 1993, succeeding his brother Baudouin who died at the age of 62, and has become the first Belgian king to voluntarily step down.
In 1999, local media had once reported about an allegedly fourth child of Albert in an extramarital affair, which was never acknowledged by the palace.
The royal scandal resurfaced in the spring of this year when a woman named Delphine Boel went to court trying to prove herself as Albert's daughter.
Still, the king has been seen as a symbol of unity for the country with a long divide between Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north and French-speaking Wallonia in the south.
In particular, he played a mediating role in solving the country's parliamentary deadlock in 2010 and 2011, when Belgium was left without a government for a record of 541 days.
In general, the constitutional monarchy in Belgium determines that the king plays a ceremonial role and does not hold executive powers.
August would have marked Albert's 20 years on the throne of the kingdom. His announcement came only three months after that of the Netherlands' Queen Beatrix to give up the throne for her son Willem Alexander.
