Former Belgian Prime Minister's mother dies

Former Belgian Prime Minister's mother dies
Open Vld's Herman De Croo and his wife Francoise Desguin pictured during an honorary session to celebrate 50 years as a parliament member for De Croo at the Flemish Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday 25 April 2018. De Croo senior has been a member of the government, a member of the Federal chamber, the senate and the Flemish Parliament for fifty years in a row. BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM

Françoise Desguin, wife of Minister of State Herman De Croo and mother of former Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, passed away on Saturday at the age of 86.

Desguin was born in 1939 in Uccle and studied philosophy and law at the ULB in Brussels. It was there that she met Herman De Croo, whom she married 64 years ago.

She pursued a career as a lawyer, specialising in family law, and continued working long past the legal retirement age. In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad in 2020, Desguin, at 80 years old, revealed she was still taking on cases.

Herman De Croo previously served as a minister and Speaker of the Chamber. The couple had two children, Alexander and Ariane. Alexander De Croo has held positions as party leader, minister, and prime minister, and currently occupies a senior role at the United Nations.


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