Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said he, too, would make an official announcement immediately after the king's speech. It further heightened expectations the 20-year reign of Albert is drawing to a close.
The VRT network published the headline "King Albert announces his abdication tonight," basing its report on sources close to the monarch.
The Royal Palace said Albert would first attend a meeting with key government members before the address, to air on all major broadcast networks at 6pm (1600GMT; Noon EST).
In August, Albert would mark his second decade on the throne of the kingdom of 10.5 million people. The nation celebrates independence day on July 21 and many have said that could be an ideal day to hand over the largely ceremonial post.
Albert has overseen the steady unraveling of his kingdom into an increasingly divided nation where northern, Dutch-speaking Flanders has been seeking increasing autonomy at the expense of southern, French-speaking Wallonia.
After he succeeded his devoutly Roman Catholic brother Baudouin in 1993, Albert became embroiled in a major royal scandal when he had to acknowledge the existence of an out-of-wedlock daughter, Delphine Boel, and suffered a major crisis in his marriage with Queen Paola. That issue came to the fore again this spring when Boel opened court proceedings to prove she is the king's daughter.
At the same time, he brought some earthy charm and easygoing fun to the royalty after decades of stiff formality under Baudouin.
But increasingly the years bore down on him as he turned from a king with a love of sleek motorcycles into an elderly monarch sometimes relying on a walking stick.
Adding to his troubles was the eternal political strife within the nation itself. When Belgium found itself without a government for a record 541 days before the team of Di Rupo could take the oath late in 2011, Albert had to be involved in the protracted talks because one of the few real powers a Belgian monarch has is to appoint government brokers.
Belgium's neighbor, the Netherlands, has already seen an abdication this year. Queen Beatrix — now known as Princess Beatrix — stepped down after a 33-year reign in favor of her eldest son, who was appointed King Willem-Alexander at a lavish ceremony in Amsterdam on April 30.
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