Looking back at the wedding of the future King Leopold III of Belgium & Princess Astrid of Sweden

On 10 November 1926, Princess Astrid of Sweden married the future King Leopold III of Belgium in a religious ceremony in Brussels. They had their civil ceremony in Stockholm on 4 November.

Princess Astrid was the daughter of Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland, and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. She was thus a granddaughter of King Oscar II of Sweden and King Frederik VIII of Denmark. Prince Leopold was the eldest son of King Albert I of Belgium and Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria.

After the civil ceremony, newspapers reported, “In the presence of the Kings of Sweden, Belgium, and Denmark, the civil marriage between Princess Astrid of Sweden and Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium was solemnised today. The ceremony took place in the Imperial Hall of the Royal Palace. Approximately 1,200 guests were present. The wedding ceremony was performed by the Mayor of Stockholm. Afterwards, those present proceeded to the Hall of the Crown Council, where the newlyweds received congratulations. This was followed by a gala dinner attended by hundreds of guests. During a subsequent carriage procession through the city, the bridal couple was lively honoured by the population.”¹

In the evening, the couple travelled to Gothenburg, where they boarded the Swedish warship Fylgia, bound for Vlissingen. It arrived there on Sunday morning, and then travelled on to Antwerp. They arrived there on the morning of 8 November, accompanied by Dutch destroyers. Astrid was greeted at City Hall, and she received flowers. Afterwards, the couple boarded a train for Brussels.

The train station was decorated with plants and flags, and infantry was lined up on the platform. Astrid alighted wearing a “white crêpe de Chine gown trimmed with silk, a coat of white velvet and a white hat.”² Gun salutes were fired as the royal party left the station. They then boarded carriages, and people lined the streets to see the Princess. They stopped at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where both Astrid and Leopold placed flowers.³ Finally, they arrived at the Royal Palace.

Two days after Astrid’s arrival in Brussels, the religious ceremony took place.

Newspapers reported, “At a quarter to eleven, the Belgian bishops emerge from the choir in violet mantles. The archbishop wears a mitre and staff and an eighteenth-century white cope, edged with gold. He is followed by the kings and queens, princes and princesses who arrived earlier, and the ministers Jaspar, Hymans, and Vandervelde. This small procession proceeds to the gate; the royal procession departs, entering at half past eleven.

“The royal procession now slowly advances into the church; the clergy in white robes behind the cross, followed by the dean of the church, the bishops, and the archbishop. Prince Leopold places his hand on the shoulder of the youthful Prince Charles of Sweden. Then follows the tall, martial figure in full dress of the bride’s father, who solemnly leads Princess Astrid.

“The princess is somewhat pale beneath her veil. She carries a bouquet of orange blossoms. Four young counts carry her long, white train. Next come King Albert, the Queen, and the witnesses. The King and Queen sit on a throne on the left. The princes take their places before the altar on gilded chairs, as at Te Deum ceremonies; the witnesses sit on the right.

“The archbishop stands before the altar. An atmosphere swirls through the nave of the church, made even more intimate by the choirs of children’s singing. A large choir sings Bolman, a Suptuum with four equal voices by Riga, and the Benedictine Vobis, a motet for six equal voices.

“Then comes the decisive moment. The archbishop rises and approaches the bridal couple. His voice echoes faintly through the church for a brief speech. He leans toward the couple, then blesses the rings, which the princely children exchange. The witnesses stand up. Blessings are marked out amidst lilies and trembling candlelight. The wedding ceremony is

“Once again the choirs break loose, but this time in a religious-festive manner. The royal procession is reformed; the clergy lead the way, followed by the married prince and princess, arm in arm; then Prince Charles and the Queen, and King Albert with Princess Ingeborg. After the procession has left the church, an ovation falls upon the hunchbacked dancers. The newlyweds take their places in the first ceremonial carriage. The cheering, the ringing of the bells, and the enthusiasm sweep widely over people and the city. The ceremony lasted forty-five minutes.”⁴

Leopold succeeded his father as King in 1934. Queen Astrid tragically died in a car accident the following year.

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