King Baudouin accended the Belgian throne in 1951 in a rather dramatic fashion after the abdication of his father, King Leopold III. Leopold gave up the throne amid a time of great political upheaval in Belgium in which his controversial role during World War II was questioned by the government and public alike.
On 15 December 1960, King Baudouin of Belgium married Doña Fabiola de Mora and Aragon. This decision was of great surprise to many as Fabiola was the daughter of a relatively unknown aristocrat in a far-off country, Spain. Born in Madrid on 11 June 1928, Fabiola was the third daughter of Don Gonzalo Mora Fernandez, Marques de Casa Riera and Doña Blanca de Aragón y Carrillo. Fabiola trained as a nurse and worked at a hospital in Madrid before meeting Baudouin through mutual friends. They immediately liked each other and shared a deep devotion to the Catholic faith.
The engagement was announced to the public on 16 September 1960 by Belgian Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens. In Spain, bakers created a special type of bread called “la fabiola” to commemorate the upcoming wedding.
As dictated by Belgian law, there were actually two wedding ceremonies. The first was a civil law ceremony that took place in Brussels in the Throne Room at the Palace among government officials and clergy. Their Majesties then travelled to the Cathedral of St. Michel and St. Gudula for their religious ceremony. The regal guest list included the groom’s father, King Leopold, King Olav of Norway, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom, and King Umberto of Italy. Leading members of the European aristocracy were also present. For the wedding, Fabiola chose the Nine Provinces Tiara to pair with her Balenciaga wedding dress. The tiara was previously worn by Queen Astrid in 1926. The white silk dress featured ermine trim and had a high neckline, a tulle veil, and a bell-shaped skirt with a 20 ft train. The King wore an Army uniform with two royal orders, the Belgian Order of Leopold and the Spanish Order of Isabella, to mark his bride’s heritage.
As is customary for royal weddings, the couple made an appearance on the Royal Palace balcony amid a huge cheering crowd before jetting off to Spain for their honeymoon. Belgian television broadcasted the ceremony live.
The couple went on to have a long, successful marriage, although Fabiola bore no children. King Baudouin died of a heart attack on 31 July 1993. Queen Fabiola died on 5 December 2014. The couple are buried together at the Royal Crypt of the Church of Our Lady at Laeken in Brussels.
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