Queen Paola of Belgium
HM King Philippe HM Queen Mathilde
- HRH Crown Princess Elisabeth
- HRH Prince Gabriel
- HRH Prince Emmanuel
- HRH Princess Eléonore
HM King Albert II HM Queen Paola
- IKKH Princess Astrid HRH Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria - D'Este HRH Prince Amadeo
- IKKH Princess Maria Laura
- HRH Prince Joachim
- IKKH Princess Luisa Maria
- IKKH Princess Laetitia Maria
- HRH Princess Louise
- HRH Prince Nicolas
- HRH Prince Aymeric
HM Queen Fabiola
Paola of Belgium, born in Paola Ruffo di Calabria ( born September 11, 1937 in Forte dei Marmi, Italy) is the wife of former Belgian King Albert II and was therefore Queen of the Belgians. After the abdication of her husband on July 21, 2013, it bears the title Queen of Belgium.
Life
Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria, the youngest of seven children of Prince Fulco Ruffo di Calabria and his wife Countess Luisa Gazelli. With full name is Donna Paola Margherita Maria Antonia Consiglia Principessa Ruffo di Calabria. Your youth spent the princess completely in Rome and graduated from the classical Latin and Greek secondary school.
The Ruffo family is part of the Calabrian Uradels. Folco Ruffo held high offices in the southern Italian court of the Emperor Frederick II ( 1194-1250 ).
After Paola Ruffo had met the Belgian Prince Albert, it proved advantageous in that they may have with her paternal grandmother a Belgian in their ancestry. She married the Belgian Prince Albert on 2 July 1959. Speaks fluent Italian, French, English and German. However, Dutch, the mother tongue of the majority of the Belgians, she speaks only moderately, which is seen in the population partly critical.
The couple has three children.
- King Philip of Belgium ( b. 1960 ) Mathilde d' Udekem d' ∞ 1999 Acoz (* 1973)
- Princess Astrid of Belgium ( b. 1962 ) ∞ 1984 Lorenz of Habsburg -Lorraine ( b. 1955 )
- Prince Laurent of Belgium ( b. 1963 ) ∞ 2003 Claire Coombs ( b. 1974 )
On August 9, 1993 Albert II took the oath on the Belgian constitution and became the King of the Belgians. Up to the abdication of her husband on July 21, 2013 Paola Queen was the Belgians. As of the late King Baudouin widow, Fabiola it bears the title Queen of Belgium. In addition to the representative obligations, Paola is also dedicated to cultural and social aspects. Privately, they like to deal with gardening and loves skiing and sailing.