Death of Queen Fabiola: December 5, 2014


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
King Baudouin died middle in the summer holidays, the Queen had a totally empty agenda, relaxing at Balmoral. She had no any excuse not to go to the funeral of a fellow crowned head of state of a neighbouring country whom also was -like herself- a born Von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha...

:flowers:



Believe me, the Queen doesn´t need an "excuse" if she didn´t want to go...!
She has shown more than once that she takes unpopular decisions without caring or listening to peoples´s opinions what she "should" do. That´s one of the things I admire her for!
 
I suspect the lack of representation by the BRF (if that turns out to be the case) has more to do with scheduling than a snub.

As I said, the official royal site lists engagements only for the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal on December 12th. I didn't expect the Queen or the DoE (due to his old age) to attend, but what about the Queen's younger sons or one of her cousins ?

The decision not to send any member of the family to Queen Fabiola's funeral is beyond any reasonable explanation to me. I doubt there is any rift between the British and the Belgian branches of the Coburg family given King Philippe's recent visits to Queen Elizabeth II and his presence as (then) Duke of Brabant at Prince William's wedding.
 
May I remind some of you that the Queen was present at king Baudouins funeral, something she has never done before and never did after (she was, for instance, very close to the late King Paul of the Hellenes and King Olav of Norway but still didn´t go): So, stating the brit. Royals would snub the belgians or even "hate" them (why should they?!) is totally nonsense.


I think you misunderstod me. I wasn't saying that The Queen herself must attend. I know she attended the funeral of the late King in 1993 but that was probably because she were on summer holiday and had no excuse to stay away when almost all her equal monarches was to be in attendance.
I was talking about the principle that when a King or a Queen of another country dies, it should be a duty for other monarchies to send the monarch OR someone to represent the monarch at the funeral.

Yes i used hard words but i stay behind them. The working part of the british royal family isn't exactly short of members so to not send a single member wether it is The Prince of Wales or Princess Michael of Kent would indeed be a snub.
 
NOS Television (the Netherlands) uses to have a livestream on NPO Nieuws | NOS when they have a live broadcast on television. So far the Netherlands are the only foreign country to broadcast the funeral live.
It will also be brodacasted by austrian ORF2. Don't know if they will have a Livestream.
 
Yes i used hard words but i stay behind them. The working part of the british royal family isn't exactly short of members so to not send a single member wether it is The Prince of Wales or Princess Michael of Kent would indeed be a snub.



But how can you state something (brit. royal family HATES the belgian one!) you cannot proof?! Have you ever talked with a member of the 2 families about it? Even if one member of the staffs would have told you, I´d be very careful to claim such a thing! Evidence still missing...
I agree if not a single of the BRF would attend tomorrow, it could be seen, if one urgently wants to, as a "snub". But why not wait until tomorrow?! We can still complain and curse when we know for sure....!
 
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I do not understand the fuss about who will represent the British royal family. The Windsors are just one of the European royal families. It would be fair to say that they will send someone to attend.
 
I do not understand the fuss about who will represent the British royal family. The Windsors are just one of the European royal families. It would be fair to say that they will send someone to attend.

The news is that they are sending no one to attend. That is what the fuss is all about.
 
For once, I agree with al bina...why all the brouhaha ? Undoubtedly someone will represent the Queen of the United Kingdom tomorrow.

It seems the fuss' is intended to paint the Windsors in a bad light, and make it seem as tho' they are too grand to pay respect to other dynasties...
 
The news is that they are sending no one to attend. That is what the fuss is all about.
Well ... if true, the news is not surprising for me. At the same time, we shall see who will or will not be in attendance.
 
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HLN reports that the service will be charactarized by 'austerity and simplicity'.

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/32325/Koni...biola-in-teken-van-eenvoud-en-soberheid.dhtml

The service will be led by Mgr. Danneels -who was close to the late Queen- and by Archbisshop Andre Leonard. At the service the singer Will Tura will sing (as was mentioned in this thread). Queen Fabiola explicitely asked him to sing a song of hope at the funeral of King Baudouin, so it is fitting that he will sing the same song in this service too. He was contacted by the office of Queen Fabiola and by the office of Queen Mathilde.
http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/binnenland/2.36711?eid=1.2177390

**
These last days 4000 people paid their respects in the palace.
http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/binnenland/2.36711?eid=1.2177958
 
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But how can you state something (brit. royal family HATES the belgian one!) you cannot proof?! Have you ever talked with a member of the 2 families about it? Even if one member of the staffs would have told you, I´d be very careful to claim such a thing! Evidence still missing...
I agree if not a single of the BRF would attend tomorrow, it could be seen, if one urgently wants to, as a "snub". But why not wait until tomorrow?! We can still complain and curse when we know for sure....!


Ok ok peace now. I know probably as much as anyone else in here (=not the whole truth about the supposed rift).

I always stay behind my words but i agree that i should have waited until tomorrow to speak out loud ! Sometimes we let our inner feelings speak out loud wether it is a good idea or a bad one.

Let's see tomorrow what happens.
 
I think what matters most is what was stated in Queen Fabiola's wishes. That the people who loved and cared about her most would be there. I think she would more appreciate someone like our Maria-Olivia being there than which representative of the British royal family attended.

People should be there and attend because they want to be and not because they're required to be.

Just my opinion.
 
I am almost sure someone will represent the British royal family at the funeral of the late Queen Fabiola. Even the British royal family knows the de rigueur in international royal relations. We will see tomorrow.
 
I have read that QEII only attended Baudouin's funereal because the emperor of Japan did and she didn't want to be shown up. It was a last minute decision. I do not expect her to attend, but I do expect a senior Brit royal will regardless of public announcements. After all, afaik they have not said they won't go.


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I can also remember reading somewhere that the Queen happened to be in northern France around the time (on a private visit of some sort, maybe looking at racehorses?) and so couldn't really not attend. Could be nonsense but I definitely read or saw something along these lines somewhere.

It wouldn't really surprise me if no representative, other than a member of the British embassy staff, or maybe a 'low-ranking' member of the family is sent to the funeral. People seem to see the royals as some sort of club or union who are all super-friendly or see each other as family. The reality is that as these families no longer marry between themselves, the family ties are getting less and less all the time. That's natural. How many of us socialise with our 3rd cousins twice removed or whatever? I don't think I know any of mine.
 
Well I'd like to add my opinion on open coffins since I've been to three funerals in the past month. Only one of the families chose to have a viewing on the morning of the funeral because the death was sudden and they felt it's what they needed to do. The other two deaths were expected so the families were able to spend some time at the hospital with their loved one afterwards so they felt they didn't need a viewing. I'm gald I haven't seen any close ups of Queen Fabiola in her coffin because I find the whole idea of a viewing upseting. I'd rather remember the person as they were and not lying in a coffin.

And I'm fine if the family needs a private viewing- just them- don't see a need for a public one.
 
And I'm fine if the family needs a private viewing- just them- don't see a need for a public one.

I think it is up to each individual family to decide what is right for them. When my grandmother died, there were photographs taken of her in the open coffin and I still have it around here somewhere. I think its kind of macabre and tasteless and I wouldn't do it but it meant something to my mother and my aunts.
 
Agreed. I get lying in state, but closed coffin.
 
I think what matters most is what was stated in Queen Fabiola's wishes. That the people who loved and cared about her most would be there. I think she would more appreciate someone like our Maria-Olivia being there than which representative of the British royal family attended.

People should be there and attend because they want to be and not because they're required to be.

Just my opinion.

The wishes of the late Queen Fabiola are not so important. She is no private individual but a former Queen of the Belgians, a very public figure in the heart of Belgian society. Earlier this week from her Confessor, the Abbot Benoît Lobet, Doyen of Enghien, a slip of the tongue was heard: he claims Queen Fabiola did not want to be laid in state: she would have ordered "the ugliest coffin possible" to prevent this. He claims that Queen Fabiola also did not want a Funeral Mass in the Cathédrale des Saints Michel et Gudule but "just" a small gathering in the local Église Notre-Dame de Laeken. The old Queen considered herself a true parishioner of that church close to the royal domain of Laeken. It is very strange that a Confessor has been so slippery with his tongue, but we all can see that none of both wishes of the late Fabiola is followed. It is the King whom decides in this matter and his House organizes a royal funeral. So your assumption about Fabiola's wishes concerning her guests: her wishes are not relevant.

:flowers:
 
What is a confessor?
And QF is the granny of KP, mother of KA?
 
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But how can you state something (brit. royal family HATES the belgian one!) you cannot proof?! Have you ever talked with a member of the 2 families about it? Even if one member of the staffs would have told you, I´d be very careful to claim such a thing! Evidence still missing...
I agree if not a single of the BRF would attend tomorrow, it could be seen, if one urgently wants to, as a "snub". But why not wait until tomorrow?! We can still complain and curse when we know for sure....!


Agree! Surely we should wait to see if anyone turns up tomorrow before assuming the BRF now hate another RF. I highly doubt this as to be honest since Philippe became King he seems to have met with QEII or members of the British RF on numerous occasions (more so than any other Royal House this year)

The official British royal website has been very bad at being updated recently, I know in the thread discussing the number of engagements carried out by the British Royals it keeps being said its hardly ever updated.
Let's just wait
 
The most important will be the Catholic Funerals and all these attendees are headaches for the Protocol Service !
 
I have read that QEII only attended Baudouin's funereal because the emperor of Japan did and she didn't want to be shown up. It was a last minute decision. I do not expect her to attend, but I do expect a senior Brit royal will regardless of public announcements. After all, afaik they have not said they won't go.

I think if we know anything about Queen Elizabeth II by now it's that she doesn't do stunts or do things she doesn't mean. The Queen went to King Baudouin's funeral because she wanted to go. I was looking back at pictures of Queen Fabiola on Getty Images and there was a photo of QEII with Baudouin on an engagement in June 1993 (a month before he died). I'm sure she, like many of her relations, were shocked when he died so suddenly and I think she admired his deep commitment to Christianity (remember QEII is a devoted Christian).
 
What is a confessor?
And QF is the granny of KP, mother of KA?

As our fellow poster An Ard Ri already stated: a priest who hears the confession and gives absolution. It seems that Père Benoît Lobet has been the late Queen's Confessor for the last 15 years. Besides making a confession of her sins and Père Lobet giving penance for these, also spiritual matters were discussed.

Père Lobet told that the Queen wanted a "festive funeral" but has tried, many times, to make clear to Doña Fabiola that protocol is a "terrible machine which possibly leaves little room for fantasy".

From what we know, not André-Joseph Leonard, the present Archbishop of Malines-Brussels will be the celebrant of the Funeral Mass: it will be Godfried Cardinal Danneels, his predecessor. Reason: Cardinal Danneels has been Archbishop for such a long time and developed a deep personal relationship with Doña Fabiola.

According Père Lobet, Doña Fabiola was longing for death, which was seen as a "salvation" and she was fully confident that she would re-unite with the love of her life, King Baudouin. The old Queen said to Père Lobet: "In two, three days I will see him (Baudouin) again". Père Lobet: "But... Your Majesty... you are saying that for six months now..."

Already in June the old Queen was given the Last Sacrament (anointing of the sick) because Père Lobet thought the Queen looked very frail although she was still in solid state of mind. When the anointing was done, Queen Fabiola grabbed his hands and said "Thanks for these hands, which made this possible". When Père Lobet left the Queen for the last time, she said: "This old lady has done her work. Now I will go and join my beloved one."

It is very touching. At the same time I am amazed that Père Lobet was so slippery with all this information. This priest is known for his sometimes on-the-edge manners and has been regularly criticized by the clergy.
 
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Well I'd like to add my opinion on open coffins since I've been to three funerals in the past month. Only one of the families chose to have a viewing on the morning of the funeral because the death was sudden and they felt it's what they needed to do. The other two deaths were expected so the families were able to spend some time at the hospital with their loved one afterwards so they felt they didn't need a viewing. I'm gald I haven't seen any close ups of Queen Fabiola in her coffin because I find the whole idea of a viewing upseting. I'd rather remember the person as they were and not lying in a coffin.


I've viewed the bodies of relatives who've passed away, both old and relatively young. I've always thought that their faces looked serene, like they were sleeping. It's a very profound thing to see and I did not find it upsetting in the least.
 
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