Funeral of Queen Fabiola: December 12, 2014

[Marengo]

Guestlist*

Belgium:

King Philippe
Queen Mathilde
King Albert II
Queen Paola
Princess Elisabeth
Prince Gabriel
Prince Emmanuel
Princess Eleonore
Princess Astrid
Prince Lorenz
Prince Amedeo
Princess Elisabetta
Princess Maria Laura
Prince Joachim
Princess Laeticia
Prince Laurent
Princess Claire
Princess Louise
Prince Nicholas
Prince Aymeric
Princess Lea
Princess Esmeralda

Luxembourg:

Grand Duke Jean
Grand Duke Henri
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa
Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume
Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie
Princess Esmeralda
Archduke Carl-Christian
Princess Marie-Astrid
Archduchess Marie-Christine
Count Rodolphe of Limburg Stirum
Archduke Imre
Archduchess Kathleen
Prince Jean
Princess Diane
Princess Marie Gabriella of Nassau
Prince Constantin of Nassau ?
Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein
Princess Margaretha
Princess Marie Annunciata of Liechtenstein
Princess Marie Astrid of Liechtenstein
Prince Josef Emanuel of Liechtenstein (according to Luxarazzi)
Prince Guillaume
Princess Sybilla
Prince Paul Louis
Prine Leopold
Princess Charlotte
Prince Jean Andre?

Other guests:

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
King Carl Gustav of Sweden
Queen Silvia of Sweden
king Harald V of Norway
Princess Astrid of Norway
Empress Michiko of Japan
Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein
King Juan Carlos of Spain
Queen Sofia of Spain
Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands
Empress Farah of Persia
Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand
Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco
Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein
Prince Rudolf of Liechtenstein
Princess Nora of Liechtenstein
Princes from Qatar and Kuweit
King Fouad of Egypt

Dom Duarte, Duke of Braganca
Archduke Karl of Austria
The prince of Piedmont
The Duke and Duchess of Castro
Archduchess Yolande of Austria, nee Pss de Ligne
Archduke Rudolph of Austria
Archduchess Anna Gabriella of Austria
Duchess Mathilde Wurttemberg, hereditary countess of Waldburg-Zeil
One of her younger brothers?
Françoise of Bourbon Parma
Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz
Archduke Simeon of Austria
Archduchess Maria of Austria, nee Pss of the Two Sicilies
Archduchess Andrea, Hereditary Countess of Neipperg (?? the lady next to Mr. Juncker)
Princess Adelaide d'Orleans
Archduke Michael of Austria
Archduchess Christiane of Austria, nee Pss of Lowenstein
Grand Duke George of Russia
Duke Franz of Bavaria or his brother
Prince Eudes d'Orleans
Princess Marie Liesse d' Orleans
The Duke of Croy
The Duchess of Croy
Prince Charles Louis of Arenberg
Princess Fiammetta of Arenberg
The prince de Ligne
The princess de Ligne, nee Pss of Brazil
Princess Helene d'Orleans, countess of Limburg Stirum

Jean Claude Juncker, president of the European Counsil

* note that this list is based on my observations. Corrections and additions are welcome, either by a reply in this thread or by PM.
Names that I am not certain about are shown in Italic.

 

[Mbruno]

I apologize for asking, but I couldn't see the entire funeral mass. Does anyone know if it is already available online in a non-live feed ?

Thank you very much.

 

[Cory]

Rather strange the Royal Families of Greece, Romania,Bulgaria did not seem to attend .

 

[saintgilles]

here she will rest in royal crypte

http://oenothera.be/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/histories24.jpg

 

[fandesacs2003]

What a wonderful ceremony! And how sad was Queen Mathilde, apparently they should have a strong bound.
A question, sorry if it has been answered. Why the coufin was recovered with the german flag? (or whatever was this flag, as it was neither the belgiym not the spanish flag)

 

[Marchesina]

What a wonderful ceremony! And how sad was Queen Mathilde, apparently they should have a strong bound.
A question, sorry if it has been answered. Why the coufin was recovered with the german flag? (or whatever was this flag, as it was neither the belgiym not the spanish flag)

It was the belgian flag...wasn't it! They have the same colours...

 

[fandesacs2003]

Rather strange the Royal Families of Greece, Romania,Bulgaria did not seem to attend .

Greek royals I do nit really know how closely they are apparengted, but Romania and Bulgaria are not also a branch of Saxe-Coburg?

 

[Eveline]

It was the belgian flag...wasn't it! They have the same colours...

It is our Belgian flag Only because the colours are horizontal, they can be mistaken with the German one. But those colours are in a different order.

 

[lucien]

Very simple yet moving funeral service.The Readings by HRH The Crown Princess and Prince Gabriel as well as the other children were beautifully done.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

The funeral was very moving. I feel sorry for Philippe and Mathilde, they were very close to Queen Fabiola.

 

[leidi]

BTW you can't tell accent from Elisabeth or Gabriel, they sound the same in french and dutch!

 

[Princess Xenia]

Solemn and elegant ceremony, as Queen Fabiola deserved it.
Rest in Peace dear Queen.

 

[Marchesina]

Greek royals I do nit really know how closely they are apparengted, but Romania and Bulgaria are not also a branch of Saxe-Coburg?

Yes but with an extremely distant relation...they share their ancestors with Leopold I's father I think

 

[melina premiere]

It was a very moving funeral service . I cried almost all the times of the service, I cried more for the mass of the Queen Fabiola than for the mass of King Baudoin. Although I admired a lot King Baudoin and I was sad when He died .

 

[Marengo]

I apologize for asking, but I couldn't see the entire funeral mass. Does anyone know if it is already available online in a non-live feed ?

Thank you very much.

It is: NOS Uitvaart Fabiola gemist? Kijk het op npo.nl

 

[Marchesina]

I am considering now that one of Gabriel's middle name is Baudouin...I assume the boy was a little favourite of her because of that...

 

[Cory]

The Romanian Royal Family descends from the Hohenzollerns but are relatives with the Saxe-Coburg-Gothas.

 

[Blog Real]

https://images.cdn.impresa.pt/caras/2014-12-12-0.jpg?v=w870h555

Princess Sirindhorn:
https://images.cdn.impresa.pt/caras/2014-12-12-1-17-Princesa-Sirindhorn-da-Tailandia1.jpg?v=w364h555

There are no pictures of d. Duarte of Braganza at the funeral?

Where can I see the funeral on the Internet?

Thank you very much for the video.

 

[fandesacs2003]

It is our Belgian flag Only because the colours are horizontal, they can be mistaken with the German one. But those colours are in a different order.

I'm sorry for mistake, I thought the Belgian flag had the same colours than the french one, but in a different disposal, really sorry.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

BTW you can't tell accent from Elisabeth or Gabriel, they sound the same in french and dutch!

The children of the King all go to Dutch-speaking schools, the language of the majority of the Belgians. At home the spoken language is French. In this way the King and Queen hope to raise their children completely bilingual.

It seems Princess Elisabeth and possibly her siblings even get remedial teaching for French. Because the education is Dutch and the spoken language at home is French, the writing and reading in French is not "up to date" and needs additonal education, so it seems.

Their Dutch and French sounds good, I must say. Just with a Belgian tongue, we can say.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Excuse my french but what the heck is this?

The picture of Fabiola in that commemoration card is one of my favorites.

Laurent is kind of odd. But he also seems to be a deeply emotional man, and he really adores his children. He especially dotes on his eldest child and only daughter Louise. I am not surprised that he wants to congratulate her for a good effort.

 

[Marengo]

I think the niece was doña Blanca Escrivá de Romaní y Mora, one of the daughters of Queen Fabiola's eldest sister.

You are correct. It is indeed Dona Blanca, who is married to the 7th marquess de la Ahumada. She is the 5th child (out of 10) of Maria de las Nieves de Mora y Aragon (countess of Sastago), the eldest sister of Fabiola.

That part was one of the the high lights of the service IMO. Her relatives seemed emotional, between a smile and tears. It is obvious that the Queen was very loved by those around her.

 

[cmbruno]

Excuse my french but what the heck is this?

The picture of Fabiola in that commemoration card is one of my favorites.

It is a photoshop

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I didn't get to watch any of the Requiem but the descriptions from the various posters all make it sound quite elegant and moving.

Just a few observances..."Exultate Jubilate" was sung at the Nuptial Mass of Baudouin and Fabiola in Dec 1960.

"The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha was Baudouin and Fabiola's favorite...they considered it "their song". Visitors to their apartments at Laeken Palace remember hearing it being played on the stereo quite frequently. I am not surprised that Fabiola wanted it at her funeral too.

I knew Philippe and Mathilde were devoted to Queen Fabiola, but it's very moving to see this normally reserved, supremely composed couple so obviously upset. When HM's body was brought to Brussels for public viewing I saw the two of them holding one another for support as they approached her open coffin. Very sad!


I was just thinking the other day how the "Song of Songs" from the Old Testament describes the bond between Baudouin and Fabiola to utter perfection, and the Story of Ruth could have been written about Fabiola Mora y Aragon. I am so happy it was included in HM's funeral liturgy.

 

[Eveline]

I'm sorry for mistake, I thought the Belgian flag had the same colours than the french one, but in a different disposal, really sorry.

No problem at all The flags of our surrounding countries aren't the easiest to remember The Dutch flag is the one that has the same colours of France, but then horizontally

 

[Fürstin Taxis]

They really captured Fabiolas personality in this funeral.
RIP

 

[Muhler]

Gallery and article from Royalista: Farewell and rest in peace Queen Fabiola | Royalista

 

[*Mara*]

One thing is for sure, the Belgian RF knows how to do funerals in a beautiful, personal and elegant way. It was an impressive service.

 

[maria-olivia]

Unforgettable Event!
I was there at 8.00 and had a first place at the Protocole rows ; I entered with an Old Nun who knew the Queen.
At 9.00 the Belgian Nobilities , the Ambassadors , the President of the Courts and Lawyers in their toge, also Members of the Order of St Sepulchre with their white and red Toge. (?)
The Presidents of the Parliament and the Senate and our Ministers. I did not see the Lord Mayor of Antwerp.
And then started the Royal Houses , Archduchess Carl Ludwig of Habsbourg and her Children , Archduchess Rodolphe of Habsbourg with her Children. The Empress Farah , Don Duarte of Portugal, Princess Lea and Princess Marie Esmeralda, Princess Isabella of Liechtenstein, Saudi and Princes from Maroc and others.
Then the Reigning Houses , the Prince of Liechtenstein, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg , Sisters , Brothers and Children the whole Grand Ducal House was there;
The King and the Queen from Sweden , Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands , Queen Margarethe II, King Harald and his Sister Princess Astrid. They were followed by Members of their Houses wearing orders.
The old Grand Duke Jean and the former King and Queen of Spain entered a special door.

And then my first Shock, I saw an old frail Lady needing help for the steps . She entered the Cathedral in a black long dress with a little train and her hands were hidden. Is was the Empress of Japan and Everybody was bowing....

And then Cardinal Danneels and Monseigneur Leonard came at the main door and welcomed the late Queen Fabiola I heard out side the Last post and la Brabançonne.(second chock)

And the Coffin in simple clear oak entered the Church followed King Phllippe , Queen Mathilde and their Children, Kind Albert II (devastated) and Queen Paola, Princess Astrid who kissed the old Nun who was sitting behind me, her husband and Chldren and at the end Prince Laurent (not in black with sunglasses) Princess Claire in black and their 3 Children.
The coffin lays on the ground as the one of Pope Jean Paul II.

The Funeral mass started , the lectures in french and in dutch.

The intentions first Princess Elisabeth in dutch and french, Prince Gabriel in french and Dutch, Prince Amadeo in french and Dutch, Heditary Grand Duke Guillaume in German, A member of Queen Fabiola's family in Spanish and at the end sweet princess Louise in English.

The Holy Communion and ho .. third shock our Cardinal Danneels felt down...this was not seen on the cameras.

The Songs during the Communion Ave Maria , Libera me Out, Amazing Grace and the last one my fourth shock the Spanish " la salve Rociera" unforgettable !

The Dutch Will Tura : Hoop doet leven and José van Dam "la Quête " from l'homme de la Mancha / Jacques Brel.
The Brabançonne at the end and the Coffin of the late Queen went out of the Cathedral direction the Church of Laeken.

Queen Fabiola , I will never forget you and as Cardinal Danneels said in french in his homelie, Son coeur battait avec celui de tous les belges "

 

[Moonmaiden23]

maria-oliva...it all sounds overwhelmingly beautiful and moving. I certainly hope Cardinal Danneels was not injured or has not fallen ill.


Your description of the arrival of the frail, elegant Empress of Japan sent chills up my spine.


Thank you for a wonderfully detailed synopsis.