Princess Lea and the Late Prince Alexandre of Belgium

[mybags]

Prince Alexandre, Princess Lea, and Princess Marie-Esmeralda at the wedding of Prince Laurent.

www.ibl.se

 

[mybags]

Princess Lea of Belgium (right) and Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Savoy at the opening night of the Princess de Rethy exhibit in Brussels.

www.ibl.se

 

[mybags]

www.ibl.se

Princess Lea of Belgium

 

[mybags]

www.ibl.se

Queen Paola, King Albert II, Princess Marie-Esmeralda, Prince Alexandre, and Princess Lea

 

[mybags]

www.ibl.se

Prince Alexandre and Princess Marie-Esmeralda

 

[Martine]

is the one of the women in the 2nd pic Lea? it doesn't look like her

 

[mybags]

The caption for the pic said that it was. I have my doubts as well.

 

[Dennism]

This red hat is a little big. It's not that sunny in Belgium.

 

[Hans]

Originally posted by Dennism@Dec 8th, 2003 - 12:36 am
This red hat is a little big. It's not that sunny in Belgium.

The red dress is a dress wich originally belongs to HRH Princess Lilian, HRH Princess Maria-Esmeralda wore it as a tribute to her later mother. B)

 

[Martine]

i liked esmeralda's red outfit at laurent&claire's wedding , i think she looked very good in it , i think she herited her mother's class and style..........

 

[mybags]

These photos are from seegerpress. They are from the funeral of Princess Liliane in June 2002.

 

[Gabriella]

I think that Alexandre sort of resembles Prince Laurent a bit. If you take away the glasses anyway.


How come Alexandre, Marie-Christine and Esmeralda are not, nor ever have been members of the royal house? After all, they are the children of a (former) king. Are they even in line to the throne?

 

[mybags]

I'm not sure why they aren't members of the Royal House. I do know that Leopold and Liliane both agreed that their children would not have a place in the line of succession.

 

[Gabriella]

thanks for the info mybags! I really do wonder why that is though. I have never really understood alot of things that concerned Princess Lilian and her children. Do you think that maybe it had something to do with the fact that the people of Belgium did not like the idea of the King remarrying?

 

[mybags]

Probably, it may also have something to do with the fact that it was a morganatic marriage and it was kept secret from the public until later.

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

Leopold and Lilian married without consent of the government, during the war.

It was one of the reasons why Leopold III had to abdicate, and so it was decided that the children from Lepold 's second mariage, would be princes of Belgium, but without rights to the throne. Very much against the will of Lilian, who wanted to be queen herself, and later on tried to marry her children off with other princes...

Lilian was a very difficult woman, when Alexandre married Lea Wolman, a very nice and discreet woman, he waited seven (7) years to inform his mother, out of fear for her reaction!!

 

[Gabriella]

thanks for the info Cathérine Bergeyck! I had always figured that Lilian probably was a bit difficult and had grand plans for both herself and her children.

Lilian was a very difficult woman, when Alexandre married Lea Wolman, a very nice and discreet woman, he waited seven (7) years to inform his mother, out of fear for her reaction!!

Wow! I didn't know that. I wonder what kind of reaction that one got, especially seven years after the fact!

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

prince Alexandre and his lovely wife, Lea Wolman.

 

[lilydale]

It was one of the reasons why Leopold III had to abdicate, and so it was decided that the children from Lepold 's second mariage, would be princes of Belgium, but without rights to the throne. Very much against the will of Lilian, who wanted to be queen herself, and later on tried to marry her children off with other princes...

Lilian was a very difficult woman, when Alexandre married Lea Wolman, a very nice and discreet woman, he waited seven (7) years to inform his mother, out of fear for her reaction!!

Wow, she was a tough woman to have for a mother!

Did Lilian not like Fabiola? Is that why her relationship with Baudoin became strained?

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

Lilian and Fabiola coudn't stand each other. Apart from them both having strong characters, Baudouin's marriage to Fabiola also ment that he started a life of his own and Leopold & Lilian could no longer influence his political decisions.

 

[lilydale]

I sure am glad Baudoin found Fabiola, and got true happiness with her. And what a good influence she was on him.

Sorry to pepper you with questions, Cathérine, but was anyone in the family close to Lilian or was she just that difficult to get along with?

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

I think the only one she always got along with was Esmeralda.

Lilian was a very bright woman, very beautifull, classy, elegant & cultivated; but over ambitous. She certainly didn't know the meaning of the word modesty. She had the beauty and grace of a queen, and loved to parade herself around, but serving her country was not in her book.

 

[lilydale]

Thanks very much. What a pity that with all her attributes, duty to Belgium wasn't one of them.

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

at a charity event. Lea Wolman is often at charity events of the Belgian aritocracy.

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

Lea Wolman was also present at the beatification in Rome. She's in the center of this picture:

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

Alexander and Lea at the castle of Corroy with the marquis de Trazegnies, in 1997.

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

Lea Wolman with the king and queen of Romania , and archduke Lorenz at a charity event

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

Prince Alexandre wrote a book (it's more of a photobook actually) on his home, the castle of Argenteuil. He presented it, together with his wife Lea and her two children, Renaud Bichara and Laetitia Spetscinsky.

25/11/2004

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

more (gettyimages)

 

[Hannelore]

thanks. It's the first time I see pictures of Lea's children.