King Albert II & Queen Paola - Current Events Part 5

[Linda_26]

Pictures from yesterday evening’s event - I don’t know if you can be seen on any of them Maria-Olivia? Xx
Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel on Instagram: "#TributeConcert - Look back on an exceptional evening dedicated to our former charismatic leader & gifted CEO, Bernard de Launoit. One year after his passing, the @musicchapel wanted to pay tribute to him with a wonderful evening to share with you some of Bernard’s favourite pieces, for a concert that we wanted to be in his image: dynamic and full of musical colours. We would like to extend our warmest thanks to the Masters, Associate Artists & Artists in residence who took part in this evening of remembrance. Thank you Bernard @megane.fphotography"

Nice pictures, both Albert and Paola look rather well.
As mentioned by maria-olivia, they were sitting next to the widow and children of the late Count Bernard de Launoit (1964-2023)

 

[Linda_26]

King Albert and Queen Paola were yesterday in Assisi, Italy. They visited the graves of Saint Francis of Assisi and of Blessed Carlo Acutis (a young boy who was beatified by Pope Francis in 2020). An article and a short video:

Bezoek aan basiliek en bidden bij heilige graven: Albert en Paola gespot tijdens religieuze reis in Italië
It is mentioned how their faith has an important place in their lives since their reconciliation, in the 1980s.

 

[maria-olivia]

The King is wearing a bag ?

 

[Linda_26]

The King is wearing a bag ?

Yes, I've noticed it's the same bag he was wearing last week at the Easter mass in Brussels

 

[Linda_26]

King Albert felt unwell and fell earlier this week, while on holiday in Grasse with Queen Paola. His condition was never life-threatening, and he didn't end up in hospital, according to the Royal Palace. Princess Astrid visited her parents these days, but it was a planned visit, not related to Albert's health.
The festivities for both his upcoming 90th birthday (6 June) and 65th wedding anniversary (2 July) will go ahead as planned.
Koning Albert II (89) even onwel geworden tijdens vakantie in Frankrijk, maar stelt het volgens Paleis weer goed

 

[An Ard Ri]

Can't believe that the former king is 90 in June!

 

[Minister of Court]

The festivities for both his upcoming 90th birthday (6 June) and 65th wedding anniversary (2 July) will go ahead as planned.

Will there be any public celebrations for these grand occasions?

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Belgian RF are not really known for public celebrations but there maybe a private family party.

 

[Hannelore]

Albert & Paola will be celebrating with friends, privately.

 

[Linda_26]

Albert & Paola will be celebrating with friends, privately.

According to Het Nieuwsblad there will also be a family celebration in Southern France in late June. Maybe pictures will be released for the occasion, as it was the case for their 60th wedding anniversary in 2019

 

[Hannelore]

Yes, a (family?) photo will be released. There will also be a private celebration with about 70 friends. No public events.
A & P are still traveling around France and Italy. They have staff for everything of course, but at their age it's quite a feat. Many people find their physical ailments easier to bare in a meditarranean climate.

 

[Linda_26]

On the occasion of King Albert and Queen Paola's upcoming 65th wedding anniversary (on July 2)), Flemish royal watcher Jo De Poorter released a new book, Albert & Paola, het geheim van de liefde (Albert & Paola, the secret of love), which came out a couple of days ago. Wim Dehandschutter wrote an article about it yesterday.
Apparently, then Prince Philippe had also a role in repairing his parents' marriage. In 1981, he asked them to dance together at a ball organised at the Royal Military Academy (where he was studying at that time), which they did. It was, according to the author, the first step towards their definitive reconciliation, which would lead them to even get simbolically "remarried" in 1984 in a chapel in Marseille, in a very private ceremony (just the two of them and a priest).
More about the book:
Albert & Paola


On another note, it seems that for King Albert's 90th birthday next week a new 3-generation portrait with King Philippe and Princess Elisabeth will be released, accodding to Le Soir Mag: Albert II fête ses 90 ans: un parcours historique

 

[An Ard Ri]

Looking forward to the new 3-generation portrait.

 

[maria-olivia]

This Evening we had during one hour "les derniers secrets d' Albert".
I was surprised about the dramatic story of Julie and Melissa, victims of Marc Dutroux whose dead bodies were find on 14/8/1996.
The King and the Queen were on holiday and the then Prime Minister said them not to come back.
Julie's Father Denis Lejeune said as we find no issue we asked help to the Royal Palace to accelerate but they did nothing.
The parents refused the presence of two King's Representents at the Funerals of their little girls.
He was invited at the Palace when the King was back and he said to the King what they thought about his attitude. Someone said :The King and the Queen will regret for their whole life not being there when they found the bodies of Julie and Melissa and later Ann and Eefje , the whole Coutry was devasted and they were on holiday !

 

[Linda_26]

Someone said :The King and the Queen will regret for their whole life not being there when they found the bodies of Julie and Melissa and later Ann and Eefje , the whole Coutry was devasted and they were on holiday !

That's also what King Albert himself said about it. When asked what he would have done differently, with hindsight, during his reign, he answered they would've come back immediately after the young girls' bodies were found. It was apparently the biggest regret of his reign. At that time, it was the Prime Minister (the now late Jean-Luc Dehaene) who told them it wasn't necessary.
Albert talked about it in his interview for his 80th birthday, in 2014, from minute 37/38 onwards:

 

[Somebody]

On the occasion of King Albert and Queen Paola's upcoming 65th wedding anniversary (on July 2)), Flemish royal watcher Jo De Poorter released a new book, Albert & Paola, het geheim van de liefde (Albert & Paola, the secret of love), which came out a couple of days ago. Wim Dehandschutter wrote an article about it yesterday.
Apparently, then Prince Philippe had also a role in repairing his parents' marriage. In 1981, he asked them to dance together at a ball organised at the Royal Military Academy (where he was studying at that time), which they did. It was, according to the author, the first step towards their definitive reconciliation, which would lead them to even get simbolically "remarried" in 1984 in a chapel in Marseille, in a very private ceremony (just the two of them and a priest).
More about the book:
Albert & Paola

According to Albert himself, what bound them together was their joint fight with their lawyers. The lawyers wanted Albert to have custody over the children -for dynastic reasons-, while Albert himself thought that the children should remain with their mother - as was the general custom in case of a divorce. So, they started fighting their lawyers together: this resulted in an 'us' (against 'them') again, which got them talking and slowly changed their resolve to get a divorce to a resolve to remain married.

 

[Linda_26]

According to Albert himself, what bound them together was their joint fight with their lawyers. The lawyers wanted Albert to have custody over the children -for dynastic reasons-, while Albert himself thought that the children should remain with their mother - as was the general custom in case of a divorce. So, they started fighting their lawyers together: this resulted in an 'us' (against 'them') again, which got them talking and slowly changed their resolve to get a divorce to a resolve to remain married.

That's indeed what he says in the interview (and they say the same in the more recent documentary "Paola côté jardin" , from 2022).
The divorce attempt, however, was in 1976, and while they certainly decided to remain married back then, their complete and sincere reconciliation took a few more years. It's generally placed in a religious context (Paola hints at that in the interview), also with the help of their daughter Astrid. This new book apparently doesn't deny that their faith was important, but adds that bit about Philippe which I had never heard about. I've not read the book (just the HLN article about it, which I've shared), so I don't know how accurate it is.