King Baudouin of The Belgians (1930-1993)


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I'm not Belgian, so I'm not really qualified to say a lot, although I did live in Belgium when Baudouin was King and was in Belgium at around the time he passed away: and it was quite clear that Baudouin was beloved of his people. How ever much some secularist and regional separatist politicians might from time to time to have tried to belittle Baudouin's convictions, Baudouin was deeply respected by the Belgian people themselves and his posthumous reputation may even be said to have gown still.
 
CyrilVladisla said:
Before her marriage , Queen Fabiola published a children's book.
The title of the book was The Twelve Marvellous Tales.
:queen::reading::reading::reading:
​
Click to expand...

One of the fairy tales in this book "The Indian Waterlilies" is available as an attraction in themepark "De Efteling" in the Netherlands (in Kaatsheuvel):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeRAj2BM7mM
The attraction is maybe a little bit dated now, but when i was a child that was one of my favorite attractions in the park.
the fairytale has really made it's way into belgian and dutch folklore.

Famous comicbookseries "Suske en Wiske" has also one episode on this fairytale and the Efteling attraction
http://suskeenwiske.ophetwww.net/albums/pics/4kl/168.gif
 
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Was HM paid for the use of her stories? She should be independently wealthy if she was, unless she donated the proceeds to charity.
 
Good question , I don't remember it was in the sixties or seventies
 
Okay, according to her French biographer Antoine Michelland in "La Reine Blanche", Fabiola was approached about the rights to her stories after her marriage to Baudouin, and she donated all the monies to her Belgian charities.
 
Prince Baudouin swore two times , one as Prince Royal and in 1951 as King.
I don't remember at which one Lucien Lahaut said "vive la République " !
 
Thanks for the videos. King Baudouin had an interesting life...part fairy tale and part tragedy.
 
Fairy tale I would not say. They both loved so much Children , should have the Heir of Belgium but alas the Queen has 5 miscarriages.
 
Moonmaiden23 said:
Was HM paid for the use of her stories? She should be independently wealthy if she was, unless she donated the proceeds to charity.
Click to expand...

The story ‘The Indian Water-Lilies’ is one of the twelve fairytales from "Los doce Cuentos maravillosos", written by then unknown Spanish aristocrat Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón in 1955, five years before her marriage to King Baudouin of the Belgians.

The revenues from "Los doce Cuentos maravillosos" are donated to the Nationaal Werk voor Kinderwelzijn, now called Kind & Gezin ("Child & Family"), an agency which aims to enable children "to achieve their full developmental potential, physically, mentally, emotionally and socially, with respect for diversity and children’s rights".

:flowers:

 
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maria-olivia said:
Prince Baudouin swore two times , one as Prince Royal and in 1951 as King.
I don't remember at which one Lucien Lahaut said "vive la République " !
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Maria-Olivia, Thank you for the information about Prince Baudouin being sworn in two different times.
Was this partly due to the fact that twenty-one was the legal age when a gentleman in Belgium would be considered an adult?
​

The May 12, 1964 New York Times announced that King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola were on a four day state visit to Sweden.
 
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Duc_et_Pair said:
The story ‘The Indian Water-Lilies’ is one of the twelve fairytales from "Los doce Cuentos maravillosos", written by then unknown Spanish aristocrat Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón in 1955, five years before her marriage to King Baudouin of the Belgians.

The revenues from "Los doce Cuentos maravillosos" are donated to the Nationaal Werk voor Kinderwelzijn, now called Kind & Gezin ("Child & Family"), an agency which aims to enable children "to achieve their full developmental potential, physically, mentally, emotionally and socially, with respect for diversity and children’s rights".

:flowers:
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Thank you Duc. Queen Fabiola was and is an amazing woman. She worked as a nurse in the slums of Madrid before her marriage, but could easily have pursued a career as a writer of children's stories if she'd chosen to.:flowers:

maria-oliva,

Baudouin's early childhood before the death of Queen Astrid was a fairy tale, then it became very sad after she died.

Then he met the woman of his life and had one of the happiest marriages in recent Royal history...but they could not have children despite the blessing of their happy marriage.

And he died rather young...only 62 years.

That's why I feel it's equal parts fairy tale and tragedy.
 
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CyrilVladisla said:


Maria-Olivia, Thank you for the information about Prince Baudouin being sworn in two different times.
Was this partly due to the fact that twenty-one was the legal age when a gentleman in Belgium would be considered an adult?
​
Click to expand...

After the "King's crisis", in 1950 King Leopold III finally agreed to abdicate and hand the kingship to his eldest son when Baudouin turned 21, in the mean-time the prince already took over the royal responsibilities as a King-prince.
So there were actually two moments on which Baudouin's role changed.
In the end Baudouin already became king in july 1951, so even before his 21st birthday
 
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It was her First Joyeuse Entrée in Brussels before her wedding .
All the belgians ladies wore afterwards the same fur vison hat ..
 
Thanks episcogal,

I've checked out your site-beautiful! Keep it up!;)
 
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The photo of Baudouin and Fabiola with Pope St. John XXIII is so heartbreaking. Fabiola looks beautiful, almost like a bride, but the tension on her face is palpable. She was in early in her first pregnancy and was about to reveal the news publically.

And then she would suffer the first of her five miscarriages only days later:sad:.
 
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Always happy to see Queen Fabiola and her natural kindness.
She was a problem for the Protocole Service because she stayed always longer than what was organised in the Programm.
Queen Mathilde is a professional Queen with always the same smile.
 
An Ard Ri said:
Footage of the 1974 State Visit by Irish President Erskine Childers and his wife Rita to Belgium. (the President died in office a few months later)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIPYTkfVUL0

[....]
Click to expand...

Ah... wonderful images... when Belgium was still an unitary state with a considerable army, with Sabena, with a Rijkswacht/Gendarmerie, etc. The Belgian royal mounted escort looked bigger (more escadrons/more horses) in 1974 than at present. Interesting that already in 1974 the State Banquet at the Royal Palace was not a white-tie affair: no sashes, no jewels. At 7.25 the presidential couple visited an abbey. How young the monks were!
 
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maria-olivia said:
Always happy to see Queen Fabiola and her natural kindness.
She was a problem for the Protocole Service because she stayed always longer than what was organised in the Programm.
Queen Mathilde is a professional Queen with always the same smile.
Click to expand...

Yes, she was a wonderful Queen.
 
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