Queen Fabiola Jewellery

[An Ard Ri]

That is also what i don't understand. Why is such a big deal made of it that this tiara was once a gift from Franco. In the case of the spanish floral tiara nobody seems to bother it. And there are many other Jewels in other RF's which once had been gifts from rulers who can be seen questionable in today's time.

I'm sure Franco gave lots of gifts to various Heads of State during his tenure.
Its a shame the grandest Belgian tiara is no longer with the BRF.

 

[maria-olivia]

The grandest tiara the 9 Province is still worn by the Reigning Queen.
When a Queen passes away , less jewels for the main Royals
Queen Marie José took her Mother's Queen Elisabeth 's jewels and the Queen gave her Cartier tiara to her Son Leopold knowing that Princess Lilian will never wore it and sold it.
Queen Fabiola Spanish tiara went to Spain and her Aquamarines ??
Queen Poala will she give her Deco tiara to Princes Elisabeth ?

 

[muriel]

Queen Letizia's floral tiara was also a gift from Franco to Queen (then Princess) Sofia, even though the tiara was a Spanish royal heirloom which had been previously owned by Queen Maria Cristina.

Fabiola's tiara was a state gift from Spain to the Queen Consort of the Belgians. Franco just happened to be Spain's head of state at the time. In any case, I doubt Queen Fabiola left it to her Spanish family out of any political concern about its provenance.

I am actually surprised to see how generous Fabiola was to her rather distant Spanish relatives, leaving them not only jewelry but also real estate property.

Spot on. Franco's gift was from the Spanish state to the Queen of the Belgians.

Also, if the tiara was not problematic for the 50 off years that Fabiola wore it, of which 35 years were after the death of Franco), why would it be a problem for Fabiola's successors?

Queen Poala will she give her Deco tiara to Princes Elisabeth ?

I should hope it, it would be a real pity if it Elizabeth did not receive the Art Deco bandeau.

 

[Marengo]

Views on Franco have changed. What was acceptable in 1960 perhaps is no longer so. The difference with the Spanish floral tiara is that they never stopped wearing that tiara, somehow watering down the ownership question. If Mathilde would start wearing the Spanish tiara it would be splattered all over the Belgian press, with a reference to its ownership. Note that Queen Paola also never wore the demi parure she supposedly received from president Kabila of Congo.

As for the Art Deco tiara: it remains to be seen but I would not be surprised at all if Paola leaves it to her only daughter.

I'm not sure if I remember all this correctly, but didn't the Spanish relatives complain that they didn't receive any of their family heirlooms back, because Fabiola had left her estate to her foundation? Not that I doubt Trond's knowledge and connections, but it seems strange that the Spanish relatives should have received this tiara, which is not even an heirloom from their family, but they claim they didn't even receive the portraits of their own ancestors?

They did compain indeed. This was a few months after Fabiola´s passing. They complained they were not informed of anything by the executeur testamentair [Prince Lorenz]. And they complained that family heirlooms, such as paintings [of Goya IIRC], would be lost to the family.

A few years before Fabiola died there was a public outcry in Belgium about her setting up a construction to evade paying death taxes _ to benifit her heirs. When this became public it caused an uproar with even Belgian politicians and the serious press commenting on it. It was said that villa Astrida would be left to a fund and that the villa could be used by family and for religious purposes. Money would also be left to a fund where Spanish relatives could apply to for financiall assistance for studies etc. Due to the outcry and talks about lowering dotations it quickly was announced that the whole construction of funds etc. would be ditched and "everything" would be left to the foundation Oeuvres de la reine/charities of the queen.

I found it a puzzling move at the time and the announcement seemed impulsive. To change a will overnight from leaving everything - millions and millions worth of assets- to your nephews and nieces to leaving them nothing at all.

The fact that we never heard anything of the Spanish relatives since the initial complaint made it clear that somehow the distributions of Fabiola's assets started to seem less objectionable to the Spanish relatives at one point. And the fact we did not see the foundation Oeuvres de la reine, auctioning of paintings, villa Astrida etc -which are of no use to them- probably means that the foundation does no longer own them.

I imagine -but this is specuation-a web of funds and private partnerships was created after all, to which the Oeuvres de la reine donated the assets of Fabiola in the way that was originally intended. As the Belgian serious press has not a great interest in the RF it seems they got away with this, even though it certainly raises questions.

Fabiola was always very close to her own family, as was King Baudouin. As we saw in the documentary on villa Astrida recently much of the Spanish nephews and nieces spent the summer months at Astrida each year and what fond memories they have of their aunt and unce. It is not surprising a part of her assets went back to them. Also taking into account that a substantial part of those assets actually came from Spain as it was inherited by Fabiola from her own family.

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Spanish floral tiara also originally belonged to the Maria Cristina of Austria,so Franco was really only returning it.
Otherwise I think it would have been hidden away in the Borbon jewel vault.

Lets hope that the Art Deco tiara of queen Paola makes its way back to the main line.

 

[An Ard Ri]

A look at the Gala Jewels of the late Queen Fabiola!
Gala Jewels: Queen Fabiola of Belgium

 

[An Ard Ri]

Seeing as the duchess of Brabant reportedly wore one of Queen Fabiola's bracelets last night,lets have a look the collection of the late queen.
Queen Fabiola’s Bracelets

 

[Linda_26]

Seeing as the duchess of Brabant reportedly wore one of Queen Fabiola's bracelets last night,lets have a look the collection of the late queen.
Queen Fabiola’s Bracelets

Yesterday Elisabeth wore the Ruby Bracelet, which was a wedding gift from her grandparents, Albert and Paola, to their new sister-in-law Queen Fabiola in 1960

 

[An Ard Ri]

Yesterday Elisabeth wore the Ruby Bracelet, which was a wedding gift from her grandparents, Albert and Paola, to their new sister-in-law Queen Fabiola in 1960

Its has extra sentimental significance then

 

[The Royal Watcher]

Queen Fabiola’s Ruby Bracelet ​

Queen Fabiola’s Ruby Bracelet

The Duchess of Brabant wore Queen Fabiola’s Ruby Bracelet for the first time last night. A Wedding Gift from King Albert and Queen Paola in 1960, the Bracelet was inherited by Queen Mathilde a decade ago

royalwatcherblog.com

 

[An Ard Ri]

Queen Fabiola’s Ruby Bracelet​

Queen Fabiola’s Ruby Bracelet

The Duchess of Brabant wore Queen Fabiola’s Ruby Bracelet for the first time last night. A Wedding Gift from King Albert and Queen Paola in 1960, the Bracelet was inherited by Queen Mathilde a decade ago

royalwatcherblog.com

Queen Fabiola really had such a wonderful jewel collection.
I wonder if there are any pieces that Mathilde has not worn so far that have not been seen?

 

[maria-olivia]

. Half of Queen Fabiola jewels are non seen anymore.

 

[Adda]

Queen Fabiola really had such a wonderful jewel collection.
I wonder if there are any pieces that Mathilde has not worn so far that have not been seen?

After so many years and given how little she has to chose from, I seriously doubt it. So much "love for the Belgians" and Fabiola left so many pieces to her Spanish relatives, many of those pieces have ended up in auction. Ugh.

 

[Stefan]

. Half of Queen Fabiola jewels are non seen anymore.

Because much of it ended probably with her spanish relatives and also with Margarethe and Marie Astrid of Liechtenstein seem to have got some pieces

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Seeing as the duchess of Brabant reportedly wore one of Queen Fabiola's bracelets last night,lets have a look the collection of the late queen.
Queen Fabiola’s Bracelets

Did Fabiola leave this ruby bracelet to Mathilde, or directly to Elisabeth?

 

[An Ard Ri]

Did Fabiola leave this ruby bracelet to Mathilde, or directly to Elisabeth?

That's what I was wondering and if there are other pieces too?

 

[muriel]

Did Fabiola leave this ruby bracelet to Mathilde, or directly to Elisabeth?

That's what I was wondering and if there are other pieces too?

I am not sure we will ever know. If I am not mistken, Mathilde has worn the ruby and diamond bracelet from time to time.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I am not sure we will ever know. If I am not mistken, Mathilde has worn the ruby and diamond bracelet from time to time.

Its quite possible but I can't recall at the moment!

 

[Linda_26]

Its quite possible but I can't recall at the moment!

As it is mentioned in the article you've linked above, Mathilde has worn it:

A wedding gift from her brother and sister-in-law, the then Prince and Princess of Liège, Albert and Paola, this bracelet consists of a line of rectangular rubies surrounded by two lines of round diamonds. Queen Fabiola wore this piece plenty of times, including her Wedding Ball at the Royal Palace of Brussels in 1960 and the Belgian State Visit to Britain in 1963. After the Queen’s death, this piece was inherited by the wife of her nephew, Queen Mathilde, who debuted it on a state banquet in honour of the King and Queen of Jordan in 2016. Since then, it has been a frequent in Queen Mathilde’s jewellery choices, including at King Harald and Queen Sonja’s 80th Birthday Banque

 

[An Ard Ri]

As it is mentioned in the article you've linked above, Mathilde has worn it:

Given that it belonged to Queen Fabiola and a wedding gift too from Albert/Paola I'm glad that it is back in the main line and most be highly sentimental too!

 

[muriel]

Given that it belonged to Queen Fabiola and a wedding gift too from Albert/Paola I'm glad that it is back in the main line and most be highly sentimental too!

I understand relations between Albert / Paola and most of their children haven't always been the closest, so I am just not sure how sentimental it might be.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I understand relations between Albert / Paola and most of their children haven't always been the closest, so I am just not sure how sentimental it might be.

I was referring to Fabiola and Mathilde ,who always seemed to have had a warmer relationship.

 

[Linda_26]

I understand relations between Albert / Paola and most of their children haven't always been the closest, so I am just not sure how sentimental it might be.

Astrid is very close to her parents.
And Mathilde has been wearing for a couple of years now a bracelet which belonged to Paola (Claire, who is known to be very close to Paola, has an identical one with different stones), likely a gift for her 50th birthday

 

[maria-olivia]

I never understood why King Baudouin never have a jewel as wedding present for his 3 Nieces , Maria Astrid,
Margaretha and Astrid ?
Belgian royal jewels were sold by Princess Lilian and Marie Gabriella de Savoie.