by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2015
Queen Astrid of Belgium – photo: Wikipedia
Queen Astrid of Belgium was the first wife of King Leopold III of Belgium. She was born Princess Astrid Sofia Lovisa Thyra of Sweden, on November 17, 1905, at the Arvfurstens palats (Hereditary Prince’s Palace) in Stockholm, Sweden. Astrid was the third of four children of Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland, and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. Through both of her parents, she was closely related to the Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian royal families. Her father was the son of King Oscar II of Sweden and the brother of King Gustav V of Sweden. Her mother was the daughter of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, and sister to King Christian X of Denmark and King Haakon VII of Norway.
Astrid had two older sisters and a younger brother:
- Princess Margaretha of Sweden (1899–1977), married her cousin Prince Axel of Denmark, had two sons
- Princess Märtha of Sweden (1901–1954), married her cousin King Olav V of Norway, had two daughters and one son
- Prince Carl Bernadotte, born Prince Carl, Duke of Östergötland (1911–2003), married (1) Countess Elsa von Rosen, morganatic marriage – had to relinquish his succession rights and his royal titles, had one daughter, divorced (2) Ann Margareta Larsson, no children, divorced (3) Kristine Rivelsrud, no children
Considered a potential bride for several royals, including the future King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, and the future King Olav V of Norway (who ended up marrying her sister Märtha), Astrid fell in love with the future King Leopold III of Belgium. The two were third cousins once removed, through their mutual descent from King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.
Their engagement was announced in September 1926 and the couple was married two months later. A civil ceremony was held first, on November 4, 1926, in Stockholm, Sweden, and a religious ceremony followed on November 10, 1926 at the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula in Brussels, Belgium.
The couple eventually settled at Stuyvenberg Palace and had three children:
- Princess Josephine-Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (1927-2005), married Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, had five children
- King Baudouin (1930-1993), married Fabiola de Mora y Aragón, no children
- King Albert II (born 1934), married Paola Ruffo di Calabria, had three children
Astrid was quickly embraced by the Belgian people and worked very hard to support causes and efforts that brought her into contact with them. The country celebrated the birth of their children, particularly when their first son, Baudouin, was born. In 1934, just months before the birth of their youngest son, Leopold’s father King Albert I passed away, and they became the new King and Queen of the Belgians. Just 28 at the time, Astrid threw herself into her royal duties, while continuing to raise her young family. Sadly, it would be just a year later that Astrid’s life would come to an end.
Queen Astrid Chapel, Küssnacht am Rigi, Switzerland. photo: Wikipedia
In August 1935, the family was on holiday in Switzerland. On August 29, 1935, having sent the children ahead, Leopold and Astrid decided to take one last outing before returning to Belgium. On a drive in the mountains near Lake Lucerne, with King Leopold at the wheel, and Astrid beside him, the king was distracted by something Astrid pointed out to him and lost control of the car. The convertible went off the road and down a steep slope, crashing into a tree. Both of them were thrown from the car, but Leopold was not seriously injured. Astrid, however, was thrown into another tree and died from her injuries. She was just 29 years old. Later, a chapel and memorial were built in her honor in Küssnacht am Rigi, at the scene of the accident.
Tomb of Leopold III and his two wives Astrid and Lilian; Credit – Wikipedia
Following a state funeral in Brussels, Queen Astrid was buried in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium. Her husband King Leopold III and his second wife Princess Lilian were buried alongside her.
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