by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Credit – https://www.todocoleccion.net

In 1955, Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón wrote “Los Doce Cuentos Maravillosos” (The Twelve Marvellous Tales), a book of twelve fairy tales, published in her native Spain. It was later translated and published in other countries, including The Netherlands in 1961. By that time, Doña Fabiola had gotten married and was the Queen of Belgium.

One of the tales – ‘The Indian Water Lilies’ – caught the attention of the creators of Efteling, a large amusement park in The Netherlands. Peter Reijinders – part of the creative team for Efteling – met with Queen Fabiola in 1962 hoping to get her permission to use the story to develop a ride at the park. The Queen agreed quickly, with the only condition being that a large contribution to charity would be made as part of the arrangement. It took four years, but in 1966, The Indian Water Lilies ‘ride’ was opened at the park. It isn’t actually a ride – visitors walk through the show area and experience the story through displays, puppets, lights, and music.

While other royals have contributed to artistic performances, such as Queen Margrethe of Denmark is known for her costume design and artwork, only Queen Fabiola can claim her own Amusement Park ride!

Who Knew?!

Unofficial Royalty: Queen Fabiola of Belgium
Wikipedia: The Indian Water Lilies

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