by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017
On Thursday, December 15, 1960, King Baudouin of Belgium married Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón in Brussels. The civil ceremony was held in the Throne Room of the Royal Palace of Brussels followed by the religious ceremony at the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula in Brussels.
Baudouin’s Early Life
King Baudouin (Baudouin Albert Charles Léopold Axel Marie Gustave) was born September 7, 1930, at Stuyvenberg Castle, the eldest child of the future King Leopold III and Princess Astrid of Sweden. At just four years old, he became heir to the throne when his father became King upon his grandfather’s death. The following year, his mother, Queen Astrid, died. For several years during World War II, the family was held under house arrest in Belgium and later moved to Germany and then Austria before being freed by American forces in 1945. The family settled in Switzerland, unable to return to Belgium because of the very tense political climate, due primarily to the King’s actions during the war. While in Switzerland, Baudouin attended the Institut Le Rosey, before the family returned to Belgium in July 1950. However, the questions about the King’s actions remained, and the following month, King Leopold created Baudouin Prince Royal and transferred much of his authority to him. Eventually, in July 1951, Leopold abdicated and Baudouin became King of the Belgians.
The new king became very popular with the Belgian people and was seen as a unifying force in helping Belgium to recover from the ravages of the war. He went on to reign for 42 years, until his sudden death in 1993.
For more information about Baudouin see:
Unofficial Royalty: King Baudouin of Belgium
Fabiola’s Early Life
Doña Fabiola Fernanda Maria de las Victorias Antonia Adelaïda de Mora y Aragón was born in Madrid on June 11, 1928. She was the sixth of seven children of Gonzalo de Mora y Fernández y Riera y del Olmo, 4th Marquess of Casa Riera and 2nd Count of Mora, and his wife, Blanca de Aragón y Carrillo de Albornoz y Barroeta-Aldamar y Elío. The family was prominent in the Spanish aristocracy, and she included Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain as one of her godparents.
An exceptional student, Fabiola became fluent in several languages, and trained as a nurse, working in a hospital in Madrid. A very religious woman, she was also very active in many social and charitable causes and organizations in Spain. Several years before her marriage, she published a book of fairy tales – Los Doce Cuentos Maravillosos (The Twelve Marvelous Tales). Later, one of these tales would become the inspiration for an exhibit at an amusement park in the Netherlands. Read more about that here.
For more information about Fabiola see:
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Fabiola of Belgium
The Engagement
The engagement was announced on September 16, 1960, by Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens. The news was quite a surprise in Belgium, as there had been no public indication that Baudouin was involved with anyone. The couple had first met through mutual friends and had continued to see each other very privately. They had become engaged many weeks earlier, but the announcement had been delayed because of the recent events in the Belgian Congo. Following the announcement, Baudouin and Fabiola, along with their families, met with the press on the grounds of Ciergnon Castle.
Over the next several weeks, the couple visited each of the Belgian provinces allowing the King to introduce the Belgian people to their future Queen. At each visit, they were greeted by large crowds of well-wishers.
Pre-Wedding Festivities
In the days leading up to the wedding, there were several official functions held in Brussels. On Saturday, December 10, there was an official reception for 4,200 people followed by a buffet dinner. Guests were mostly members of the diplomatic corps and the Belgian government, along with representatives from many cultural and social organizations.
The following day, On December 11, there was a formal welcome ceremony for the Spanish delegation coming to the wedding. It was here that the Marquis and Marchioness of Villaverde (she was the daughter of General Franco) presented Fabiola with a tiara as a gift from the Spanish people. You can read more about that tiara here.
On the 13th, the King hosted a gala dinner for 350 people, followed by a ball for 2,000 people, with both being held in the Throne Room at the Royal Palace of Brussels. At the banquet, the King spoke of his love for Fabiola, and his certainty that she would be a “precious help” for him as King. Fabiola wore a pale yellow gown designed by Marbel, along with her new Spanish tiara. The King wore his uniform of Lieutenant General, with the sash and star of the Order of Leopold, and the collar of the Spanish Order of Isabella the Catholic.
On December 14, the couple attended several events during the day, including a visit to the Royal Theatre of Brussels, where students from Madrid performed for them. That evening, the final pre-wedding event was a State Banquet, hosted by the Belgian government in the Hall of Tapestries at the Royal Museum of Art and History. The banquet was attended by all the heads of state and royal guests, as well as members of the government and clergy. Fabiola wore another gown by Marbel, again with her Spanish tiara, while Baudouin was in a dress coat with the sash and star of the Order of Leopold.
Wedding Guests
In addition to the families of both the bride and groom, guests at the wedding included many members of current and former royal families, as well as members of the Belgian government. The guests included:
The Belgian Royal Family
King Leopold III and the Princess de Réthy
Dowager Queen Elisabeth
The Prince and Princess of Liège
Prince Alexandre
Princess Marie Esmeralda
Princess Marie Christine
The Bride’s Family
The Dowager Marchioness of Casa Riera — Fabiola’s widowed mother
The Marquis and Marchioness of Casa Riera — Fabiola’s brother Gonzalo and his wife
The Marquis and Marchioness of Aguilar — Fabiola’s sister Maria de las Nieves and her husband
The Duke and Duchess of Lécera — Fabiola’s sister Ana Maria and her husband
The Count de la Rosa de Abarca — Fabiola’s brother Alexandre
The Duchess of Medina de las Torres — Fabiola’s sister Maria Luz
Royal Guests
Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands
King Olav V of Norway
Princess Astrid of Norway
Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Luxembourg
Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg
Prince Henri of Luxembourg
Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg
Prince Axel and Princess Margaretha of Denmark
Prince Bertil of Sweden
Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom and Mr. Antony Armstrong-Jones
The Count and Countess of Barcelona
The Prince of Asturias
The Count and Countess of Marone
King Umberto and Queen Maria José of Italy
Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Naples
Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy
Princess Maria Beatriz of Savoy
Prince Alexander and Princess Maria Pia of Yugoslavia
The Archduke and Archduchess of Austria-Este
King Mihai and Queen Anne of Romania
Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria
Archduke Otto of Austria-Hungary
The Duke and Duchess of Braganza
Princess Alix Napoléon
Prince Gholam Reza of Iran
The Wedding Attire
Fabiola wore a gown by the Spanish designer, Cristóbal Balenciaga. The simple white silk gown featured a high neckline and three-quarter length sleeves, with a drop waist and a full skirt. The neck and waist were trimmed with white ermine which extended back bordering the 7-meter train.
Her tulle veil was held in place by the Nine Provinces Tiara. The tiara had been a gift from the Belgian people to Baudouin’s mother when she and Leopold married in 1926. It is traditionally only worn (in its full form) by Belgian queens. Read more here.
Baudouin was decked out in his uniform of Lieutenant-General of the Armies, with the sash and star of the Belgian Order of Leopold I. He also wore the collar of the Spanish Order of Isabella the Catholic.
The Civil Ceremony
The civil ceremony was held in the Throne Room of the Royal Palace of Brussels and was attended by all the royal guests, family, and members of the government and diplomatic corps. With the guests seated, the bride and groom made their entrance and were seated at two chairs in the center of the room, in front of a majestic gilded marble table. The Minister of Justice read a short message affirming the Government’s unanimous approval of the marriage, followed by the Mayor of Brussels, who read the articles of the Belgian Civil Code relating to marriages. This was followed by a reading of the Marriage Acts by a member of the Municipal Council. The couple then took their civil vows, followed by a speech from the Mayor. Once this was finished, the civil registers were signed. For their witnesses, Baudouin chose his father, King Leopold III, and his brother-in-law, Hereditary Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. Fabiola chose her brother Gonzalo, Marquis of Casa Riera, and the head of the Spanish royal family, The Count of Barcelona. In addition, in a show of respect for the King, an additional forty members of the government, parliament and other dignitaries also signed the register.
Following the ceremony, the couple left the Throne Room, followed by their families and guests, to begin the procession to the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula in Brussels, Belgium for the religious ceremony.
The Religious Ceremony
With most of the guests already seated in the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula including the royal guests, the King and his new Queen left the Palace in a glass-topped car, leading the procession of their immediate families. The families processed into the cathedral, followed by Baudouin and Fabiola, who took seats just in front of the altar.
The service was conducted by Cardinal van Roey, the Primate of Belgium, assisted by a representative of the Holy See who read a personal message from The Pope. The couple then exchanged their vows and rings, followed by a traditional mass conducted by the auxiliary bishop.
Following the mass, the church registers were signed. This time, Baudouin chose his two brothers, Prince Albert and Prince Alexandre as witnesses, while Fabiola chose her two brothers, Gonzalo and Alejandro. After the final blessing, the couple processed out of the cathedral, greeting the crowds before returning by car to the Royal Palace.
The Wedding Banquet and Honeymoon
A wedding banquet for 2,000 guests was held in the Throne Room following the wedding. While the guests were arriving and final preparations were being made, Baudouin and Fabiola made an appearance on the palace balcony, greeting the thousands of well-wishers who had gathered to cheer their King and his new Queen. Later, in a pre-recorded statement broadcast on both radio and tv, the couple thanked the Belgian people for their outpouring of love and support and again expressed their love to each other.
After all the festivities, Baudouin and Fabiola set off to Spain for their honeymoon, staying in Hornachuelos, a city in the province of Córdoba. However, just two weeks later they were forced to cut their trip short and return home due to increasing strikes and violence in Belgium against a recently imposed Government-led austerity program.
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