Queen Fabiola of Belgium (born Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón; 11 June 1928 – 5 December 2014) was the widow of King Baudouin. She wasqueen consort for 33 years, between her wedding in 1960 and her husband's death in 1993. The couple were unable to have children, and the crown then passed to her husband's younger brother, King Albert II.

Early life

Fabiola de Mora y Aragón was born in Madrid, Spain, the fourth daughter of Gonzalo de Mora y Fernández, Riera y del Olmo, 4th Marquess of Casa Riera, 2nd Count of Mora (1887–1957) and his wife, Blanca de Aragón y Carrillo de Albornoz, Barroeta-Aldamar y Elío (1892–1981). She was a sister of Jaime de Mora y Aragón (es), a Spanish actor and jet set playboy. Her godmother was Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain.

Before her marriage she published an album of 12 fairy tales (Los doce cuentos maravillosos), one of which ("The Indian Water Lilies") would get its own pavilion in the Efteling theme park in 1966.

Marriage

On 15 December 1960, Fabiola married Baudouin, who had been king of the Belgians since the abdication of his father, Leopold III, in 1951. At the marriage ceremony in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, she wore a 1926 Art Deco tiara that had been a gift of the Belgian state to her husband's mother, Astrid of Sweden, upon her marriage to Leopold III. Her dress of satin and ermine was designed by the couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga. TIME magazine, in its 26 September 1960, issue, called Doña Fabiola, who was a hospital nurse at the time of her engagement, "Cinderella Girl" and described her as "an attractive young woman, though no raving beauty" and "the girl who could not catch a man." On the occasion of her marriage, Spanish bakers set out to honor Fabiola and created a type of bread, "the fabiola", which is still made and consumed on a daily basis in many Spanish cities.

The explorer Guido Derom named Queen Fabiola Mountains – a newly discovered range of Antarctic mountains – in her honour in 1961. She also has several varieties of ornamental plants named after her.

The royal couple had no children, as the queen's five pregnancies ended in miscarriage. There are reports, however, that she had a stillborn child in the mid 1960s. Fabiola openly spoke about her miscarriages in 2008: 'You know, I myself lost 5 children. You learn something from that experience. I had problems with all my pregnancies, but you know, in the end I think life is beautiful'.

Widowhood

Baudouin died in 1993 and was succeeded by his younger brother, Albert II. Fabiola moved out of the Royal Palace of Laeken to the more modest Stuyvenbergh Castle and reduced her public appearances in order not to overshadow her sister-in-law, Queen Paola.

Admired for her devout Roman Catholicism and involvement in social causes particularly those related to mental health, children's issues and women's issues in the Third World, Queen Fabiola received the 2001 Ceres Medal, in recognition of her work to promote rural women in developing countries. The medal was given by the Food and Agriculture Organizationof the United Nations (FAO). She was also honorary president of King Baudouin Foundation.

Health issues

Queen Fabiola was hospitalised with pneumonia on 16 January 2009, and spent 15 days there, with her condition being described as "serious". She subsequently made a good recovery and was attending public functions by the following May. In July 2009, anonymous death threats were published by newspapers.

According to these Queen Fabiola was to be shot with a crossbow. She responded to the threats during the Belgian national holiday celebrations on 21 July by wittily waving an apple to the crowd – a reference to the William Tell folk tale. Subsequent threats by an individual said to have a similar signature to the July 2009 threat-writer were received again in January 2010.

Tax avoidance claims

In January 2013, Belgian prime minister Elio Di Rupo criticised Queen Fabiola for her plans to set up a private foundation, which was widely seen by the public as inheritance tax evasion (although, since the construction was admitted by Di Rupo to be legal, it would more precisely be a case of tax avoidance). The Queen denied the charges, claiming that the funds used were "her private money", and that most of her annual public stipend was used for housekeeping and staff wages.

Death

Queen Fabiola had been in bad health for years, suffering from osteoporosis, and she never fully recovered from a lung inflammation she had in 2009. On 5 December 2014, the Belgian Royal Palace announced Queen Fabiola had died that evening at Stuyvenbergh Castle.

Linguistic skills

According to official sources, in addition to Spanish, Queen Fabiola was fluent in French, Dutch, English, German and Italian.

Titles

• 11 June 1928 - 15 December 1960: Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón
• 15 December 1960 - 31 July 1993: Her Majesty The Queen of the Belgians
• 31 July 1993 - 5 December 2014: Her Majesty Queen Fabiola of Belgium

Honours

Belgian honours

•  Belgium  : Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold

Foreign honours

   State honours

 Spain Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic(22/11/1960)

  Holy See Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (08/06/1961)

 Iran Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire (14/10/1971)

 Portugal Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Christ (24/08/1982)

 Spain Dame of the Solar de Tejada (03/10/2009)

***