| Paola Ruffo di Calabria | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Queen Paola in 2008 | |
| Queen consort of the Belgians | |
| Tenure | 9 August 1993 – 21 July 2013 |
| Born | Donna Paola Margherita Maria-Antonia Consiglia Ruffo di Calabria[a] (1937-09-11)11 September 1937 (age 88) Villa Claudia,Forte dei Marmi,Italy |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| House | Ruffo di Calabria |
| Father | Fulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria |
| Mother | Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana |
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Paola Margherita Maria-Antonia Consiglia dei Principi Ruffo di Calabria[b][2] (born 11 September 1937) is a member of theBelgian royal family who wasQueen of the Belgians during the reign of her husband,King Albert II, from 9 August 1993 to 21 July 2013.
Donna Paola Margherita Maria-Antonia Consiglia Ruffo di Calabria was born inForte dei Marmi,Tuscany,Kingdom of Italy, intoCalabrian branch of theHouse of Ruffo, one of the oldest and most illustrious families of theItalian nobility.[3]
She was the seventh and youngest child ofFulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda (1884–1946), who was aWorld War I Italian flying ace,[4] and his wife, Donna Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana e di Sebastiano (1896–1989), who served as alady-in-waiting toQueen Elena of Italy. Her mother is amatrilineal descendant of theMarquis de Lafayette, a hero of theAmerican Revolution. Paola is predominantly ofItalian andFrench noble ancestry, with a dash ofBelgian,Dutch andGerman nobility in her veins.[5] In her youth, she was hailed as one of the leading beauties of Europe.
Queen Paola is fluent inItalian,German,French andEnglish. Less fluent, and the cause of occasional criticism, is herDutch, the mother tongue of nearly 60 percent of Belgians.[6]
In 1958, thePrince of Liège went to the Vatican to witness the coronation ofPope John XXIII. At a reception at the Belgian embassy, the Prince met Italian Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria. "We were both shy, so we only talked a little", Paola said later about their first meeting. Prince Albert later proposed marriage to Paola and she accepted. Their engagement was announced at thePalace of Laeken in 1959.[7] The couple married at theCathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels on 2 July 1959. They have three children together:King Philippe (born 15 April 1960),Princess Astrid (born 5 June 1962), andPrince Laurent (born 19 October 1963).
The couple's marriage was in trouble by the 1970s and Albert fathered a daughter by BaronessSybille de Selys Longchamps, namedDelphine. Despite starting divorce negotiations at the time, the couple remained married, and reconciled in the 1980s, celebrating it with a new symbolic wedding ceremony.[8]
Apart from her activities in the company of King Albert II, Paola devotes her time to social issues mainly in the social and cultural sphere.[9]
The Queen has demonstrated interest in the contemporary Belgian arts, visitingVenetian Biennale several times. She has acquired works ofJan Fabre,Michael Borremans and others for the Royal collection.[10] The Queen has often met with such artists asLuc Tuymans andDirk Braeckman.
Paola takes a keen interest in the protection and preservation of Belgium's heritage. She makes numerous visits to cultural sites, from Beguine convents to early 19th century industrial facilities.[9] Paola is interested in both traditional and contemporary crafts, and takes every opportunity to encourage the exercise and teaching of craft professions.[9]
Paola keeps abreast of contemporary art and regularly supports major exhibitions and artistic performances both in Belgium and abroad. On her initiative, contemporary artists have had the opportunity to design and make original works within theRoyal Palace of Brussels.[9]
In 1992, Paola established theQueen Paola Foundation. The foundation focused on integration and training for young people. The foundation's activities are geared towards social integration, support for teachers at all levels of the education system and schools in socio-economically disadvantaged areas.[9]
Paola is an honorary chairman of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel and Missing Children Europe.[9]
In 2015, the court announced Queen Paola was taking "a period of total rest" following doctors' orders. They also announced that she had to cancel a planned visit to the Biennale in Venice. Further communications were kept private. Paola sent a message to Grosio, where she was expected to visit the residence of her aunt the Marchioness Margherita Pallavicini Mossi.[11][12] Newspapers believed that the Queen suffered a stroke during the holiday.[13] The palace later announced she was being treated for acardiac arrhythmia.[14]
In 2016, she fractured a vertebra and in the following year she suffered from a fractured femoral neck and broke her hip.[15] In September 2018, her visit to Venice was cut short and she was flown to a hospital in Belgium due to what was described by the palace as a "health problem", though some outlets speculated that she had suffered a stroke.[15][16]
In March 2022, she was ordered to rest for two months after breaking her arm in a fall.[17]
Italy: Grand Cross of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic[22]
Austria: Grand Cross, 1st Class of theOrder of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria[23]
Bulgaria: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Balkan Mountains[24]
Denmark: Knight of theOrder of the Elephant[25]
Estonia: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Cross of Terra Mariana[26]
Latvia: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Three Stars[27]
Lithuania: Grand Cross of theOrder of Vytautas the Great[28]
Poland: Grand Cross of theOrder of the White Eagle[29]
Portugal: Grand Cross of theOrder of Christ[30]
Romania: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Star of Romania[31]
Spain: Dame Grand Cross of theOrder of Charles III[32] | This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Queen Paola of Belgium" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
.svg) Alliance Coat of Arms of King Albert II and Queen Paola of the Belgians |  Alliance Coat of Arms of former King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium Since 2019 |  Royal Monogram of Queen Paola of Belgium |  Dual Cypher of King Albert II and Queen Paola of the Belgians |
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Under Belgian law, marriage does not have any effect on the spouses' surnames. You keep the surname that you had before you were married.
... et de son épouse Sa Majesté la Reine Paola Margherita Maria-Antonia Consiglia des Princes Ruffo di Calabria, Princesse de Belgique, Grand Cordon de l'Ordre de Léopold, domiciliés à Bruxelles, ...
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Queen Paola of Belgium Born: 11 September 1937 | ||
| Belgian royalty | ||
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| Preceded by | Queen consort of the Belgians 1993–2013 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
