The Belgian royals now gone and remembered in a service held on February 17th, the anniversary of the death of King Albert I of the Belgians
The pictures are well worth looking at individually as well so here's a brief glimpse into the story of a monarchy that began with a prince who should have been consort elsewhere but ended up ruling himself.
Leopold I, King of the Belgians 1831 - 1865
Leopold was born a prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and married Princess Charlotte of Wales in 1816 but she died in childbirth the following year before ascending the throne, Leopold accepted the offer of the crown of Belgium in 1831, becoming its first monarch on July 21st of that year. He ruled until his death in December 1865
Louise Marie, Queen of the Belgians 1832 - 1850
Louise Marie Therese Charlotte Isabelle was the daughter of Louis-Philippe, later King of France, and she married Leopold I in 1832, just a year after his accession. The couple had four children and named their only daughter after the king's first wife. Queen Louise Marie died in October 1850 of tuberculosis.
Leopold II, King of the Belgians 1865 - 1909 and
Marie-Henriette, Queen of the Belgians, 1865 - 1902
Leopold II was the son of Leopold I and became King of the Belgians in 1865 on the death of his father. He had married Marie-Henriette of Austria in 1853. Leopold's reign was controversial and his only son died before him meaning the throne passed to his nephew.
Albert I, King of the Belgians 1909 - 1934 and
Elisabeth, Queen of the Belgians, 1909 - 1934 and Dowager Queen 1934 - 1965
Albert I should never have been king but he became one of the most popular monarchs Belgium, and modern Europe, has known. He was the second son of the third son of King Leopold I and he became monarch on the death of his uncle, Leopold III. Hugely popular, in part because of his work in World War I, his death in a mountaineering accident on February 17th 1934 shocked his country and caused widespread mourning. The service to remember those royals who have passed away still takes place on the anniversary of his death.
Leopold III, King of the Belgians 1934 - 1950 and Astrid, Queen of the Belgians 1934 - 1937
Elisabeth, Queen of the Belgians, 1909 - 1934 and Dowager Queen, 1934 - 1965
Born Elisabeth Gabriele Valerie Marie of Bavaria, in 1900 she married Albert of Belgium who was then second in line to his country's throne. She became queen consort in 1909 and her huge popularity helped consolidate the Belgian monarchy. Her great-granddaughter, set to be the first queen regnant of Belgium, was named after her.
Leopold III, King of the Belgians 1934 - 1951 and
Astrid, Queen of the Belgians, 1934 - 1935
Leopold Philippe Charles Albert Meinrad Hubertus Maria Miguel was the eldest son of Albert I and Elisabeth and became King of the Belgians in 1934 on the death of his father. But his reign hit crisis in World War Two and from 1944 his brother, Charles, acted as regent. He briefly reigned again but abdicated in favour of his son who officially succeeded him in 1951. By then, his consort was dead. Astrid Sofia Louisa Thyra was born a princess of Sweden and married Leopold in 1926. She was hugely popular and her death in a car crash, just a year after her husband had become king, shocked her adopted country and caused widespread mourning.
Baudouin, King of the Belgians 1950 - 1993
and Fabiola, Queen of the Belgians, 1960 - 1993 and Dowager Queen, 1993 - 2014
Baudouin Albert Charles Leopold Axel Marie Gustave became King of the Belgians in 1951 on the abdication of his father. He was monarch for 42 years and his death, in 1993, left many in mourning with half a million people paying their respects as his coffin lay in state.
Fabiola, Queen of the Belgians, 1960 - 1993 and Dowager Queen 1993 - 2014
It is just over a year since Belgium's Royal Family laid Queen Fabiola to rest following her death in December 2014. Born Fabiola de Mora y Aragon in Madrid, one of her godmothers was Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain. Fabiola married King Baudouin of the Belgians in 1960 and became a queen consort on the day of her marriage. She died at Stuyvenberg Castle, Laeken on December 5th 2014 and was buried in the royal crypt where her beloved husband had also been laid to rest
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