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Queen Paola of Belgium

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Paola
File:HM Queen Paola, Princess of Belgium.jpg
Queen consort of the Belgians
Tenure9 August 1993 - present
Born (1937-09-11) 11 September 1937 (age 87)
Villa Claudia, Forte dei Marmi, Italy
SpouseAlbert II of Belgium
IssuePrince Philippe, Duke of Brabant
Princess Astrid, Archduchess of Austria-Este
Prince Laurent
Names
Donna[1] Paola dei Principi Ruffo di Calabria
HouseHouse of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (by marriage)
Ruffo di Calabria (noble family; by birth)
FatherFulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria
MotherLuisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana
ReligionRoman Catholic
Styles of
Queen Paola of the Belgians
Reference styleHer Majesty
Spoken styleYour Majesty
Alternative styleMa'am

Paola, Queen of the Belgians (née Donna[1] Paola Ruffo di Calabria; born 11 September 1937), is the wife of King Albert II of Belgium.

She was born in Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany, Italy, the seventh and youngest child of the World War I Italian flying ace Fulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda (1884–1946).[2] Her mother was Luisa Gazelli dei Conti Rossana e di Sebastiano (1896–1989), a matrilineal descendant of Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette. She is of Italian and Belgian ancestry and was hailed as one of the leading beauties of Europe in her youth.

Queen Paola is fluent in Italian, French and English. Less fluent, and the cause of occasional criticism, is her Dutch, the mother tongue of nearly 60% of Belgians.[citation needed]

Background

Ademarus Rufus, who died in 1049, held the title of Comes in southern Italy and Siggerio Ruffo became Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II's grand marshal of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1235.[2] The family divided into two branches after the 14th century: the Ruffo di Calabria and the Ruffo di Scaletta, to the former of which the Queen belongs.Her siblings are:

  • Maria Cristina Ruffo di Calabria (1920–2003)
  • Laura Ruffo di Calabria(1921–1972)
  • Fabrizio Ruffo di Calabria (6-12-1922 - 11-10-2005),
  • Augusto Ruffo di Calabria (1925–1943), died during the sea battle of Pescara. His body was never found.
  • Giovannella Ruffo di Calabria(1927–1941), died of food poisoning
  • Antonello Ruffo di Calabria 1930

Queen Paola's brother, Don Fabrizio Ruffo di Calabria-Santipau (1922–2005), head of the entire family from 1975, was historical heir to the titles of Prince of Scilla, Prince of Palazzolo, Patrician of Naples, Duke of Guardia Lombarda, Count of Sinopoli, Marquis of Licodia Eubea, Count of Nicotera, Baron of Calanna and of Crispano.[2]

Queen Paola is related to historically eminent Roman and southern Italian noble families, including the Colonna, Orsini, Pallavicini, Alliata and Rospigliosi. Among her distinguished ancestors of the French aristocracy were the Marquis de Lafayette, hero of American Independence, and the Dukes of Noailles.

Since the fall of the Italian monarchy in 1947 the Princes Ruffo di Calabria have become connected by marriage to such formerly reigning dynasties as the Orléans, the Savoys, the Bonapartes >[3]

Marriage and family

In 1958, Prince Albert of Liege went to the Vatican to witness the inauguration of Pope John XXIII. At a reception at the Belgian embassy, the prince met Italian Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria. “We were both shy, so we only talked a little,” Paola said later about their first meeting.Shy but smitten, Prince Albert proposed marriage to Paola, and she accepted. The Prince wanted to marry in Rome by the Pope, but when that didn’t work out, the couple were married at St. Goedele Cathedral in Brussels. Upon arriving in Brussels for the first time before her wedding, Princess Paola won over the Belgian media immediately.”The charm and beauty of the blond princess from the south quickly captured the hearts of the Belgians,” wrote the newspapers back then.

Donna Paola married HRH Prince Albert, Prince of Liège, in Brussels, Belgium, on 2 July 1959. The couple have three children:

By the late 1960′s, things were going wrong for Albert and Paola. Both were allegedly having affairs, and lived apart for a long while. There were even rumors of divorce plans. But by the early 1980′s, things had improved well for Albert and Paola. It is said the Prince’s brother, King Baudouin, acted a mediator between the two. Even their daughter, Princess Astrid’s devout Roman Catholic faith might have played a role. In the end, Albert and Paola chose to stay together.

For her 70th birthday interview, Paola, now Queen of the Belgians, said, “we’ve had our problems, but now we both say that we were meant for each other. We are very happy now.”

Titles

  • Donna[2][3][4][5][6] Paola Margherita Maria Antonia Consiglia Ruffo di Calabria (1937–1959)(Although The Belgian Monarchy website attributes the title of "Princess" to Queen Paola prior to her marriage, Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, The Descendants of Louis XIII, Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, La Descendance de Marie-Thérèse de Habsburg and Le Petit Gotha, among others, accord only the noble prefix of Donna to she and her sisters, reserving the title Principessa for the wife of the head of the family, her father having received the title of prince in the Italian nobility in 1928 from King Victor Emmanuel III, heritable according to masculine primogeniture.[2]
  • Her Royal Highness The Princess of Liège (1959–1993)
  • Her Majesty The Queen of the Belgians (1993–present)

Honours

See also : List of state visits & List of honours of the Belgian Royal Family by country

Belgian honours

Foreign honours

   State honours
 Bulgaria Grand Cross of the Order of Stara Planina (2003) Photo
 Denmark Knight of the Order of the Elephant Photo
 Estonia 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2008) Photo
 Finland Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose (2004) Photo
 Germany Gr. Cross, Special Cl., of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic Photo
 Holy See Dame of the Collar of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (1995) website
 Italy Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Orders website
 Japan Grand Cordon (or 1st class) of the Order of the Precious Crown Ph. 1, Ph 2
 Latvia Commander Grand Cross of the Order of Three Stars Recipents list (.doc)
 Lithuania Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great official news
 Luxembourg Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau Photo
.  Morocco Special Class of the Order of the Mohammediya .
 Netherlands Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Photo
 Norway Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav (2003) Photo
 Poland Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle Photo
 Portugal Grand Cross of the Order of Christ (2005) Photo 1, Photo 2
 Romania Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania (2009) Recipients table
 Sweden Knight of the Order of the Seraphim Photo

Ancestry

16. Fulco V Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau
8. Fulco VI, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau
17. Donna Maria Felicita dei Principi Alliata-Colonna
4. Fulco VII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria
18. Salvatore Galletti, Marchese di San Cataldo, Principe di Fiumesalato
9. Eleonora Galletti dei Marchesi di San Cataldo
19. Concetta Platamone, Principessa di Larderia
2. Fulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria
20. Cornelis Mosselman
10. Theodore Mosselman du Chenoy
21. Petronella Muts
5. Laura Mosselman du Chenoy
22. Count Jacques-Andre Coghen
11. Isabelle Coghen
23. Caroline Rittweger
1. Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria
24. Paolino Gazelli, Count di Rossana
12. Count Calisto Gazelli di Rossana
25. Donna Giuseppina Brucco di Ceresole
6. Augusto Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana
26. Carlo Emanuele Cotti, Count di Ceres
13. Francesca Cotti di Ceres
27. Margherita Arese dei Conti di Barlassina
3. Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana
28. Count Edoardo Rignon
14. Count Enrico Vittore Felice Rignon
29. Maria Cristina dei Marchesi Pilo-Boyl
7. Maria dei Conti Rignon
30. Ettore Perrone, Count di San Martino
15. Luisa Perrone dei Marchesi di San Martino
31. Jenny de Fay de La Tour-Maubourg

See also

References and notes

  1. ^ a b Although The Belgian Monarchy website attributes the title of "Princess" to Queen Paola prior to marriage, Burke's Peerage 1973, The Descendants of Louis XIII 1999, Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels 2001, La Descendance de Marie-Thérèse de Habsburg 1996, and Le Petit Gotha 2002 among others, accord only the noble prefix of Donna to she and her sisters, reserving the title Principessa for the wife of the head of the family
  2. ^ a b c d e Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XVI. "Ruffo". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp.522-529. ISBN 3-7980-0824-8.
  3. ^ a b de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal. Coutant de Saisseval, Guy. Le Petit Gotha. Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery, Paris 2002, p. 702 (French) ISBN 2-9507974-3-1
  4. ^ Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, p. 226. ISBN 0-220-66222-3
  5. ^ Willis, Daniel, The Descendants of Louis XIII, Clearfield Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 1999, p. 100. ISBN 0-8063-4942-5.
  6. ^ Enache, Nicolas. La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 54, 58. French.
Belgian royalty
Preceded by Queen consort of the Belgians
1993 – present 		Incumbent



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