Today, 2 July, King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. This gives us the opportunity to take a look at the couple’s turbulent courtship and marriage, and the development of their feelings for one another - because King Albert and Queen Paola are undoubtedly a couple very much in love. But their marriage was not always the idyll it set out to be. For this match made in heaven, the road went through hell…
In 1958, the then Prince of Liège, Prince Albert of Belgium, went to Rome to attend the coronation ceremony of the new Pope, John XIII. After the ceremony, the Belgian embassy in Rome hosted a ball, on which the Prince was of course the guest of honour. Among the invitees was the young Italian Princess, Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria, who captured eye immediately withher shy smile. As far as love at first sight goes, this is definitely a royal example. Later, Queen Paola would say that at their first meeting, they were both so shy, they didn’t say much. In a coverage, “The Voice of the Queen”, Queen Paola admitted that she did not really know who Albert was. “I had a vague idea of who Baudouin was, but I didn’t really know anything about Belgium or Prince Albert. Only Tintin, yes. I had all the comics”. But lasting impressions were made, and when they met again a few days later, they both realized it was a match made in heaven. After meeting the young Princess, Albert remained in Rome, always looking for new engagements there so he could prolong his stay, and spend more time with
la dolce Paola.
Read more...