Much loved: The death of Queen Fabiola has sparked an outpouring of grief from Belgians, who joined their royals to mourn
Sombre: King Philippe of the Belgians
was known to be close to his aunt and issued a statement that spoke of
his 'sadness' at her death
Grim: Queen Mathilde looked solemn as she made her way into the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels
Visibly upset: Philippe and his wife
Mathilde, who took the Belgian throne in 2013, both looked visibly upset
as they made their way inside
Comfort: Mathilde and Philippe were joined by his parents, the former King Albert II and his wife, Queen Paola
Rain-soaked:
The emotional occasion took place at the Cathedral of St. Michael and
St. Gudula in the centre of rain-swept Brussels
Saying goodbye: Princess Louise, Prince Aymeric and Prince Nicholas of Belgium were among the mourners
Heirs: The future Queen Elisabeth (centre) was joined by her siblings Princess Eleanore, Prince Gabriel and Prince Emmanuel
Tragic: Queen Fabiola was adored by her nephew, King Philippe, as well as his wife Mathilde and their four children
Mourning: The former King Albert II arrived with his wife Queen Paola, who wore a traditional lace mantilla
Upset: Queen Fabiola took a step back
from public life after her husband died in order to make sure she didn't
overshadow Queen Paola
After
the service, which saw Queen Mathilde burst into tears, before reaching
over to comfort her tearful 11-year-old son, Prince Gabriel, the coffin
was driven away to Laeken Palace for a family burial.
Fabiola
reigned as Queen Consort for more than 33 years but, tragically, was
unable to have children which meant the Belgian throne passed to her
husband Badouin's younger brother Albert upon his death in July 1993.
After
Badouin's death, the royal, who was born Fabiola Fernanda Maria de las
Victorias Antonia Adélaïda Mora y Aragon, took a step back from the
limelight and spent her final years championing good causes, among them
women's issues and action on disability.
Despite
handing over the reins of power, the dowager queen remained an
enormously popular member of the Belgian royal family, not least with
her nephew King Philippe who is thought to have been left devastated by
her death.
A
statement released by the Palace following the announcement of her
death spoke of the family's sadness at the loss. Their feelings are
shared by the Belgian people, with Foreign minister Didier Reynders
telling Belgium's RTL television channel that 'all Belgians would mourn
her passing'.
'A page in our country's history has turned,' he added.
Although
her exact cause of death has not been confirmed, Queen Fabiola had been
suffering from osteoporosis for years, and had never fully recovered
from pneumonia in 2009.
Saddened: Denmark's 74-year-old Queen Margrethe II (right) arrives for the funeral of Queen Fabiola
Mourners: Norway's King Harald V arrived for the funeral with his 82-year-old older sister, Princess Astrid (left)
Upset: Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf (centre) and his wife Queen Silvia (right) were among the mourners
Long journey: Japan's elderly Empress Michiko travelled all the way from Tokyo to be at the funeral
Devastated: The former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands represented Belgium's neighbours at the funeral
Paying
their respects: Thailand's Princess Sirindhorn (left) arrives for the
funeral alongside Prince Moulay Rachid El Alaoui of Morocco
Respectful: Spain's former king, Juan
Carlos, and his wife Queen Sofia sat next to the Netherlands' former
queen, Beatrix (right)
Saying goodbye: Grand Duke Henri of
Luxembourg (centre) and Grand Duchess Maria Theresa commiserate with
Prince Laurent of Belgium
The
former queen, who used a wheelchair, had looked increasingly frail over
the past month as she increasingly limited her already rare public
appearances.
Fabiola,
born Fabiola Fernanda Maria de las Victorias Antonia Adélaïda Mora y
Aragon, made her entrance in 1928, and was the sixth of seven children
born to an aristocratic family in Madrid.
Her
father, Don Gonzalo Mora y Fernández, Conde de Mora and Marqués de Casa
Riera, was one of Spain's biggest landowners and the godmother he chose
for his daughter was Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain.
Brought
up in a marble-fronted palace in Madrid until the age of three,
Fabiola, like the rest of the Spanish royal family, was forced to flee
in 1931 when General Franco swept to power.
Moving
between Paris, the Basque country and Switzerland, the family lived a
nomadic lifestyle for almost a decade before returning to Spain in 1939
to reclaim their palace.
Mourning: Jean, former Grand Duke of Luxembourg, pays his respects alongside King Juan Carlos, the former king of Spain (right)
Solemn: Royals, including former
Spanish king Juan Carlos (centre), Princess Astrid of Norway and Grand
Duke Henri, pay their respects
Mourning: Queen Fabiola's coffin is borne on the shoulders of military pallbearers as they prepare for the funeral to begin
Last rites: Queen Fabiola's coffin is carried up the steps of the cathedral by a military guard of honour
Saddened: Queen Fabiola's coffin was
followed into the church by the Belgian royal family, including King
Philippe and Queen Mathilde
Cold: The chilly December gloom accurately reflected the mood of the Belgian people who are mourning Queen Fabiola
Grim: King Philippe follows his aunt's coffin up the steps. The two were know to have been close
Last
respects: A Belgian military guard salutes as the coffin arrives at the
Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gulda in front of a sombre crowd
After
finishing school, Fabiola trained as a military nurse but resigned
herself to spinsterhood after rejecting a series of Spanish aristocratic
suitors as being 'insufficiently serious'.
That
all changed when the young king of the Belgians, Badouin I, came
looking for a wife. The couple, who were introduced by a mutual friend,
fell in love and in 1960, the pair married in a lavish ceremony that saw
Fabiola proceed down the aisle wearing a fur-trimmed gown by
Balenciaga.
Watching from the pews was Britain's representative, the late Princess Margaret.
Despite
early problems, including a long-running family feud involving Fabiola
and Baudouin's step-mother, Princess Liliane, the couple proved popular
with the Belgian people.
Fabiola,
who despite her best efforts was never able to have the children she so
longed for, threw herself into good causes instead and became famous
for her embrace of haute couture, with Chanel among her favourites.
Nevertheless,
their lack of children remained painful for both halves of the couple,
with King Badouin telling a group of children in 1979 that remaining
childless was a constant 'sorrow'.
Honoured: Fabiola was buried after the state funeral, which saw her coffin carried into the cathedral, draped in a Belgian flag
Long reign: Fabiola was enormously popular among the Belgian people and reigned as Queen Consort for more than 33 years
Connection: Fabiola was born into an
aristocratic Spanish family in 1928 and was forced to go on the run when
General Franco took power
Long life: Fabiola died last Friday at her home at Laeken, a country estate just outside Belgian capital Brussels
Saddened: Queen Mathilde and King Philippe of the Belgians look grim as they follow Queen Fabiola's coffin out of the cathedral
Tearful: The royals were left sobbing as tributes were paid to their aunt, who died last Friday aged 86
Devastated: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians follow Queen Fabiola's flag draped coffin out of the cathedral
Burial: The dowager queen of the Belgians will be buried during a private ceremony at Laeken Castle
'You
know that we are childless,' he said. 'For many years we struggled to
fathom the meaning of this sorrow. But gradually we came to understand
that, having no children ourselves, we have more room in our hearts to
love all, truly all, children.'
Fabiola,
who suffered five miscarriages during the course of her marriage to
Baudoin, also spoke about her losses, telling well-wishers of the
problems she had had during a meeting in 2008.
'You
know, I myself lost five children,' she said. ''You learn something
from that experience. I had problems with all my pregnancies, but you
know, in the end I think life is beautiful.'
After
her husband Badouin died unexpectedly in 1993, Fabiola withdrew from
public life, partly in a bid to avoid overshadowing her sister-in-law,
the former Queen Paola.
Nevertheless,
she remained popular among the Belgian people, who were horrified when,
in 2009, she was hospitalised for 15 days with a bout of pneumonia.
In
July 2009, alarming anonymous death threats were published by
newspapers which revealed that Queen Fabiola was to be assassinated with
a crossbow.
Undaunted,
she swiftly responded to the death threats during the Belgian national
holiday celebrations later that month when she jokingly waved an apple
to the crowd.
The
provocative gesture, a reference to Swiss folk hero William Tell who
shot an apple off the head of his son, won her much praise.
End of an
era: Denmark's Margrethe II allows herself a smile as she leaves the
church while Princess Beatrix (formerly queen) looks sad
Upsetting: The devastated Belgian royal family follows the coffin of Queen Fabiola out of the Brussels cathedral
Sombre:
Grand Duke Henry and Grand Duchess Maria Theresa of Luxembourg (left)
and their son Prince Guillaume and his wife Stephanie
Final resting place: The hearse carrying Queen Fabiola's coffin begins its journey to her final resting place
Escort: The coffin was escorted away from the cathedral by an honour guard of mounted soldiers
Waving goodbye: Mourners appeared along the hearse's route to Laeken where Queen Fabiola will be buried in a private ceremony
Procession:
Queen Fabiola's coffin, surrounded by motorcycle outriders and
followed by a convoy of mourners, is driven through Brussels
Final journey: Queen Fabiola's funeral cortege left the Royal Palace of Belgium this morning, accompanied by a guard of honour
Cortege: The late queen's body was driven to the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in central Brussels
Procession: Mounted guards accompanied Queen Fabiola's funeral cortege through the almost deserted streets of Brussels
Standstill: The Belgian capital came to a halt as mourners carrying national flags turned out to say goodbye
Missed: Queen Fabiola had suffered
from ill health in recent years, most notably when she was hospitalised
with pneumonia in January 2009
Happy memories: Queen Fabiola, pictured with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1963, was adored by the Belgian people and her own family
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