Wedding of King Albert II of Belgium and Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria

by Scott Mehl    © Unofficial Royalty 2017

On July 2, 1959, King Albert II of Belgium, then the Prince of Liège, married Paola Ruffo di Calabria in Brussels, Belgium. The civil ceremony was held at the Town Hall, followed by the religious ceremony at the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula.

Albert’s Early Life

source: Belgian Monarchy

Prince Albert Félix Humbert Théodore Christian Eugène Marie was born on June 6, 1934, at Stuyvenberg Castle, the youngest of three children of King Leopold III and Princess Astrid of Sweden. He was given the title Prince of Liège at birth. His youth was spent during World War II when the family – his father, stepmother, older siblings and three younger step-siblings – were held under house arrest at the Castle of Laeken, where Albert and his siblings were educated privately. After the Allied landings in 1944, the family was moved to Germany, and then to Austria, before being freed by American forces in May 1945. Due to the uncertain political situation in Belgium – owed primarily to King Leopold’s actions during the war – the family settled in Switzerland where Albert continued his education in Geneva. Finally, in July 1950, the family returned to Belgium. Within a year of their return, King Leopold abdicated in favor of Albert’s older brother, Baudouin. Albert became the heir presumptive to the throne, as Baudouin was not married.

For more information about Albert see:

Paola’s Early Life

source: Belgian Monarchy

Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria was born September 11, 1937, at Forte dei Marmi in Italy, the youngest of seven children of Fulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria and Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana. Her father was a distinguished flying ace in World War I, and the family was very prominent in the Italian aristocracy. Through her mother’s family, she is a direct descendant of the Marquis de Lafayette.

Paola was raised in Rome, where she completed her secondary education in Latin and Greek and became fluent in several languages.

For more information about Paola see:

The Engagement

In November 1958, both Albert and Paola were in Rome to attend the coronation of Pope John XXIII. They first met at a reception held at the Belgian Embassy and were instantly smitten. Just a month later, On December 6, 1958, Albert proposed and Paola accepted. Two months later, he introduced Paola to his family, and finally, the engagement was announced on April 13, 1959. Following the announcement, the couple met with the press at the Palace of Laeken.

“The King, and King Leopold have the joy to share with the nation the engagement of HRH Prince Albert, Prince of Belgium, Prince of Liège, with Dona Paola Ruffo di Calabria, daughter of the late Prince Fulco Ruffo di Calabria, Duke of Guardia Lombarda and Princess Luisa Gazelli.”

Over the next several weeks, the couple visited several of the provinces of Belgium, where Albert introduced his future bride to the Belgian people.

VIDEO:
British Pathé: Prince Albert Engagement (no sound)

Plans for a Vatican Wedding

Several days after the engagement, it was announced that the couple planned to marry at the Vatican on July 1, 1959, with the ceremony being officiated by Pope John XXIII. However, this was quickly met with resistance in Belgium, from both the government and the Belgian people. First was the fact that many people felt that a royal wedding should take place in Belgium, to be a celebration for all the people. And there were also some legalities involved. The Vatican only recognizes religious marriage, while Belgium only recognizes civil marriage (and requires a civil marriage before a religious service can take place). There was also the issue of the groom’s aunt and uncle, the former King Umberto and Queen Marie-José of Italy who were banned from entering Italy. Due to the Vatican’s position within the city of Rome, it would require some almost clandestine efforts for them to be able to attend.

By the end of May, reports began to emerge that the plans were changing. The Pope – wanting to avoid any sort of diplomatic or political issue – decided that the wedding should take place at home. On June 2, it was announced by the Belgian government that the wedding – both civil and religious – would take place in Brussels on July 2, 1959:

“Anxious to see all the Belgians united around the throne on the occasion of the marriage of HRH Prince Albert with Donna Ruffo di Calabria, His Holiness, John the XXIII, in a gesture of especial solicitude toward Belgium, deemed it desirable that the wedding of the Prince take place in Brussels. In agreement with the Government, His Majesty The King and the two families have decided in unity that the marriage ceremonies be held in this country.”

The following week, on June 9, Paola arrived in Belgium, accompanied by her mother. A garden party was held at the Castle of Laeken, where Albert and Paola greeted hundreds of invited guests from around Belgium, as well as members of the government.

Wedding Guests

The wedding was small by royal standards, with just 500 invited guests. Many of these were members of the government and diplomatic corps, along with Albert’s and Paola’s families, and several members of foreign royal and noble families. The guest list included:

The Groom’s Extended Family
King Baudouin of the Belgian – Albert’s brother
Dowager Queen Elisabeth of Belgium – Albert’s grandmother
King Leopold III of Belgium and Princess Lilian – Albert’s father and stepmother
Prince Alexandre of Belgium – Albert’s half-brother
Princess Marie Christine of Belgium – Albert’s half-sister
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte and Prince Jean of Luxembourg – Albert’s sister and brother-in-law
Queen Marie José and King Umberto II of Italy – Albert’s paternal aunt and uncle
Princess Maria Pia and Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia – Albert’s paternal first cousin and her husband
Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Naples – Albert’s paternal first cousin
Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy – Albert’s paternal first cousin
Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy – Albert’s paternal first cousin

The Bride’s Immediate Family
Luisa Gazelli, Dowager Princess Ruffo di Calabria – Paola’s mother
Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria and Maria, Princess Ruffo di Calabria – Paola’s brother and sister-in-law
The Marquess and Marchioness of San Germano – Paola’s sister and brother-in-law
Baron and Baroness Ricasoli Firidolfi – Paola’s sister and brother-in-law
Antonello Ruffo di Calabria – Paola’s brother

Royal Guests
Royal guests included several members of the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish royal families, all closely related through Albert’s mother, the late Queen Astrid (born a Princess of Sweden).

The Witnesses and Wedding Attendants

For their witnesses, Albert chose his brother Alexandre, and his brother-in-law, Hereditary Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. Paola chose her two brothers, Fabrizio and Antonello.

The bride’s attendants were two of her nieces (daughters of her elder sister, the Marchioness of San Germano), and Albert’s sister, Princess Marie Christine of Belgium.

The Wedding Attire

The bride wore a dress of heavy white satin with a 5-meter train and a bow at the waist. Her veil of Brussels lace was a family heirloom. It was first worn in 1877 at the wedding of her Belgian paternal grandmother, Laure Mosselman du Chenoy, and then later by her mother. It has since been used by Paola’s daughter and two daughters-in-law at their weddings. Instead of a tiara, Paola wore a cluster of orange blossoms which held the veil in place.

The groom wore his Naval uniform with the sash and star of the Order of Leopold, Belgium’s most senior order of chivalry. He also wore the collar of the Order of Malta.

The Civil Ceremony

The civil ceremony was held on July 2, 1959, in the Empire Salon of the Royal Palace of Brussels. The bride and groom led the procession, which included their immediate families and several invited guests. The brief service was conducted by the Mayor of Brussels, Lucien Cooremans. The bride was notable nervous, and at one point, the Dowager Queen Elisabeth stepped forward to comfort her with a kiss and some brief words. After the marriage register was signed, the couple emerged from the Palace to begin the procession through the streets of Brussels to the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula for the religious ceremony. Albert and Paola traveled in an open car adorned with pink and white roses and were preceded by several regiments of hussars and other military guards. The bride and groom waved to the thousands who had lined the route to cheer them on.

The Religious Ceremony

The couple arrived at the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula where the majority of their guests were already seated. The bride and groom processed down the aisle, followed by their families and royal guests, for the traditional Catholic service which was conducted by Cardinal Jozef-Ernest van Rooey, Primate of Belgium. As had happened at Albert’s sister’s wedding several years earlier, there was reportedly an argument within the family about who would take precedence in the procession. Albert’s step-mother, the Princess de Rethy, insisted that she should come first, but it was decided that his grandmother, the Dowager Queen, would take pride of place at the head of the procession, accompanying the reigning King Baudouin. The Princess de Rethy was instead escorted by King Umberto II of Italy.

Again the bride was notably nervous, and at times seemed overcome with emotion, but she was quickly reassured by her new husband. After exchanging their vows and rings, the Cardinal gave an address in which he referred to Paola as “a lovely princess”, and told her that “Italy sends you to Belgium as a ray of its beautiful sun and a reflection of its ardent soul.” The couple was read a message from the Pope before the final blessing. The couple then processed out of the cathedral and were met with tremendous cheers from the crowds gathered outside.

Following a large banquet held that evening at the Castle of Laeken, the couple jetted off to Majorca, Spain for their honeymoon. Upon their return, they took up residence at the Château de Bélvèdere, on the grounds at Laeken.

Children

Embed from Getty Images 
Albert and Paola with their three children

Albert and Paola had two sons and one daughter:

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