On September 30, 1956, Princess Marie-Esmeralda, youngest daughter of King Leopold III and his second wife, Princess Lilian, was born at Laeken Castle. She was named after her father's favorite place in Venezuela, La Esmeralda (so called, I believe, because the Europeans expected to find emeralds there, and although their hopes were dashed, the name remained).
Apparently, Esmeralda was born during a violent thunderstorm. In her memoirs, she recalls how her father used to tease her, claiming this was why she was never afraid of storms...
4 comments:
Why can't more members of royalty be like her? She's intelligent and gracious, and shows such a wonderful loyalty to her family.
I agree! Thank you for your comments!
The Belgian royals have such interesting characters and backgrounds.
This site is excellent for learning about them.
Thank you!
Your kind words are much appreciated. I do hope this site contributes to making these royals a bit better known, especially some of the lesser known members of the family, such as Leopold III's second wife and their children. Between attacks from the left (socialists, Communists, etc.) and attacks from the right ( eg. the Flemish nationalists) I feel that many of these people's real personalities run the risk of being distorted and forgotten.
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