The Legend of Empress Elisabeth

In a moving series of articles, Elena Maria Vidal reviews a trilogy of films, starring Romy Schneider, and offering a rather idealized, but, nevertheless, touching portrayal of the marriage of Franz Joseph of Austria and his beautiful, tragic empress, Elisabeth of Bavaria. As discussed here before, the legendary Elisabeth was the paternal aunt, godmother and namesake of the third Queen of the Belgians; she was also the sister-in-law of Princess Charlotte and the mother-in-law of Princess Stéphanie of Belgium. 

~Sissi (1955)
~Sissi: The Young Empress (1956)
 ~Sissi: Fateful Years of an Empress (1957)

Queen Astrid: The Mother

The beautiful young Duchess of Brabant, with her two eldest children, Princess Josephine-Charlotte and Prince Baudouin. It is said that, at the birth of her first son, the heir to the throne, Astrid proudly proclaimed: "Now I truly feel Belgian!" 

Another photograph of Astrid, Josephine-Charlotte and Baudouin. I love this image; it is so tender and Astrid looks so happy.

Marie-Antoinette the Mother

A very moving post by Elena Maria Vidal on the much-maligned Queen of France.