Maria Pia's Wedding

A charming clip of the wedding of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, eldest child of King Umberto II and Queen Maria José, in 1955. Sadly, Alexander and Maria Pia were divorced twelve years later, after the birth of two sets of twins. The Princess remarried in 2003, to Prince Michael of Bourbon-Parma.

Marie-Henriette of Austria, Queen of the Belgians

The Funeral of Umberto II

A brief but moving clip of the ceremony at the Abbey of Hautecombe on March 24, 1983, with several shots of a grief-stricken Queen Maria José hidden behind a long black veil. It must have been a very hard year for her, as both her brothers, Prince Charles and King Leopold III of Belgium, would also pass away within the next six months.

April 8, 1875: The Birth of Albert I

A few photographs in memory of my favorite King of the Belgians.

The Lord's Prayer in Walloon

On a hand-painted plate in the entry of the garden of the Abbaye de Notre Dame du Vivier, at Marche-les-Dames. Is it just a coincidence or are the colors of the Belgian flag there for a reason? 

Our Lady of Sorrows

Since the cult of Our Lady of Sorrows has special connections to Belgium, I was particularly interested by this article by Gareth Russell on the history of the devotion to the Mater Dolorosa. As I have mentioned before, the Walloon mystic, Berthe Petit (1870-1943),  reported that Our Lord repeatedly requested the consecration of Belgium to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. By a strange, all too suitable coincidence, a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Seven Dolors also stood at the foot of the cliff where a desperate search party found the body of King Albert I of the Belgians during the night of February 17-18, 1934.

The First Communion of Princess Marie-José

In her memoirs, Queen Marie-José of Italy relates, in touching terms, that her father, King Albert I of the Belgians, amidst the pressures and preoccupations of World War I, nonetheless found time to instruct her personally in the catechism, prior to her First Communion.  Here is a beautiful account of the occasion from a contemporary youth journal: 

FIRST COMMUNION OF A PRINCESS.

The First Communion of the little Princess Marie Jose, the only daughter of the royal house of Belgium, took place within the little strip of Belgian territory still held by the Belgian army, in which Queen Elizabeth had erected a temporary refuge for orphaned and destitute Belgian children. In the plain and humble chapel of this refuge, and in company with some of the orphan children, the little Princess received her First Communion at the hands of the Bishop of the diocese. The tiny chapel was crowded with orphans, officers and poilus.

On a prie-dieu in front of the altar knelt King Albert in uniform and the Queen in plain white coat and skirt. The little princess, in traditional white dress and veil, and wearing a gold medal, knelt a little in front. She looked very lovely and very simple on this beautiful day, and at the close of the Mass, after a pious thanksgiving, in which her royal parents, who had also received Holy Communion, joined, she came forth in sunshine to greet her companions of the hours of misfortune, the staff officers of her father's entourage, the ladies of the Queen's tiny household, and then busied herself the rest of the day with the orphans.

The little Princess had made the journey to Belgium from her English convent school that she might in her native land, receive for the first time her Divine King in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist.

Refuge Albert Ier

Here is a set of magnificent photographs of the popular Refuge Albert Ier, in the Mont Blanc massif, near Chamonix. On August 30, 1930, the beloved third King of the Belgians, a passionate alpinist, inaugurated the first hikers' refuge on the site, a modest wooden cabin named in his honor. On July 12, 1959, to meet growing demands, a much larger, stone structure was opened near the location of the original hut. Here is a short video in French on the history of the Refuge Albert Ier, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the new building, in 2009. Sadly, after the grand opening in 1930, the King never saw the Refuge Albert Ier again, since he died tragically, only four years later, while climbing the cliffs of the Meuse. Yet, it is comforting that such a splendid place still carries his name and something of his spirit.

Queen Elisabeth in Ronse

Laying the first stone of a new hospital, in 1952.

Queen Elena of Italy, mother-in-law of Princess Marie-José

Here is an article about the generous and charitable Montenegrin princess who became the mother of the last King of Italy, Umberto II, and, therefore, the mother-in-law of Marie-José of Belgium.

A fascinating biography of Queen Elena by Luciano Regolo may be found, in limited preview, here.