Depressing

Ten years after legalizing euthanasia, Belgium is now considering extending the practice to children and people with Alzheimer's and dementia. God help us. Is Albert II going to sign this law, too? Really, at a certain point it is time to stand up for moral principles, whatever the consequences. Of course, Belgium is a secular state, but this is not merely a matter of religion. The protection of innocent human life is fundamental to any just political order. It is not negotiable.

Gown

A replica of a dress worn by Queen Astrid for her Joyous Entry into Antwerp in 1935.

Imaginative...

I came across this collage on Flickr inspired by Queen Astrid. What do you think? I like the colors; they  also seem to me to suit the festive season.

What is the Cross of Laeken?

Recently, I have had some questions about the title of this blog. On one level, it is simply a reference to the crosses atop the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, the burial place of the Belgian kings and queens of the past. The church was built by the founder of the dynasty in honor of his late wife, Louise-Marie of Orléans. To me, at any rate, the church, the crypt and the crosses symbolize so much about the Belgian royal house; in particular, the memory of their public and religious lives, which I try to feature on this site.

In another sense, the name of this blog is meant to be a metaphor for the Belgian monarchy itself and the hardships of the royal family. Albert I actually referred to kingship as a cross. Every generation has had to bear heavy sufferings, and many members of the family have done so with great faith. Queens Louise-Marie and Marie-Henriette had to deal with unhappy, politically arranged marriages. Louise-Marie also had to bear the loss of her first child and terrible anxiety over the fate of her own family, the Orléans, caught in turbulent France and finally driven into exile. Eventually, she had to suffer a slow, painful, untimely death from tuberculosis, sadly parting from her three, still young surviving children. She remained a woman of steadfast faith, hope and charity to the end, with only incredible love to offer a husband who did not share her religion and had not been particularly faithful to her.

In the next generation, Louise-Marie's daughter Charlotte would suffer horribly as the doomed Empress of Mexico, having to contend with the overthrow and murder of her husband and apparently descending into madness under the emotional strain of it all. She was never able to bear the child she had so longed to give Maximilian. As for Louise-Marie's eldest son, King Leopold II, his problems were largely of his own making, and, unfortunately, as we all know, he was hardly a model of Catholic virtue. However, the story of his family is still an extremely unhappy one, involving the loss of his only legitimate son and the tragedies of his first two daughters' marriages. Louise-Marie's youngest son, Philippe, Count of Flanders and his wife, Marie, a pious couple, endured the early death of their very promising eldest son, Prince Baudouin, who had become the heir to the throne after the equally tragic passing of his little cousin, Prince Leopold.

We know all too well that this pattern of tragedies would continue, with the violent deaths of King Albert I and Queen Astrid, two world wars, and the imprisonment and near-murder of King Leopold III, Princess Lilian, and the royal children. Ultimately, Leopold would be forced to abdicate and would apparently become estranged from the offspring of his first marriage. Although he is rarely given credit for it, Leopold tried to bear his misfortunes with touching faith and trust in the goodness of God.  His cousin, Princess Clementine, for example, has left us a moving account of his great nobility in sorrow and Christian resignation after losing his beloved Astrid.  Lilian was also a genuinely religious woman. Leopold's son, King Baudouin, would sadly witness Belgium moving further and further away from the religious and moral principles he held dear. After losing five unborn children of his own, he would be unable to protect the other unborn children of Belgium. Despite the trappings of luxury and glamor, the Belgian crown has surely been a heavy cross to bear.

Lady Mary Curzon

The beloved first wife of the man in whose care the Belgian royal children were placed during World War I. Mary, however, had passed away by that time.

Mary was compared to a "diamond set in gold, the full moon in clear autumnal sky". During a State Ball organized as a celebration for the coronation of King Edward VII, Lady Curzon wore a magnificent and expensive gown known as the "peacock dress". The peacock was a magnificent masterpiece of Indian creation: "It was stitched of gold cloth, embroidered with peacock feathers with a blue/green beetle wing in each eye, which many mistook for emeralds, dipping into their own fantasies about the wealth of millionaire heiresses, Indian potentates and European royalty. The skirt was trimmed with white roses and the bodice with lace. She wore a huge diamond necklace and a large broach of diamonds and pearls. She wore a tiara crown with a pearl tipping each of its high diamond points. It was reported that as she walked through the hall the crowd was breathless." (Read entire post)

Here is an obituary of Queen Marie-José, the daughter of King Albert and Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians, discussing the family's connection with the Curzons.

Christmas Essay Contest

In honor of the Christmas season, I am launching a new tradition. I will be holding an essay contest for readers of Cross of Laeken. I will be picking up to three entries to publish here. If you would like to participate, and I hope you will, please send me your essays via the contact page. If there are any problems using the form, please let me know. Essays may be on any topic related to the Belgian Royal Family. They must be written specifically for this contest. The length should range between 550-750 words. Please include your sources. Entries are due by Epiphany, January 6, 2013.

Diana, Grace and Astrid

This is quite a moving clip of Diana, Princess of Wales at the funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco. It is perhaps a little off topic, but I find it interesting to ponder the impact of the losses of Diana, Grace and Astrid of Belgium on their respective reigning families. Queen Astrid's death was probably the most devastating, since she left her children so young and her husband so politically vulnerable.

Belgian Royals in the Congo

Well, I seem to be posting alot of documentaries these days. Here is one on the royal visits to the Congo, both before and after the colony gained independence. There is some fascinating footage of Queen Elisabeth visiting Congolese hospitals in her old age.

A Day in the Life

Here is a brief clip of a documentary on the daily routine of King Baudouin.  He was quite graceful.

Lost Images

Some new family films of Leopold III, Queen Astrid, Princess Lilian and the royal children have been discovered. Here is the full version of the program on RTBF. Unfortunately, it is not accessible to viewers in certain countries. I have not been able to watch it myself, but perhaps others may be able to do so. If you can, let me know what you think!