Paola (born

Donna Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian. People *Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name * Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Ita ...

Paola Ruffo di Calabria;Althoug
The Belgian Monarchy website
attributes the title of "Princess" to Queen Paola prior to marriage,

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great ...

1973, The Descendants of Louis XIII 1999, ''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'' 2001, ''La Descendance de Marie-Thérèse de Habsburg'' 1996, and ''Le Petit Gotha'' 2002 among others, accord only the noble prefix of ''

'' to her and her sisters, reserving the title ''Principessa'' for the wife of the head of the family born 11 September 1937) is a member of the

Belgian royal family Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's he ...

who was Queen of the Belgians during the reign of her husband, King Albert II, from 9 August 1993 to 21 July 2013.

Early life and family background

Paola Margherita Maria-Antonia Consiglia

Ruffo di Calabria The House of Ruffo di Calabria is one of the longest-standing noble families in Italy. It was already one of the seven most important houses of the Kingdom of Naples;Forte dei Marmi Forte dei Marmi () is a sea town and ''comune'' in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany (Italy). It is the birthplace of Paola Ruffo di Calabria, Queen of the Belgians from 1993 to 2013. Tourism is the principal activity of Forte dei Marmi ...

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, Italy, the seventh and youngest child of Fulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

of Guardia Lombarda (1884–1946), who was a World War I Italian flying ace.''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XVI. "Ruffo". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp. 522–529. . Her mother was Donna Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana e di Sebastiano (1896–1989), a

matrilineal Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance ...

descendant of the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

, a hero of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. She is predominantly of Italian and French ancestry, with a dash of Belgian, Dutch and German. In her youth, she was hailed as one of the leading beauties of Europe. Queen Paola is fluent in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

. Less fluent, and the cause of occasional criticism, is her

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, the mother tongue of nearly 60 percent of Belgians.

Marriage and family

In 1958, the

Prince of Liège Prince of Liège (French: Prince de Liège, Dutch: Prins van Luik, German: Prinz von Lüttich) is a substantive title awarded by King Leopold III of the Belgians to his younger son, Prince Albert (the future King Albert II), while he was second ...

went to the Vatican to witness the coronation of

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...

. At a reception at the Belgian embassy, the Prince met Italian Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria. "We were both shy, so we only talked a little.", Paola said later about their first meeting. Prince Albert later proposed marriage to Paola and she accepted. Their engagement was announced at the Chateau of Laeken in 1959. The couple married at St. Goedele Cathedral in Brussels on 2 July 1959. They have three children together: King Philippe (born 15 April 1960), Princess Astrid (born 5 June 1962), and Prince Laurent (born 19 October 1963). The couple's marriage was in trouble by the 1970s and Albert fathered a daughter by Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, named Delphine. Despite starting divorce negotiations at the time, the couple remained married.

Activities

Laura Bush walks with Queen Paola of Belgium during a tour of the Royal Palace of Belgium in Brussels

Apart from her activities in the company of King Albert II, Queen Paola devotes her time to social issues mainly in the social and cultural sphere. The Queen has demonstrated interest in the contemporary Belgian arts, visiting ''Venetian Biennale'' several times. She has acquired works of

Jan Fabre Jan Fabre (born 14 December 1958) is a Belgian multidisciplinary artist, playwright, stage director, choreographer and designer. Conviction for sexual assault and harassment In September 2018, twenty former members of Fabre's performing arts ...

Michael Borremans Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

and others for the Royal collection. The Queen has often met with such artists as

Luc Tuymans Luc Tuymans (born 14 June 1958) is a Belgian visual artist best known for his paintings which explore people's relationship with history and confront their ability to ignore it. World War II is a recurring theme in his work. He is a key figure ...

and Dirk Braeckman. The Queen takes a keen interest in the protection and preservation of Belgium's heritage. She makes numerous visits to cultural sites, from Beguine convents to early 19th century industrial facilities. Queen Paola is interested in both traditional and contemporary crafts, and takes every opportunity to encourage the exercise and teaching of craft professions. Queen Paola keeps abreast of contemporary art and regularly supports major exhibitions and artistic performances both in Belgium and abroad. On the initiative of Queen Paola, contemporary artists have had the opportunity to design and make original works within the Royal Palace of Brussels. In 1992, Queen Paola established the

Queen Paola Foundation The Queen Paola Foundation, founded in December 1992, is a Belgium, Belgian non-profit organization. The foundation was created at the request of Queen Paola of Belgium, Princess Paola of Belgium. The aim of the foundation is to provide support to ...

. The foundation focused on integration and training for young people. The foundation's activities are geared towards social integration, support for teachers at all levels of the education system and schools in socio-economically disadvantaged areas. Queen Paola is an honorary chairman of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel and Missing Children Europe.

Health

In 2015, the court announced Queen Paola was taking "a period of total rest" following doctors' orders. They also announced that she had to cancel a planned visit to the Biennale in Venice. Further communications were kept private. The Queen sent a message to Grosio, where she was expected to visit the residence of her aunt the Marchioness Margherita Pallavicini Mossi. Newspapers believed that the Queen suffered a stroke during the holiday. The palace later announced she was being treated for a

cardiac arrhythmia Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adult ...

. In 2016, she fractured a vertebra and in the following year she suffered from a fractured femoral neck and broke her hip. In September 2018, her visit to Venice was cut short and she was flown to a hospital in Belgium due to what was described by the palace as a "health problem", though some outlets speculated that she had suffered a stroke. In March 2022, she was ordered to rest for two months after breaking her arm in a fall.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

* 11 September 1937 – 2 July 1959: ''

'' Paola Ruffo di CalabriaAlthoug
The Belgian Monarchy website
attributes the title of "Princess" to Queen Paola prior to her marriage, Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, The Descendants of Louis XIII, ''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', ''La Descendance de Marie-Thérèse de Habsburg'' and ''Le Petit Gotha'', among others, accord only the noble prefix of ''

'' to her and her sisters, reserving the title ''Principessa'' for the wife of the head of the family, Paola's father having received the title of

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

in the

Italian nobility The nobility of Italy (Italian language, Italian: ''Nobiltà italiana'') comprised individuals and their families of the Italian Peninsula, and the islands linked with it, recognized by the sovereigns of the Italian city-states since the Middle Ag ...

in 1928 from

King Victor Emmanuel III King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

, heritable according to masculine

primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...

.de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal. Coutant de Saisseval, Guy. ''Le Petit Gotha''. Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery, Paris 2002, p. 702 (French) Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor). ''Burke's Guide to the Royal Family'', Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, p. 226. Willis, Daniel, ''The Descendants of Louis XIII'', Clearfield Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 1999, p. 100. .Enache, Nicolas. ''La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg''. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 54, 58. French. * 2 July 1959 – 9 August 1993: ''

Her Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it t ...

'' The Princess of Liège * 9 August 1993 – 21 July 2013: '' Her Majesty'' The Queen of the Belgians * 21 July 2013 – present: ''Her Majesty'' Queen Paola of Belgium

Honours

National

*: Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-rankin ...

**: Dame Grand Cross with Collar of the

Order of the Holy Sepulchre The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under ...

***: Dame of the

Decoration of Honour Decoration may refer to: * Decorative arts * A house painter and decorator's craft * An act or object intended to increase the beauty of a person, room, etc. * An award that is a token of recognition to the recipient intended for wearing Other ...

**: Dame Grand Cross of Obedience of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta *: Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold

Foreign

*: Grand Cross of the Order of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, 1st Class *: Grand Cross of the Order of the Balkan Mountains *: Knight of the

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant ( da, Elefantordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional ...

*: Grand Cross of the

Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana ( et, Maarjamaa Risti teenetemärk, sometimes translated as the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of t ...

*: Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Rose The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

*: Grand Cross of the Order of National Merit *: Grand Cross Special Class of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

*: Paulownia Dame Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Apr ...

*: Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars *: Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great *: Dame Grand Cross of the

Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau The Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (french: Ordre du Lion d'Or de la Maison de Nassau, nl, Huisorde van de Gouden Leeuw van Nassau) is a chivalric order shared by the two branches of the House of Nassau (the Ottonian and Walramia ...

*: Dame Grand Cross of the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...

*: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the House of Orange *: Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Princess Beatrix, Princess of Orange and Claus Van Amsberg *: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle *: Grand Cross of the Order of Christ *: Grand Cross of the

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five r ...

*: Dame Grand Cross of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III ( es, Real y Distinguida Orden Española de Carlos III, originally es, Real y Muy Distinguida Orden de Carlos III) was establ ...

*: Member Grand Cross of the

Royal Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim ( sv, Kungliga Serafimerorden; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the P ...

*: Recipient of the Commemorative 50th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf

Arms

Ancestry

Note

References

External links

Biography on the official Belgian monarchy web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paola of Belgium, Queen 1937 births Living people Belgian queens consort Italian nobility People from Forte dei Marmi Belgian people of Italian descent Naturalised citizens of Belgium House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Belgium) Belgian princesses Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Dames of Malta Grand Cordons of the Order of the Precious Crown Grand Crosses of the Order of Vytautas the Great Grand Crosses of the Order of the House of Orange Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal) Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania People of Calabrian descent Polissena Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland) Princesses by marriage Queen mothers

Early life and family background

Marriage and family

Activities

Health

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

Honours

National

Foreign

Arms

Ancestry

See also

Note

References

External links