Paola, Queen of the Belgians (
néeNEE, Nee, Née may refer to:* Née or Nee, French for "born", indicates a woman's birth surname. Né is the masculine form.* Nee , a music band in Kannada* NEE, a political party in Flanders, Belgium* "Ne~e?", a 2003 single by Aya Matsuura...
Donna Paola Margherita Maria Antonia Consiglia, Princess Ruffo di Calabria; born 11 September 1937,
Forte dei MarmiForte dei Marmi is a sea town and comune in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany . It is the birthplace of Paola Ruffo di Calabria, Queen of the Belgians....
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located partly on the European Continent and partly on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland,...
), is the
queen consortA queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles...
of
Albert II of BelgiumAlbert II is the current King of the Belgians and a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the second son of the late King Leopold III and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden...
. She is the seventh and youngest child of
Fulco, Prince Ruffo di CalabriaFulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria was an Italian World War I flying ace, and posthumous father-in-law of King Albert II of the Belgians.-Biography:...
, 6th
DukeA duke is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy. The title comes from the Latin Dux Bellorum, a term that ancient Roman chroniclers used to describe tribal Germanic and Celtic war leaders.In the Middle Ages the title signified...
of Guardia Lombarda (1884-1946). Her mother was Countess Luisa Gazelli di Rossana e di Sebastiano (1896-1989), a
matrilinealMatrilineality is a system in which lineage is traced through the mother and maternal ancestors. In this article matrilineality also is a societal system in which one belongs to one's matriline or mother's lineage, which can involve the matrilineal inheritance of property and/or titles.A...
descendant of Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette. She is of Italian and Belgian ancestry and was hailed as one of the leading beauties of Europe in her youth.
The family of the Queen, the princes Ruffo di Calabria, are one of the most ancient lineages of Italy. The first proven ancestor of this House is Giordano, who was
grand marshalGrand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders...
of the
Kingdom of SicilyThe Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1861. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy. The Kingdom covered not only the island of...
at the beginning of the year 1200. The Ruffos were divided into two branches after the 14th century: the Ruffo princes of the Scaletta and the Ruffo di Calabria, to which branch Queen Paola belongs.
Her brother, the prince Fabrizio Ruffo di Calabria, the current head of the family, and bears the titles of Prince of
ScillaScilla , is a genus of about 50 bulb-forming perennial herbs in the hyacinth family native to woodlands, subalpine meadows, and seashores throughout Europe and Asia...
, Prince of
PalazzoloSeveral villages of Italy bear the name Palazzolo:*Palazzolo, in Firenze province*Palazzolo, in Milano province*Palazzolo, a frazione of Fossato di Vico in Perugia province*Palazzolo, in Verona province....
, Patrician of
NaplesNaples is a city in Italy; it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture, architecture, music and gastronomy, playing an important role in the history of the Italian peninsula and beyond throughout much of its...
, Duke of Guardia Lombarda, Count of
SinopoliSinopoli is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 90 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 30 km northeast of Reggio Calabria...
, Marquis of
Licodia EubeaLicodia Eubea is a town and comune in the province of Catania, on the island of Sicily. It is bounded by the comuni of Caltagirone, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Giarratana, Grammichele, Mazzarrone, Mineo, Monterosso Almo and Vizzini....
, Count of
NicoteraNicotera is a comune in the province of Vibo Valentia, Calabria, southern Italy.-History:Nicòtera origins lie with the ancient Greek city of Medma which was founded by the Locresis of Locri Epizephyris....
and Baron of
CalannaCalanna is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 110 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 9 km northeast of Reggio Calabria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,095 and an area of 10.5 km².Calanna borders the following...
and of
CrispanoCrispano is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 13 km north of Naples.Crispano borders the following municipalities: Caivano, Cardito, Frattamaggiore, Frattaminore, Orta di Atella....
.
Queen Paola is related to the main Roman-Italian aristocratic and noble families, such as Alliata, Colonna, Rospigliosi, Orsini,
PallaviciniThe Pallavicini, Pallavicino, and sometimes Paravicino, Paravisini, or Paravicini, were an Italian noble family descended from Oberto I . The first Pallavicino fief was created by Oberto II, who received them it by Frederick Barbarossa in 1162...
, including Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette the hero of American Independence, and Jean-Louis-Paul-François, 5th duc de Noailles.
Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria married HRH Prince Albert, Prince of Liège, in
BrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium...
,
BelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
, on 2 July 1959. The couple have three children:
- Philippe, Duke of Brabant who married Countess Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz
- Astrid
Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, Duchess of Modena, Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia , styled Her Imperial and Royal Highness The Archduchess of Austria-Este, is a daughter and second child of King Albert II and...
who married Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este;
- Laurent, who married Claire Louise Coombs
Princess Claire of Belgium, is the wife of Prince Laurent of Belgium and is a land surveyor....
.
Queen Paola speaks fluent
ItalianItalian is a Romance language spoken as a native language by about 62 million people in Italy, San Marino and parts of Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia and France. It is spoken as a first language by many Italian citizens and immigrants abroad, for a total of approximately 70 million native speakers...
,
FrenchFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language by about 136 million people worldwide. Around 190 million people speak French as a second language, and an additional 200 million speak it as an acquired foreign language. French speaking communities are present in 57 countries and territories...
,
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in England and south-eastern Scotland in the time of the Anglo-Saxons. Following the economic, political, military, scientific, cultural, and colonial influence of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from the 18th century, and of the United States...
and
German{Infobox Language|image=|name=German|nativename=|familyc|pronunciation=|states=Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy , Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Alsace, Lorraine, Denmark, Belgium, Poland, Namibia...
. Many people criticize her inability to speak
DutchDutch is a West Germanic language spoken by over 22 million people as a native language and over 5 million people as a second language.
"1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language...
, the mother tongue of nearly 60% of Belgians.
Titles
- Donna Paola, Princess Ruffo di Calabria (1937-1959)
- Her Royal Highness The Princess of Liège (1959-1993)
- Her Majesty The Queen of the Belgians (1993-present)
Ancestry
See also
- Queen Paola Foundation
The Queen Paola Foundation, founded in December 1992, is a Belgian non-profit organization. The foundation was created at the request of Princess Paola of Belgium. The aim of the foundation is to provide support to Belgian organizations which help young people facing problems with re-integration...
- The Queen's Charities
The Queen's Charities is an organization intended to help the Queen of the Belgians in her philanthropic and social activities. In order to support the Queen, it collects information for her, and allocates the funds according to her instructions...
External links