He was the counterpoint to his brother, Baudouin, an extremely conservative king, in an ultra-religious court, ruled by a noble of Spanish origin, Fabiola. Baudouin and Fabiola represented the spirit of a Catholic, Apostolic and Roman monarchy. And Albert, Baudouin’s younger brother, was not destined to occupy the throne at any time.
The problem was that Baudouin and Fabiola had no children. So Albert became the heir and then king, in 1993, when Baudouin died. His son Philippe, welcomed by the kings as a son of their own to educate for the throne he occupies today, after Albert’s abdication, in July 2013, was then too young.
Who is Albert II of Belgium
Albert Felix Humbert Theodore Christian Eugene Marie of Belgium was the third son of King Leopold III and Queen Astrid, tragically killed in a car accident and beloved by Belgians. Albert was born on June 6, 1934, four months after his father ascended to the throne and a year before his mother died. His older siblings were Baudouin, the heir, and Joséphine-Charlotte who became Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
His childhood was marked by the German invasion of Belgium and the detention and deportation to Germany of the royal family, who soon went into exile in Switzerland. In 1951, when Baudouin ascended to the throne, Albert became the heir, with the title of Prince of Liège. Soon after, Albert graduated with honors in Philosophy, Botany and Geography. At 18 he had become a senator and had completed his military service in the Navy.
The Kings Albert and Paola of Belgium, in a recent image.
He has a passion for sailing and soon becomes an admiral. He loves sports and is named president of the Belgian Olympic Committee. Albert also represents Baudouin on several occasions outside Belgium, such as at the coronation of Pope John XXIII. This journey changed his life forever, at the age of 24.
His marriage to Paola of Belgium (and full of infidelities)
The Belgian ambassador to the Holy See organizes a reception to celebrate the arrival of the new pope. Among the guests, there is a young Roman aristocrat, 21 years old, whom Albert falls in love with at first sight. Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria is the youngest daughter of Prince Ruffo di Calabria, Duke of Guardia Lombarda and Count Sinopoli, a noble family so old it is nearly millennial. Paola spoke French and Albert did not hesitate to approach her. He invites her on a tour around Rome. It is said that Albert rented an Alfa Romeo and declared his love in the gardens of Villa Borghese.
Back in Belgium, Albert only thinks about seeing her again. The engagement is announced on April 12, 1959. Paola captivates Belgians and soon becomes the most admired princess in Europe, an icon of style, the spirit of an era, whom all young European girls want to resemble.
The paparazzi make her their target. The wedding takes place in the Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral, on July 2, 1959, in Brussels. The couple settles in Belvedere Castle, in Laeken. Soon after Baudouin marries Fabiola, a woman of discreet style, completely opposite to his sister-in-law.
Albert and Paola have three children – Philippe, Astrid and Laurent. Baudouin’s nephews ensure the dynastic continuity, but the marriage of Albert and Paola soon becomes a source of rumors and discord. Paola is very young and cannot adapt to palace etiquette. It is in this period, in the early 1960s, that Albert begins a relationship that will last 18 years with the aristocrat Sybille de Selys Longchamps, with whom he will have a secret daughter in 1968, who bears the surname of Sybille’s husband, Delphine Boël.
The King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, in an archival image.
Over time, all the infidelities of the marriage come to light. Albert publicly acknowledged his illegitimate daughter after a court ruling in 2020. Delphine now bears his surname and is a princess. Her relationship with the royal family is also very close. Paola, for her part, confesses in a television documentary in 2022 that she was also unfaithful to her husband with photographer Albert Adirent de Munt and that she was about to ask him for a divorce.
There were also rumors that Albert had a relationship with model Memphis and actress Elizabeth Dolac, while Paola flirted with the Roman financier Aldo Vastapane. For years they lived in separate wings of Belvedere Castle. The marriage, however, reconciled in 1979.
A sweet and enduring crown until 2013
On July 3, 1993 Baudouin died of a heart attack during a few days of vacation at his house in Granada. Albert, who never imagined himself in such a situation, becomes king. Philippe is too young and must finish his studies. On August 9, he is crowned king. Albert trembles with emotion. But his twenty-year reign will become one of the most stable in Belgium’s history. But time passes and the king ages.
On July 3, 2013 he abdicates in favor of his son Philippe, “out of respect for the institutions”. It is the first time a king leaves the throne while alive in Belgium. For Albert and Paola, a new phase begins, the most stable and happiest period of their marriage after so many years of discord. They enjoy their grandchildren and a quiet life at their Châteauneuf-Grasse estate in Provence, and at the Ruffo house in Rome, where Paola grew up.
