Queen Paola of Belgium is once again the victim of a fall. The fall caused some injuries and King Philippe's mother will therefore not be able to attend the King's Day events this Friday.
Read also: Photo of King Albert II and Queen Paola celebrating their rosewood wedding in Châteauneuf-Grasse
Queen Paola fell in one of her residences
King Albert II, Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz, as well as Prince Laurent and Princess Claire will attend the Te Deum at the Cathedral of Saints-Michel-et-Gudula in Brussels this November 15, King's Day. After the sung celebration at the cathedral in honor of King Philippe, Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz will again accompany King Albert II to a ceremony at the Palais de la Nation.
Read also: The royal family in the colors of the Belgian flag at the Te Deum of National Day 2023: Albert II and Paola exceptionally present for the 10 years of reign of King Philippe
The list of royal family members shared by the Royal Palace is intriguing. The absence of Queen Paola, aged 87, did not go unnoticed. The newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws inquired and the spokesperson justified the absence of Queen Paola. The wife of King Albert II, aged 90, fell at home and injured her foot but she was not hospitalized. “The injury is not serious”adds the Palace but on the orders of her doctor, it is preferable that she rests for four weeks.
In March 2022, Queen Paola had a bad fall and fractured her humeral neck. Her convalescence period prevented her from performing official engagements for 8 weeks. In October 2022, Queen Paola was once again the victim of a fall, without too much seriousness. This, however, prevented him from attending the first military ceremony of Prince Gabriel, his grandson, which was attended by all members of the royal family.
King Albert II and Queen Paola are officially domiciled at the Château du Belvédère in Laeken but live in a former rectory located in the Namur countryside, when they are not at their holiday residence in the south of France or in the Queen Paola's Rome apartment. We therefore do not know in which residence the fall took place.
November 15 is King's Day, St. Leopold's Day. This festival was established in 1886 to celebrate the sovereign. The King is therefore the only one to take leave on this day and it is the members of his family who attend a Te Deum. The Queen is also traditionally at rest. Since the abdication of King Albert II in 2013, the former sovereign has chosen to attend this day with his wife, Queen Paola. Since 2000, in addition to the Te Deum, an exceptional session has been organized at the Palais de la Nation by the House of Representatives, the Senate and the government. This session is a presentation around a theme. This year, it will be about youth movements.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
