Sweet Fabiola was, perhaps, the most colourful member of the Belgian royal family

Sweet Fabiola was, perhaps, the most colourful member of the Belgian royal family. And this had nothing to do with her formal status: from her youth, when she was not yet especially titled, despite her closeness to the court of Alfonso XIII, the Spanish aristocrat Fabiola de Mora y Aragón (1928-2014) was a strong personality. She was distinguished by bold remarks and by conduct unusual for the Catholic nobility. She lived independently in a rented flat and drove a car with dash, completed nursing school and devoted herself to charity. By the time she met Baudouin, the details of which, incidentally, were never fully disclosed, both he and she were already regarded as confirmed loners, so their wedding came to Belgium as a happy shock. In her time Fabiola spoke with bitterness of her failed attempts to carry and bear a child, and of how she had come to terms with the fate of never knowing the joy of motherhood. The queen gave her warmth of heart not only to those close to her but also to the needy: the sick, orphans, women in difficult circumstances