Princess of Sweden, Queen of Belgium TEXT BY LAUREN DYER AMAZEEN The Royal Palace in Stockholm will hold an exhibition in honour of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Princess Astrid, who later became the Queen of Belgium. A spontaneous and warm-hearted royal, she charmed both nations with her beauty and charisma during her short, dramatic life. Princess Astrid was born on November 17, 1905.The youngest daughter of Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg, she lived a happy childhood in the security of her family, spending winters in their villa on Djurgården and living in their country residence, Fridhem, in Norrköping during the rest of the year. As a young woman she excelled in cookery and child care classes, which became fashionable at that time. She and her two sisters, Margaretha and Märtha, studied under domestic science teacher Jenny Åkerström, who wrote the famous Prinsessornas kokbok (The Princesses’ Cookbook), a publication so popular that it was used by several generations of Swedish housewives. At the age of 21, Princess Astrid fell in love with Leopold, the Duke of Brabant and the future King of Belgium, whom she had met and danced with one entire evening at a royal ball.Their romance caught the attention of the media throughout Europe.When she arrived by boat to be married in Brussels, the Swedish Princess was dressed in a beautiful white coat and became known as “La Princesse des Neiges” (The Snow Princess).The Belgians were delightfully surprised to find that she was an excellent cook and could care for her own children. She was so loved, that even today some Belgians still like to name their children Astrid. The royal couple had three children Joséphine Charlotte, Baudouin and Albert, the present king, born in 1934.A modern stylish royal, Astrid could be seen pushing her own pram around the streets of Belgium. In 1934 Leopold succeeded his father as King Leopold III of Belgium and at age 29 Astrid became Belgium’s beloved Queen. The fairy tale ended tragically the next year, when the royal couple was vacationing in Switzerland. Driving along the narrow winding roads, Leopold lost control of the car, which plunged down a ravine. Queen Astrid was killed. This intimate exhibition (May 28th – 25th September) will fill two small rooms in the Palace and feature personal items of the Queen including her Belgian wedding gown, some of her fashionable clothing of the times, including dresses from the royal collection in Brussels, some letters and many photographs. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and his cousin, King Albert II of Belgium – the youngest son of Queen Astrid – will conduct the opening ceremony. Another exhibition will open in Brussels on her birthday November 17th. It focuses on Astrid’s life in Belgium and the myth that grew around the most popular Queen in Belgian history. Commemorative Exhibition, Stockholm Royal Palace. May 28th – September 25th, 2005 THE ROYAL PALACE Telephone: +46-8-402 61 30 Fax: +46 (0) 8 402 61 67 E-mail: info.stockholms-slott@royalcourt.se Website: www.royalcourt.se Take t-bana to Gamla Stan Or busses 43,46,55,59 or 76 © 2006, Swedish Bulletin. All rights reserved