Background
Fabiola de Mora y Aragon was born on the 11th of June in 1928 in Madrid into a noble family. Her parents were on friendly terms with King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain, who became Fabiola`s godmother. Fabiola was the sixth of seven children.
During her childhood Fabiola had to move from place to place several times, fleeing from the Civil War. She returned to Madrid only in 1939, when the war ended, and took up a volunteer work.
In November 1957 a great tragedy stormed into Fabiola`s life: her father died after a nasty fall. His death made such an impression on the young woman that she decided to become a nurse. Together with some friends, she started training as a private nurse in the military hospital. After completing) her education, she continued to work in this hospital.
Fabiola was a very independent woman, so independent that her mother was afraid that she would never get married. But those fears were groundless. On 15 December 1960 she married King Baudouin of Belgium. They had dated in absolute secret and there are many versions of how they got acquainted, but the real story is known to a few people only.
The royal couple had no children as the queen's five pregnancies ended in miscarriage. She even decided to give her husband a divorce, but King Baudouin of Belgium loved his wife so greatly that he refused to leave her.
King Baudouin died on 31 July 1993, while they were vacationing in southern Spain. It was a shattering blow for her, but Queen Fabiola didn`t shrink into herself and has devoted her time for causes dear to her heart and to her late husband’s. Ever since she has continued to play a major role in the Belgian Royal Family.
