Belgian royal family release details of Queen Fabiola's funeral


December 6, 2014

The Belgian royal family has been reacting to the death of Queen Fabiola. The consort of former the country's former King Baudouin passed away on Friday aged 86 at Stuyvenberg Castle in Brussels.

Queen Fabiola's funeral will take place at 10am on Friday 12 December at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels, according to the royal family's Twitter account.

 The social media page added that supporters can pay their respects to Fabiola, whose husband King Baudouin was the country's monarch for 42 years, at the Palace of Brussels.

"The public can pay their last respects to HM Queen Fabiola Wednesday, 10/12 from 13h to 17h and Thursday 11/12 9h to 17h."

 King Philippe and his wife Queen Mathilde will not undertake any engagements until Friday.

"Public events of Their Majesties the King and Queen planned from Saturday, December 6 till Friday, December 12 '14 are cancelled," read one tweet.

Queen Fabiola, who had no children of her own and whose brother-in-law Albert took to the throne when Baudouin died in 1993, was surrounded by her loved ones during her last hours.

Philippe, Mathilde and their daughter Elisabeth, who is first-in-line to the throne, were joined at Fabiola's residence by former monarch King Albert and his wife Queen Paola.

Albert's son Prince Laurent and his daughter Princess Astrid, accompanied by her husband Prince Laurenz, also joined the royals at the castle.

No official cause has been given for Madrid-born Fabiola's death, although she had suffered from osteoporosis for years and had never fully recovered from a lung inflammation she had in 2009.

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