On 15 December 1960, Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón married King Baudouin of Belgium.
Before the religious ceremony, Fabiola and Baudouin were married civilly in the Throne Room of the Royal Palace in Brussels. The service was presided over by Albert Lilar, Minister of Justice, and Lucien Cooremans, Mayor of Brussels. The witnesses to the ceremony were King Leopold III, Jean, the future Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Fabiola’s brother, the Marqués of Casa Riera, and the Count of Barcelona.
The following religious ceremony was conducted by Cardinal van Roey at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, and a personal message from Pope John XXIII was read.1
Fabiola wore a white silk and tulle gown, trimmed with ermine. It had a high neckline, three-quarter length sleeves, a drop waist, a full skirt and a six-metre-long train. The dress was designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga.
She wore the Nine Provinces Tiara, which is reserved for the Queen. It had been given to her late mother-in-law in 1926 for her own wedding.
King Baudouin wore the uniform of a Lieutenant-General of the Armed Forces with the riband and star of the Belgian Order of Leopold and the collar of the Spanish Order of Isabella the Catholic.
King Baudouin was related to many European royals, and there were plenty of foreign royals in attendance, such as King Olav V of Norway (his uncle), Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (a third cousin twice removed) and Princess Margaret (a third cousin).
The wedding was broadcast live in Belgium.
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