July 2nd marks fifty years of marriage between King Albert II and Queen Paola of the Belgians. It is a milestone for any couple to last so long in an age of high divorce rates. But this royal couple have good reasons to celebrate because, at one point, they almost were part of the high divorce rates. 
In 1958, Prince Albert of Liege went to the Vatican to witness the inauguration of Pope John XXIII. At a reception at the Belgian embassy, the prince met Italian Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria. “We were both shy, so we only talked a little,” Paola said later about their first meeting.
Shy but smitten, Prince Albert proposed marriage to Paola, and she accepted. The Prince wanted to marry in Rome by the Pope, but when that didn’t work out, the couple married in Brussels on July 2nd 1959 at St. Goedele Cathedral.
Upon arriving in Brussels for the first time before her wedding, Princess Paola won over the Belgian media immediately.”The charm and beauty of the blond princess from the south quickly captured the hearts of the Belgians,” wrote the newspapers back then.
Soon after their marriage, Albert and Paola quickly had three children: Philippe in 1960, Astrid 1962 and Laurent in 1963. The happy family was complete, and everything looked well for the royal couple.
Or so it seemed.
By the late 1960’s, things were going wrong for Albert and Paola. Not just wrong, but terrible. Both were allegedly having affairs, and lived apart for a long while. There were even rumors of divorce plans. The Prince and Princess seemed to be headed in the same direction many couples end up in.
But by the early 1980’s, things had improved well for Albert and Paola. It is said the Prince’s brother, King Baudouin, acted a mediator between the two. Even their daughter, Princess Astrid’s devout Roman Catholic faith might have played a role. In the end, Albert and Paola chose to stay together.
For her 70th birthday interview, Paola, now Queen of the Belgians, said, “we’ve had our problems, but now we both say that we were meant for each other. We are very happy now.”
But there are times when their past marital troubles come back to haunt them. In 1999, a book was published about the worst kept secret in Belgium: King Albert II had an illegitimate child with a Belgian aristocrat. Though the King would not recognize the child, he did address the issue during his Christmas speech. “The Queen and I have been reminded of the crisis that we went through as a couple, thirty years ago now… The crisis period was recently brought to recollection again. We do not wish to go into the issue any further; it is part of our private life.”
Today, the King and Queen of Belgium are the epitome of the happily married couple. They are grandparents to twelve children, who might someday learn from them about the hard work that goes into a marriage. King Albert II and Queen Paola are proof that a marriage can be worth saving, and in the end, it may be the best decision a couple can make.
The royal couple will celebrate their golden anniversary at a private party in Laeken Castle. They have invited couples who were also married on July 2nd 1959 to join them in celebrating that sometimes, love does conquer all.
