Queen Fabiola’s Waterfall Brooch

Today marks the 90th Birthday of the late Queen Fabiola of Belgium. To mark the day, we are taking a look at one of her glittering jewels worn by Queen Mathilde today-

Embed from Getty Images

In 1983, King Baudouin of Belgium bought this antique Diamond Waterfall Brooch at an auction in Geneva, a gift for his beloved wife, Queen Fabiola, who publicly wore the piece at an event in 1986.

Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images

In her widowhood, Queen Fabiola eschewed the use of grand jewels, and the Brooch remained unseen until being worn by then Crown Princess Mathilde at the pre-wedding gala of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, when it was worn in her hair. Since then, the Waterfall Brooch has been worn by Queen Mathilde for a variety of events, including her first Official Portrait as Queen, and as recently as Crown Prince Frederik’s 50th Birthday Gala last month. I have no doubt we will continue to see this reminder to Queen Fabiola in the years to come.

11

6 thoughts on “Queen Fabiola’s Waterfall Brooch

  1. Did Queen Fabiola bequeath her jewelry or some of her pieces to the Belgium crown?

    Nevertheless, the brooch is beautiful.

    1. She gave all her belongings to a charity, so all the jewels we see today was given to her nieces and nephews sometime before her death!

  2. This is such a beautiful brooch! King Baudouin brought Queen Fabiola quite a number of jewels over the years, including the beautiful aquamarines. So far Queen Mathilde has used from Queen Fabiola’s collection the Wolfers tiara, a pair of beautiful diamond earrings, a diamond bracelet, and this brooch- at least that I know of. Maybe she has used some of the aquas too? By all accounts, Queen Fabiola and Queen Mathilde had a great relationship. I think it was such a lovely gesture on Queen Mathilde’s part to wear this lovely brooch for her first official portrait as queen.

Leave a Reply