Belgium's Former Queen Fabiola Dies at the Age of 86

Passed away: Belgium's former Queen Fabiola,
pictured in 2008, has died at the age of 86 at
Stuyvenbergh Castle, the palace has announced

MAIL ONLINE:  Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders said: 'A page in our country's history has turned'  The former Queen's cause of death has not been announced, but her health had been ailing since a bout of pneumonia in 2009  Fabiola became queen of Belgium when she married King Baudouin in 1960  She remained Queen Consort for 33 years - until Baudoin's death in 1993  The couple had no children, and Fabiola suffered five miscarriages over the course of her marriage

Belgium's former Queen Fabiola has died at the age of 86 at Stuyvenbergh Castle.

A statement from the palace today said: 'Their majesties the King and Queen and the members of the royal family announce with great sadness the death of Her Majesty Queen Fabiola in Brussels this evening.'

Foreign minister Didier Reynders said all Belgians would mourn her passing. 'A page in our country's history has turned,' he told Belgium's RTL television.

King Philippe of Belgium said he was left with 'great sadness' when he heard of the death of his aunt.

Although her exact cause of death has not been confirmed, Queen Fabiola, the childless widow of King Baudouin, had been suffering from osteoporosis for years, and had never fully recovered from pneumonia in 2009.

The former queen, who used a wheelchair, had looked increasingly frail over the past month as she increasingly limited her public appearances.

Fabiola was born in 1928 as Fabiola de Mora y Aragón into an aristocratic family in Madrid, Spain.

Her godmother was Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain. She became queen of Belgium when she married King Baudouin in 1960. » | Annabel Fenwick Elliott for MailOnline | Friday, December 05, 2014