Royal Profile: 22 Facts about Queen Paola of Belgium

1. Queen Paola of Belgium was born 11 September 1937 as Paola, Princess Ruffo di Calabria and the youngest of seven children of Prince Fulco Ruffo di Calabria and Countess Luisa Gazelli {Source}. 
2. She has the following siblings:
1. Donna Maria Cristina Ruffo di Calabria, dei duchi Guarda Lombarda (1920-2003)
1. Casimiro San Martino d'Aglie dei Marchesi de San Germano (m. 1940)
2. Donna Laura Ruffo di Calabria (1921–1972)
1. Bettino, Baron Ricasoli Firidolfi (31th Baron of Brolio) (m.1946)
3. Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau (1922–2005)
1. Maria Vaciago (m. 1954)
4. Don Augusto Ruffo di Calabria (1925–1943)
5. Donna Giovannella Ruffo di Calabria (1927–1941)
6. Don Antonello Ruffo di Calabria (1930-2017)
3. She is an aunt to{Source}:
1. Giovanna San Martino d'Aglie, dei Marchesi di San Germano (1945)
1. Don Alvaro de Orléans-Borbón y Parodi Delfino (m. 1974)
2. Nicolo San Martino d'Aglie (1948)
1. Princess Catherine Napoléon (m. 1982, div)
3. Filippo San Martino d'Agile di San Germano (1953)
1. Cristina Maria Margherita Flesia (m. 1984)
4. Emanuela San Martino d'Agliè (?)
1. Count Ernesto Rossi di Montelera (born 1938) 
5. Antonella San Martino d'Agliè
1.  Count Ippolito Calvi di Bergolo Rocca Saporiti (m. 1970)
6. Don Fulco IX, Prince Ruffo di Calabria (1954)
1. Melba Vincens Bello (m. ?, d. ?)
2. Luisa Tricarico (m. 1984)
7. Augusto Ruffo di Calabria (1955)
1. Princess Christiana zu Windisch-Graetz (m. 1980)
8. Imara Ruffo di Calabria (1958)
1. Uberto Imar Gashe(1986, div) 
2. Baron Marco Tonci Ottieri della Ciaia in (m. 1993)
9. Umberto Ruffo di Calabria (1960)
1. Leontina, Marchesa Pallavicini (m. 1987)
10. Don Alessandro Ruffo di Calabria (1964)
1.  Princess Mafalda of Savoy-Aosta (m.1994-2000, div) 
11. Covella Ruffo di Calabria (1962)
12. Lucio Ruffo di Calabria (1964)
13. Domitilla Ruffo di Calabria (1965)
1. Don Giovanni dei Baroni Porcari Li Destri (m. 1990)
14. Claudia Ruffo di Calabria (1969)
1. Marcello Salom (m. 1989)
4. She was a great aunt to{Source}:
1. Lidia Rossi di Montelera (1963)
1. Count Alexander zu Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg (m. 1990).
2. Maria Cristina Rossi di Montelera (1965)
1. Baron Hans-Ulrich von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen (m. 1994)
3. Ginevra Rossi di Montelera (1967).
4. Antonella Rossi di Montelera (1970)
1. Count Alois von Waldburg-Zeil (m. 2003).
1. Pilar de Orléans-Borbón y San Martino d'Aglie(1975)
2. Andrés de Orléans-Borbón y San Martino d'Aglie (1976)
3. Alois de Orléans-Borbón y San Martino d'Aglie (1979)
5. She grew up in Rome, Italy, and completed her secondary education in Latin and Greek{Source}.
6. On 2 July 1959, she wed Prince Albert de Liège{Source}. 
7. Together, they have two sons and a daughter{Source}:
1. King Philippe of the Belgians (1960)
2. Princess Astrid of Belgium, The Archduchess of Austria-Este (1962)
3. Prince Laurent of Belgium
8. She also has two daughters-in-law, and a son-in-law{Source}:
1. Queen Mathilde of Belgium
2. Prince Lorenz of Belgium, The Archduke of Austria-Este
3. Princess Claire of Belgium
9. She has five granddaughters{Source}:
1. Princess Maria Laura, Archduchess of Austria-Este (1988)
2. Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (1995)
3. Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant (2001)
4. Princess Louise of Belgium (2004)
5. Princess Maria Laetia of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (2003)
6. Princess Eléonore of Belgium (2008)
10. She has six grandsons{Source}:
1. Prince Amedeo, Archduke of Austria-Este (1986)
2. Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (1991)
3. Prince Gabriel of Belgium (2003)
4. Prince Emmanuel of Belgium (2005)
5. Prince Aymeric of Belgium (2005)
6. Prince Nicholas of Belgium (2005)
11. She has one granddaughter-in-law{Source}:
1. Archduchess Elisabetta 'Lili' Maria of Austria-Este (1987, m. 2014)
12. She has one great-granddaughter{Source}:
1. Archduchess Anna Astrid of Austria-Este (2016) 
13. Although the Constitution does not provide a particular official role for the Queen, she has always played a role in the public life of the country. As Queen of Belgium, she acted both alone and alongside her husband {Source}. 
14. Particular areas of interest of Queen Paola are social and cultural organizations{Source}. 
15. During her time as Belgian's Queen, she deployed the organization called theQueen's Charities to offer help to citizens who are struggling to cope with financial hardship in their daily lives and often turn to her as a last resort, the organization is now headed by Queen Mathilde, her daughter-in-law{Source}.
16. In 1992, shortly becoming Queen officially, the Queen Paola Foundation was set up to provide her with the opportunity to focus on the issue of interration and training for young people, based on three themes{Source}: 
1. Meaningful support offered to agencies providing help to young people struggling to be included in the main social networks. 
2. The Queen Paola Prize for Education (launched in 1997) seeks to highlight and reward innovative schemes undertaken by educationalists from all academic levels and networks. 
3. The School of Hope (set up in 1999): this initiative lends support to schools operating in a disadvantaged social and economic environment. 
17. In April 2002, she was named Honorary President of Child Focus{Source}. 
18. Her cultural activities primarily focus on several areas: Heritage, Crafts,Contemporary art, and Music{Source}
19. In her private life, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, enjoying nature, reading, traveling and listening to music{Source}.
20. She shares a birthday with 
1. Princess Kiko of Japan (1966)
2. Princess Adélaïde Jeanne Marie d'Orléans (1971)
21. Her astrological sign is Virgo.
22. She is a godmother to:
1. Prince Amedeo, Archduke of Austria-Este (1986)