Queen Fabiola's inheritance plan earns rebuke

Queen Fabiola of Belgium

Queen Fabiola's plan to set up a private foundation to dispose funds to her nephews and for her Catholic charities in the event of her death has earned the criticism of the media, the public and politicians, reports AFP. It was revealed that the 84-year-old Queen, consort of the late King Baudouin, did not bother to consult his brother-in-law King Albert II about this.


The Queen receives 1.4 million euros a year since 1993, the year of her husband's death. Her Majesty made it clear that she never planned to "put money from the stipend into the foundation" and that "all the money from the stipend is used on the expenses of my home, the main item being the wages of the staff." She also mentioned in a rare statement that the cash to be entrusted to the foundation are from her inheritance, consisting of "property and art works that I carefully kept until today."

The Queen, now bent and wheelchair-bound was highly popular since the 1960s. Born Dona Fabiola de Mora y Aragon, she was a member of the Spanish aristocracy until she wedded the King. She immediately became a popular figure in Belgium because of her numerous charities, earning her the moniker as Belgium's "First Social Worker."