13 Facts about Elisabeth of Bavaria, The ‘Red Queen’ of Belgium

1. She was born Duchess Elisabeth Gabriele Valérie Marie on July 25, 1876 at Possenhofen Castle in Bavaria. She was the third child of Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, an ophthalmologist and head of the Bavarian royal family’s cadet branch, and his wife Maria Josepha of Portugal, whose father was “The Absolutist” Miguel I of Portugal.

2. She was named after her father’s sister, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, more popularly known as “Sisi”.

3. She would often be at her father’s clinic, an experience which exposed her to productive labor and human suffering.

4. Duchess Elisabeth met then Prince Albert, who was second-in-line to the Belgian throne, while attending the funeral of her aunt, Duchess of Alençon, in May of 1897 in Paris. The two quickly fell in love and became betrothed several months after.

5. Elisabeth and Albert tied the knot on October 2, 1900 in Munich. The union produced three children: the eventual King Leopold III; Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, who would later become Prince Regent; and, Marie José, the “May Queen” and the “Last Queen of Italy”.

6. Albert and Elisabeth became King and Queen of Belgium in December 1909, following the death of the former’s uncle, King Leopold II.

7. Her war efforts were astounding to say the least. She initiated the transformation of the royal palace into a Red Cross hospital during the war, replacing all the furniture on the ground floor with 200 beds and x-ray equipment. She would give cigarettes and chocolates to the troops, and would constantly be worried about the welfare of Belgian soldiers. She helped put up a number of field hospitals and would visit and console wounded soldiers, earning her the moniker “Queen Nurse”.

8. She was as concerned with the children as with the troops. She set up shelters in Wulveringhem and Vinckem using her own money. She would pay more visits to orphanages than hospitals, ensuring that the youngsters were well cared for.

9. She withdrew from public life after the unfortunate death of her husband due to a mountain climbing accident that happened at Belgium’s Ardennes region on February 17, 1934. Elisabeth, however, had to resume her royal duties following the death of Queen Astrid, wife of her son, King Leopold III.

10. She was labeled the “Red Queen” brought forth by her visits to Poland, China, and Soviet Union in the 1950s.

11. She died on November 23, 1965 after suffering a heart attack. She was 83 years old.

12. Her profound passion for the arts led her to establishing the Royal Library of Belgium, the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, and the National Orchestra of Belgium.

13. She had a deep interest in ancient Egypt that she became the first invited guest to witness the opening of King Tutankhamen’s tomb on February 18, 1923.