Know the beautiful love story of Belgian King Albert II and Queen Paola

New Delhi: The King of Belgium will give up his throne in favour of his son because of his ‘age and health' . King Albert on July 21 will hand over the throne to his son Philippe in a day-long ceremony,As the the nation celebrates Independence Day on July 21, many have said that could be an ideal day to hand over the largely ceremonial post to the next King.Presently King Albert II and Queen Paola are on a farewell tour and trying to make their life more beautiful with each other's companionship. This royal couple has faced many ups and downs in their relationship but today they are together.Their love story began in 1958, when Prince Albert of Liege went to the Vatican to witness the coronation of Pope John XXIII. He met Italian Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria at a reception at the Belgian embassy. It was love at first sight for both of them. Later Prince Albert proposed marriage to Paola, and she accepted. Two months after their meeting, the Prince introduced his future wife to his family, and four months later to the press. Upon arriving in Brussels for the first time before her wedding, Princess Paola won over the Belgian media immediately.They wanted a marriage at the Vatican at first, a setting promoted by both families, but the Belgian government did not approve of that.They did not want to keep a fairytale wedding from the people of Belgium, who finally had an opportunity for organizing celebrations for their royal family. The Pope, after some diplomatic pressure, refused them a marriage at the Vatican, saying he would understand if the couple would want to get married amidst their people.After their marriage, the couple was blessed with three children: Philippe (1960), Astrid (1962) and Laurent (1963). In the mid 1960′s, Prince Albert started leading most of the Belgian economic missions, and he traveled abroad a lot.Princess Paola at first accompanied her husband, and the two soon alienated themselves from their children. But after a while, Paola stopped accompanying her husband, reportedly because she was always bored, and as a result they grew apart more and more. Their children suffered from the alienation between the parents, but Albert and Paola continued on their own course.While Paola spent a lot of time in Italy, Albert performed his duties, and both started having extra-marital relationships.By the late 1960s, things were going wrong for the couple. Both were allegedly having affairs, and lived apart for a long while. "There were even rumors of divorce plans. But by the early 1980s, things had improved well for Albert and Paola. It is said the Prince's brother, King Baudouin, acted a mediator between the two. Even their daughter, Princess Astrid's devout Roman Catholic faith might have played a role. In the end, Albert and Paola chose to stay together.It is true that King Albert and Queen Paola have travelled a long way since they first met. Thy are still a much loved and loving couple. They have succeeded in overcoming their difficulties and they love each other all the more for it.