Fashion Flashback: Mathilde's Veils

On her wedding day in 1999 Mathilde d'Udekem got to wear Queen Paola's magnificent antique veil.

This family piece was custom made in Brussels in the second half of the 19th century for Paola's Belgian ancestor, Laura Mosselman du Chenoy who married Italian Duke Fulco Ruffo di Calabria in 1877.

The beautiful lace heritage piece was worn by Paola Ruffo di Calabria on her wedding day in 1959. Paola later lent the veil to her daughter Astrid in 1984, to her daughters-in-law Mathilde in 1999 and Claire in 2003, and to her granddaughter Laura in 2022 on their wedding day.

Later Mathilde invested in two veils of her own.

She wore this black veil to the funeral of her father, Count Patrick d'Udekem, in 2008. Later she's repeated it to other funerals and to the inauguration mass of a new pope.

This second one, a white veil was used for an audience at the Vatican. Because Mathilde is a catholic queen, she can use the privilège du blanc.