Marie José (1906–2001)

Princess Marie-José of Belgium was born in Ostend, a daughter of King Albert I of the Belgians and Queen Elisabeth. During World War I, she was evacuated to England where she was educated at a convent school. She later attended the College of the Santissima Annunziata in Florence, Italy, where she met her future husband, Crown Prince Umberto. In 1930, the couple were married and later had four children.
In 1943, during World War II, Princess Marie-José was involved in a failed attempt to arrange a separate peace between Italy and the USA. In May 1946, her father-in-law, King Victor Emmanuel III, abdicated his throne and Marie-José's husband became King Umberto II, and she became Queen for a month, until the Italian monarchy was abolished by plebiscite in June 1946. The royal family left Italy for exile and she settled with her children in Switzerland. In 1959, she established the Fondation du prix de composition Reine Marie-José. She wrote a biography of her parents and a book about the House of Savoy.