Queen Astrid of Belgium died on 29 August 1935 when the car her husband King Leopold III was driving left a road near Küssnacht, Switzerland and plunged into a lake. She was 29. The accident triggered genuine mass mourning across Belgium — her popularity was unusual in its depth and breadth — and her image remained politically untouchable for decades afterward.
This 1995 issue marked the 60th anniversary of her death, part of a broader Belgian commemorative program that leaned heavily on the royal family throughout the 1990s.
Queen Astrid of Belgium died on 29 August 1935 when the car her husband King Leopold III was driving left a road near Küssnacht, Switzerland and plunged into a lake. She was 29. The accident triggered genuine mass mourning across Belgium — her popularity was unusual in its depth and breadth — and her image remained politically untouchable for decades afterward.
This 1995 issue marked the 60th anniversary of her death, part of a broader Belgian commemorative program that leaned heavily on the royal family throughout the 1990s.