zaterdag 31 augustus 2019

Remembering the Liberation of Holland

31 August 2019

King Philippe & Queen Mathilde joined Dutch king Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at the Scheldetheater in Terneuzen to celebrate of the liberation of the Netherlands 75 years ago.









The Battle of the Scheldt which cleared the entrance to the harbour of Antwerp was remembered, and veterans were honoured.










donderdag 29 augustus 2019

Gabriel Changes School

29 August 2019

Belgian press anounced today that Prince Gabriel (16) will not be starting school at the Sint-Jan Berchmans College of Brussels on Monday, but at a new school: the International School of Brussels in Boitsfort.



So just like his sister Elisabeth, Gabriel changes school at the start of the penultimate year of secundary school. Like Elisabeth, he will be finishing secundary school by obtaining an International Baccalaureate.


Whereas Belgian court announced Crown Princess Elisabeth's school change themselves, the news about Gabriel - the second in line to the throne - is left to the press.

Meanwhile Elisabeth is back in Wales, at the start of her last year at the Atlantic United World College.

Elisabeth & Gabriel, 21 July 2019

maandag 26 augustus 2019

Watch the New German Docu on Mathilde Here




You can already watch the documentary online, via this link:

https://www.zdf.de/dokumentation/zdfzeit/beruf-koenigin-mathilde-von-belgien-102.html#xtor=CS5-21



Queen Mathilde shows German journalist Julia Melchior aound the royal palace in Brussels, talking about the royal family's German ancestors.

A painting made by king Leopold I









zondag 25 augustus 2019

No More Hockey for Gabriel

Prince Gabriel (16) is no longer a team member of Royal Evere White Star Hockey Club, Belgian media reports.


The prince who's second in line to the throne, after his sister crown princess Elisabeth, is said to be to busy with school and his other hobbies.

donderdag 22 augustus 2019

Summer Holidays 2019

King Philippe, Queen Mathilde & their 4 children spent their August holidays on the French island Ile d'Yeu - a regular spot they return to each year, usually with a group of friends.

A state document for the Ministry of Justice was signed at this spot on 4 August 2019.

Photo from Ile d'Yeu, 2013

This year they were accompanied by Mickey Boël & his family.

On 20 August, King Philippe was at Cabourg in Normandy, France. He was accompanied by his youngest son Emmanuel (13) and Prince Gabriel of Luxembourg (13), the son of Tessy Anthony & Prince Louis of Luxembourg. 



It was a private visit. Philippe & the boys were visiting WWII spots - according to his mum, Gabriel is a real history buff. They ran into a group of Belgian veterans of the Piron Brigade. The King & the veterans spent some time together and posed for photos.

woensdag 21 augustus 2019

Docu: "Beruf: Königin!"

German TV channel ZDF has made 3 documentaries about Europe's youngest and newest queens: queen Letizia of Spain, queen Maxima of the Netherlands and queen Mathilde of the Belgians.

The episode on Mathilde will be broadcast on Saturday 31st August 2019 at 19:25 on ZDF.

Mathilde of Belgium has an agenda, one she works for unrelentlessly: fighting poverty, improving education, healthcare and the empowerment of women & children.



With a degree in psychology she's a leading figure when it comes to mental healthcare and the wellbeing of children. This mother of four recorded a video message at the royal palace to help battle cyber bullying.

As the honorary chair of Child Focus she works for missing and sexually exploited children - a theme close to the Belgians' heart ever since the monstruous acts of Marc Dutroux in the mid 1990s. She takes this commitment for children's rights further, on an international scale as the honorary president of UNICEF Belgium. And with her most recent engagement she's become part of a global movement. Since 2016 she's been appointed by the UN as one of the 17 advocates for the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2017 she was honoured in Germany for this commitment, when she received
the Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis in Düsseldorf. It was the first and only award the queen has ever accepted.


Journalists Annette von der Heyde and Julia Melchior accompanied the queen on her state visit to South Korea and at the World Economic Forum in Davos. They watched Mathilde receiving French president Macron & his wife Brigitte when they paid a state visit to Belgium, and followed her around important remembrance ceremonies and at everyday activities.



They portray a woman who's in touch with others, a woman who wants to change the world. A queen with a heavy workload who's still taken the time to work exclusively with ZDF: the team was received in her private offices and she gave them a tour through the royal palace, looking for traces of German royal ancesters.

Belgian vice PM & Minister for Development Cooperation Alexander de Croo, and Amina Mohammed, vice secretary-general of the UN talk about the queen's work. Ludwig Prinz von Bayern
explains the links that exist between the Belgian royals and the Wittelsbach of Bavaria and journalist Patrick Weber talks about Mathilde's inspiring work as representative of the crown, and as a figure of unity between different cultures.

woensdag 7 augustus 2019

Flashback: With Dutch Colleagues in Charleroi

28 March 2002

Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander & Princess Maxima joined Crown Prince Philippe & Princess Mathilde for a conference on information and new technologies, in Charleroi.



Afterwards they visited an exhibition together at the Palais des Beaux-Arts of the city.

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