10 Year Reign: National Day 2023

21 July 2023

On this very National Day, King Philippe also celebrates he's been King for exactly ten years as he took the oath as seventh King of the Belgians on 21 July 2013.

At 10:00 there was the traditional Te Deum mass at the Saints-Michel-et-Gudule cathedral in Brussels.
Apart from the Royal Family, former King Albert II & Queen Paola were also be in attendance, for the first time in 10 years.

🇧🇪 KING PHILIPPE 10 YEARS ON THE THRONE IN BELGIUM

👑 For the first time since his abdication in 2013, King Albert, 89, and Queen Paola, 85, attends the National Day.

👨‍⚕️ 1 month ago, he was hospitalized for 9 days with symptoms of dehydration and a blood infection. pic.twitter.com/ZmIf8Ksz0T

— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) July 21, 2023

The Royal Couple and the Crown Princess made a superior "flag dressing" effort!

Elisabeth was wearing a new Natan dress and clutch and a new hat by Fabienne Delvigne, combined with her Gianvito Rossi sandals.

Princess Eléonore was wearing a new Maje dress.

After the mass, the royals greeted the public.

At 16:00 the Royal Family attended the Military Parade at the Place des Palais.

Crown Princess Elisabeth and cadet Prince Gabriel marched in the parade with their respective promotions of the Military Academy. 

Other royals who were present: Princess Astrid & Prince Lorenz, Prince Laurent & Princess Claire and Princess Delphine & Jim O'Hare.

These photos, taken by Bas Bogaerts, were shared with the public a day later: King Philippe posing with his two eldest children, both in the their uniforms of the Royal Military Academy. They were taken before the parade.

After the Military Parade, the ladies changed outfits and visited the festivities and stands in the Parc Royal.

Elisabeth was wearing a new dress by The Kooples and her mother's Delvigne clutch and Percossi Papi earrings, Eléonore changed into a new Maje model.

At 21:00 the Royal Family with all four children attended the "Happy Belgium" concert at the Cinquantenaire. 

Mathilde & family greeting the families of Laurent and Delphine.
Laurent & Claire had brought their 3 children along, while Delphine & Jim were accompanied by their daughter, Josephine O'Hare.

🇧🇪 Welcoming Delphine into the Belgian royal family is perhaps King Philippe’s greatest act as “new” head of the family. Check out this video. Delphine gets a warm greeting by Queen Mathilde, gives Philippe a pat on the back herself, socializes with Claire.pic.twitter.com/y32HHUhj9S

— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) July 22, 2023

During the concert footage was shown of King Philippe playing the piano alongside the orchestra.

The royal family went on stage to address the crowd.

Both Eléonore and Elisabeth were wearing a new Diane von Fürstenberg dress. Elisabeth was also sporting her mother's Caroline Herrera crystal earrings and an Armani clutch belonging to Mathilde.

The dresses belong to the new DvF collection that isn't yet available in stores.

video: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2023/07/21/nationale-feestdag-21-juli-2023/

The festivities concluded at 23:00 with fireworks.