COMING UP Incoming state visit #12: Oman

On 3 and 4 December 2024, the Sultan of Oman will be making a state visit to Belgium, responding tot the invitation of King Philippe & Queen Mathilde.

This means Philippe & Mathilde will be spending their 25th wedding anniversary with the Sultan! 

Voorleesweek + New Royal Warrant Holders 2024

19 November 2024

Queen Mathilde visited the Désiré Van Monckhoven Primary School in Ghent, where she participated like each year in the Reading Out Loud Week. 

Mathilde was accompanied by a member of 'DITO', an association of young adults with a disability or a chronical illness who volunteer to read to small children each week. 

With her co-reader, Mathilde read "Mijn zus woont in het donker" an inclusive picture book by Emy Geyskens and Kolet Janssen.

video: https://avs.be/nieuws/koningin-mathilde-leest-voor-op-gentse-basisschool-voor-voorleesweek

Later that day King Philippe & Queen Mathilde also received the newly appointed Royal Warrant Holders at the Royal Palace in Brussels:

Furniture Restorers "Art-Restauration s.r.l." (Olivier Delroisse)
Jewellery designer "CB-Design b.v." (Christine Bekaert)
Cosmetics "Environ Benelux n.v." (Hélène Vanhoudt)
Makeup artist "Scarmuse s.r.l." (Anouchka de Bellefroid)
Porcelain objects "Studio Pieter Stockmans" (Widukind Stockmans)

Michele Beerland of Flamant Design.

Poverty + University Rectors

14 November 2024

Queen Mathilde hosted a round table on poverty today, at the Royal Palace in Brussels.

Experts discussed housing problems, energy poverty, debt management and digital exclusion.

In this photo you can see Mathilde's mobile, in her favourite colour ... 

Together with King Philippe, Queen Mathilde also hosted a working luch with the rectors of the Belgian universities. 

Anne-Sophie Nyssen (University of Liège - ULiège), Rik Van de Walle (University of Ghent), Queen Mathilde, Françoise Smets (University of Louvain-la-Neuve - UCLouvain), King Philippe, Herwig Leirs (University of Antwerp), Luc Sels (Catholic University of Leuven - KULeuven), Jan Danckaert (University of Brussels - VUB)

Flashback: Uilenspiegel

14 November 2002

Princess Mathilde baptized the dredger "Uilenspiegel" in Zwijndrecht, Antwerp. 

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The Engagement Party

13 November 1999

One month after Philippe & Mathilde's official engagement, an engagement party was held at the castle of Laeken. It was very much a public affair with 1.500 guests selected by local Belgian communities, persons the engaged couple had never met before but who had made a positive impact on their neighbourhood or community.

The 4 hour cocktail party/reception was broadcast live on Belgian TV and started at 19:45.

Of course the close family of both bride and groom were also present, as were some politicians.

Mathilde's beautiful dress and necklace were creations of Yves Dooms.

For their opening dance the couple had chosen Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight", performed by Raymond van het Groenewoud. 

Other artists who performed were Toots Thielemans, Khadja Nin and Adamo.

At 20:45 the engaged couple managed to eat some delicacies from the Belgian buffet.

One of the guests handed Mathilde a drawing made by his child.

Saïd Mdaouchi, a social worker from Antwerp had a seat next to King Albert II and Count Patrick d'Udekem. They talked about Mdaouchi's work and family. Count d'Udekem even discussed some politics with him.

The couple also had a real engagement ball, for their own friends and larger families, in the best of royal and aristocratic traditions, no doubt with long gala gowns and diamonds. This was however completely private. No picture or guest list was ever made public.