Flashback: Handicap International Fundraiser

19 March 2004

Princess Mathilde and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg attended a Handicap International fundraiser in Brussels.

COMING UP State Visit #18: Norway

King Philippe & Queen Mathilde's next state visit will take them to Norway from 24 March 2026 to 26 March 2026.

The state visit comes at a peculiar time in the history of the Norwegian monarchy. The past months Crown Princess Mette-Marit and her son from a previous relationship have been under heavy scrutiny and criticism. While the crown princess's special friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and her discontent about royal life were exposed in hundreds of emails, her son Marius Borg Højby is currently standing trial for multiple cases of rape, drug use and violence against women. He faces up to seven years in jail. Both Crown Prince Haakon and his daughter, Princess Ingrid have publicly taken Marius Borg's side without mentioning his victims. 

In a statement the Norwegian Royal House has announced Mette-Marit won't be taking part in the state visit because of the worsening state of her health. The crown princess is suffering from lung fibrosis and may be in need of a lung transplant. 

Also Princess Astrid (92), King Harald's sister, will be absent from the visit. She's recovering from a minor illness. 

Tuesday 24 March 2026

Official welcoming ceremony at the Palace Square

Wreath-laying ceremony at the National Monument, Akershus Fortress

Meeting with the President of the Storting

Gala dinner at the Royal Palace

Wednesday 25 March 2026

Event at the Nobel Peace Center

Business seminar on offshore wind energy 

Meeting with the Prime Minister

Government luncheon at Akershus Palace

Event on childhood and literacy

Reception hosted by the Belgian Royals at the National Museum

Thursday 26 March 2026

Crown Prince Haakon will accompany the Belgian Royals during a day visit to Stavanger.

Event on energy security at the Norwegian Petroleum Museum

Luncheon hosted by the Mayor of Stavanger
Program on defense cooperation at the Sola Air Station

Flashback: Trade Mission to Morocco

In November 2009 Crown Prince Philippe & Princess Mathilde presided a 5-day Belgian trade visit to Morocco. They headed a delegation of 350 people and visited 5 cities.

22 November 2009

Philippe & Mathilde were welcomed by Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco when they arrived at the airport of Casablanca.

23 November 2009

At the souk of Marrakech.

24 November 2009

Opening an exhibition at the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux-Arts of Casablanca.

In the capital Rabat, they paid their respects at the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V.

Queen Mathilde and Lalla Salma had a private meeting.

25 November 2009 

At the port of Tanger.

27 November 2009

In Agadir they visited a mother and child aid center.

Dinner with Moulay Rachid.

In an interview at the end of the visit, which was near Philippe & Mathilde's 10th wedding anniversary, they discussed the past 10 years as time that went by very quickly but that also included many big moments, such as the birth of their 4 children: "exceptional moments" and the passing of Mathilde's father: "a very hard time for me and our children, for the entire family".

What's next for Elisabeth?

As Belgium's crown princess starts her spring break at Harvard, let's look ahead at what could be in store for her in the near future. 

Until mid April Elisabeth will still be attending classes, followed by a two week study period and her final exams. The graduation ceremony will take place on Thursday 28 May 2026, in attendance of her parents. 

But what's next once she's pocketed her master's degree? Court will only make an official statement about this in May.

However royal reporter Wim Dehandschutter was allowed to brief that we won't be seeing Elisabeth just yet as a fulltime working royal. She'll work & grow in her role without immediately stepping into the limelight. Once she does this, there's no way back and King Philippe has made it clear last year that at 65 he's still fit, sharp and determined to go on for many years. 

Does this mean we won't be seeing Princess Elisabeth more often? No, not at all. She will be doing internships, getting acquainted with Belgian institutions, government, diplomacy, culture and all aspects of society. And preparing for the trade missions abroad which she will be presiding in a couple of years, taking over from her mother.

But a completely official role where she's as active and visible as, let's say her mother has been since 2000, isn't on the agenda yet. 

Dehandschutter speculates she may well volunteer abroad for a while, like both her parents did when they were in their twenties. A thing that's very much encouraged in Elisabeth's circles. 

It looks as though Elisabeth will only be starting an active presidency of the trade missions in 2028. Mind you, she'll then still be only 26. There's no immediate plan for Elisabeth to join Mathilde on a mission, but this could still very well change. After all, they have already been on foreign working visits together twice: A Unicef mission to Kenya in 2019 and a cultural visit to Egypt in 2023. 

Undoubtedly we will be seeing more of Elisabeth. Let's not forget she was present at two new year's receptions in 2026: the one with the EU leaders and the one with NATO president Mark Rutte. Unlike King Philippe who wasn't invited by his father to come along and grow in his role, Philippe wants his daughter to have the best possible preparation and to make the most of the time she now has to be young, find her way in life and start a family.

Jewels: Diamond Earrings by Leysen

Queen Matilde owns two versions of a pair of delicate diamond earrings by Brussels jeweller Leysen.

First there are these simple diamond earrings. Mathilde has been wearing them since the early 2000s.

Then there's this version with a diamond and pink gemstone pendant.

The model from Leysen, with a yellow stone.