Elisabeth Turns 25

25 October 2026

A new portrait by Bas Bogaerts was released to mark Elisabeth's 25th birthday.

The Royal Mint issued a special coin and Bpost sells a new stamp featuring the Duchess of Brabant.

Best surprise of the day is this short message from Elisabeth with a sweet thank you in French & Dutch for all the warm birthday wishes! 

Twenty-five is of course an important number and many magazines put the crown princess on the cover this week. 

Also a number of books have been published in the weeks leading up to this day. It's clear Elisabeth "sells".

Elisabeth herself is taking it easy these days, as she said she would ... Although we have no idea what she's doing. A holiday? Visiting friends all over the world? Volunteering? And that's the greatest gift we can give her, the gap year in complete privacy she longed for after an incredible curriculum and before the real work starts, which will be relentless. 

Flashback: Elle Outremeuse

24 October 2012

Prince Philippe & Princess Mathilde made a visit to the Maison intergénérationnelle Elle Outremeuse in Liège.

The President of Vietnam

23 October 2026

King Philippe & Queen Mathilde received the President of Vietnam, Tô Lâm and his wife, Mrs Ngô Phương Ly at the Castle of Laeken.

Rectors Meeting 2026

 22 October 2026

Like they do every two years, King Philippe & Queen Mathilde had a meeting with the rectors of all Belgian universities, at the castle of Laeken.

They discussed the evolutions that higher education is facing, scientific research, and the role our universities play in society.

Book: Elisabeth. Née pour être reine des Belges

Belgian royal reporter Amélie Schildt has written a book on Crown Princess Elisabeth. It's of course no coincidence it was published last week, shortly before Elisabeth's 25th birthday. Her Dutch speaking counterpart Wim Dehandschutter has done the same.

"Lorsque l’on pense à la princesse Elisabeth, on imagine souvent une héritière exemplaire, préparée depuis toujours à monter sur le trône. Pourtant, derrière l’image officielle se cache une jeune femme dont le parcours est bien plus riche, exigeant et inspirant qu’il n’y paraît.

À travers ce livre, Amélie Schildt nous invite à découvrir celle qui deviendra un jour la première reine régnante de l’histoire de la Belgique. De ses premiers pas sous le regard du pays à ses années d’études à Oxford, de son engagement humanitaire à sa formation militaire, c’est le portrait d’une jeune femme déterminée, travailleuse et profondément consciente de ses responsabilités qui se dessine.

Loin des clichés et des images figées, ce récit nous montre comment se construit une souveraine moderne : entre devoir, liberté, convictions et quête d’équilibre personnel. Une plongée passionnante dans les coulisses d’un destin hors du commun."

176 pages
Published in French by Kennes
ISBN 9782931300961

COMING UP 2026-2027 Weddings

Weddings where we may see members of the Belgian royal family.

Prince Rafael d'Orléans Bragança (°24 April 1986, son of the late Prince Antonio d'Orléans-Bragança & Princess Marie Christine de Ligne) will marry Margherita delle Piane (°6 April 1988, daughter of Giuseppe delle Piane & the late Stefania dei Marchesi d'Afflitto) in November 2026 in Italy.

Rafael is second in line to the defunct Brazilian throne.

Prince Dinis de Bragança, Duke of Porto (°25 November 1999, youngest son of the Duke & Duchess of Bragança) will marry Austrian Countess Anna Schaffgotsch gennant Semperfrei von und zu Kynast und Greiffenstein, Baronnes von Trachenberg (°17 February 2002, daughter of Count Maximilian & Countess Marie Schaffgotsch).

Dinis is King Philippe's godson.

Hereditary Prince Leopold von Baden (°2002, oldest son of Markgraf Bernhard & Markgräfin Stephanie von Baden) will marry Katharina von Baumbach (°1999, daughter of Ferdinand & Andrea von Baumbach, heir to the Boehringer pharmaceutical empire) at  Schloss Salem somewhere in 2027. 

The Baden family are friends with the Belgian royals. 

Tatiana Bucci

20 October 2026

Queen Mathilde had a meeting with Tatiana Bucci at the royal palace in Brussels.

Mrs Bucci is a Holocaust survivor. As a 6-year-old she was transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Since 1964 she's been living in Belgium. Mrs Bucci regularly talks about her experiences to young people to make them understand what happened during the Second World War.

POSTPONED Trade Visit to Saudi Arabia

For security reasons, the trade mission presided by Queen Mathilde from 21 to 25 November 2026, has been postponed.

Queen Mathilde was supposed to be presiding a trade visit to Saudi Arabia in the company of hundreds of participants.

To develop tourism, the financial sector and AI, Saudi Arabia is making heavy investments in infrastructure projects. Belgian companies such as Besix, DEME, and Jan De Nul are already active in Middle Eastern country, for example in the creation of artificial islands, and can benefit from the current construction boom. In addition, this trade visit will also attract Saudi investors to Belgium. 

Mathilde at her previous trade mission, in Turkey.

Flashback: UNICEF Visit to Liberia

Princess Mathilde went on a four-day field visit for UNICEF in Liberia. She focused on the situation of vulnerable girls and women confronted with HIV and AIDS.

17 October 2010

Arrival in Monrovia, Liberia.

18 October 2010

At the city hall of Monrovia, Princess Mathilde and President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia launched the agenda for accelerating action on women, girls and HIV.

Visit to the SDA Revelation School in Monrovia.

video: https://www.europeana.eu/nl/item/2051943/data_euscreenXL_EUS_C7FBE0B8D94349A0910FAE4F78EF2FA1

19 October 2010

Princess Mathilde of Belgium visited a local village in Bomi County where she focused on orphans and vulnerable children. Many children in the village were AIDS orphans.

Visit to the Liberian Government County Hospital in Bomi County.

Mathilde received a chicken as a welcome gift when she visited the Union of Muslim Associations of Bomi County.

20 October 2010

Visit to the JFK hospital in Bomi County.

21 October 2010

Back in Belgium, this picture was shot of Mathilde and her children Elisabeth (8) & Emmanuel (5) in the car on their way to or from Laeken castle.

Jewels: Kazakh Diamond Earrings

At last week's state visit to Kazakhstan, Queen Mathilde wore these stylish diamond earrings for the first time. 

They are a creation by Kazakh jewellery brand Saltanat, which makes it very probable that they were a welcome gift from the Kazakh President.

These specific "Kazmoyyn" (gooseneck) earrings are made of white gold and 2,4 kt diamonds.

COMING UP Unicef Visit to Botswana

From 22 February 2027 to 25 February 2027 Queen Mathilde will be visiting Botswana, in her capacity of UNICEF Belgium's Honorary President.

Tom Fletcher

16 October 2026

Queen Mathilde had a meeting with Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, at the royal palace in Brussels.