Queen Mathilde visited the Ecole Supérieure des Arts in Mons: a school for music, visual arts and drama.
donderdag 30 november 2017
Ecole Supérieure des Arts de Mons
30 November 2017
Queen Mathilde visited the Ecole Supérieure des Arts in Mons: a school for music, visual arts and drama.
Queen Mathilde visited the Ecole Supérieure des Arts in Mons: a school for music, visual arts and drama.
woensdag 29 november 2017
Visit to Vlaams-Brabant
29 November 2017
King Philippe & Queen Mathilde visited biological farm Den Diepen Boomgaard in Grimbergen.
Then the Royal Couple visited Videohouse in Vilvoorde, a company that produces TV shows.
Then they joined a meeting on the work that's being done by the city to deradicalize extremists.
Philippe & Mathilde returned to Laeken by waterbus, a boat that connects Vilvoorde to Brussels on the canal.
King Philippe & Queen Mathilde visited biological farm Den Diepen Boomgaard in Grimbergen.
There was time to greet the school classes who were waiting outside the town hall.
zaterdag 25 november 2017
Mathilde's favorite books
For Reading Aloud Week, Flemish public radio & TV VRT asked the queen to share the 5 books that changed her life. In the end it became 6 books. Sandra Cardoen's interview with Mathilde took place at her office in the royal palace, a few weeks ago in October 2017.
"I spent quite a while looking at my library. So many books have had an impact on me - I really had my work cut out for me!" Queen Mathilde has been more than fascinated by literature ever since her teenage years. She thanks this passion to friends and to her father, Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz, who stimulated his daughter to get to know foreign cultures and their history.
With official obligations, field and state visits, her dedicated work for the UN, Unicef, Child Focus and four children waiting at home... Mathilde's agenda is well filled. Still she finds time to read. "Books are a real relaxation to me. I read during long flights, without emails or phone calls. I'm attending the cremation service of king Bhumibol of Thailand: in the course of two days I'll be spending 24 hours on a plane. So I've got some books ready."
"Books are part of a culture, they open you to people. When I married crown prince Philippe, I wanted to get to know the Flemish culture. I had many talks with authors like Tom Naegels, Erwin Mortier, Saskia De Coster and Dimitri Verhulst. I really took my time to intensely explore Flemish literature."
For many years Mathilde was read aloud mom at the school of her children, on Tuesdays. She didn't read to her own children, but to pupils who had trouble reading or who lacked vocabulary. "Reading with children is a unique moment. You teach them to develop their fantasy. Only yesterday I was reading The Chronicles of Narnia with (princess) Eléonore. We've been reading the books for the past 6 months and we've nearly finished the 4th book of the series. A nine year old would never take the time for this by herself: the vocabulary is too heavy and there are so many descriptive parts about landscapes and emotions. The books evoke the good and the bad through imagination and adventure. Like children who step into a painting... Wonderful! As a reward I promised Eléonore we'll watch the films after we've read the books."
1. Mazzel tov - Margot Vanderstraeten
The queen calls this book "a real must", and she adds that it isn't a huge book, for once.
Mathilde: "Oscar can't talk about death with his parents, he knows it's too much for them. Mamie Rose helps him and his parents to accept his fate. She gets him to write a letter to God each day. At first you mainly notice Oscar's naivity, but then his friendships with the other children in the hospital, like Peggy Blue and Popcorn, also come through. This book is like reading a poem - you can read it at different levels. A mother will think: Help! This is about saying goodbye to a child - but a child will look at it differently. I read this book to two of my children. We cried at the end of the story."
"I spent quite a while looking at my library. So many books have had an impact on me - I really had my work cut out for me!" Queen Mathilde has been more than fascinated by literature ever since her teenage years. She thanks this passion to friends and to her father, Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz, who stimulated his daughter to get to know foreign cultures and their history.
With official obligations, field and state visits, her dedicated work for the UN, Unicef, Child Focus and four children waiting at home... Mathilde's agenda is well filled. Still she finds time to read. "Books are a real relaxation to me. I read during long flights, without emails or phone calls. I'm attending the cremation service of king Bhumibol of Thailand: in the course of two days I'll be spending 24 hours on a plane. So I've got some books ready."
"Books are part of a culture, they open you to people. When I married crown prince Philippe, I wanted to get to know the Flemish culture. I had many talks with authors like Tom Naegels, Erwin Mortier, Saskia De Coster and Dimitri Verhulst. I really took my time to intensely explore Flemish literature."
For many years Mathilde was read aloud mom at the school of her children, on Tuesdays. She didn't read to her own children, but to pupils who had trouble reading or who lacked vocabulary. "Reading with children is a unique moment. You teach them to develop their fantasy. Only yesterday I was reading The Chronicles of Narnia with (princess) Eléonore. We've been reading the books for the past 6 months and we've nearly finished the 4th book of the series. A nine year old would never take the time for this by herself: the vocabulary is too heavy and there are so many descriptive parts about landscapes and emotions. The books evoke the good and the bad through imagination and adventure. Like children who step into a painting... Wonderful! As a reward I promised Eléonore we'll watch the films after we've read the books."
1. Mazzel tov - Margot Vanderstraeten
Mathilde: "Mazzel Tov is the true story of a critical Flemish female student who helps out with the children of a hasidic family in Antwerp. She gets access to their world, ruled by century old traditions. At the same time, the family gets to know the student's world: she's unmarried and living with her Iranian boyfriend. This book really hit me: wow! I really felt what the 23 year old student was living through. At her age, I was a speech therapist who often came into close contact with families. It must have been so difficult for her to live with a family who's traditions are completely foreign. At the same time she opens up to them and learns to appreciate the Jewish community. Afterwards she kept in touch with the children, she attended their weddings and visited the son in Israel. That intense connection with the family's children... It's what I too experienced with my pupils and their families. I recommended Mazzel Tov to my eldest daughter, Elisabeth, who's very fond of reading too."
2. Oscar and the Lady in Pink - Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Mathilde: "Ten year old Oscar is terminally ill. He get encouraged by Mamie Rose, who volunteers at the hospital, to write letters to heaven. His parents and the nursing staff don't dare to talk to him about the end that's near. But Mamie Rose does, with great care and patience. She turns out to be very inventive. It's a delicate subject, written in a very humane way".
Mathilde: "Oscar can't talk about death with his parents, he knows it's too much for them. Mamie Rose helps him and his parents to accept his fate. She gets him to write a letter to God each day. At first you mainly notice Oscar's naivity, but then his friendships with the other children in the hospital, like Peggy Blue and Popcorn, also come through. This book is like reading a poem - you can read it at different levels. A mother will think: Help! This is about saying goodbye to a child - but a child will look at it differently. I read this book to two of my children. We cried at the end of the story."
3 & 4. Sleepwalkers - Christopher Clark & De Groote Oorlog - Sophie De Schaepdrijver
No-one can ignore the many commemorations of the First World War, that raged one hundred years ago. The queens tells me that contrary to the Second World War, WWI was largely unexplored terrain for her. So she decided to learn more. In 'Sleepwalkers' Christopher Clark gives a detailed account (750 pages) of what preceded the war. "How did it come this far? The geopolitical world before 1914 is brought to life. My husband and I both read this work - Yes, that'll happen (laughs). It's easy reading, but quite intense".
Queen Mathilde combined 'Sleepwalkers' with professor Sophie De Schaepdrijver's book 'The Great War. The Kingdom of Belgium during the First World War'. Both works complement each other. The queen got to know De Schaepdrijver through TV series 'Brave Little Belgium' (canvas). She was intrigued by De Schaepdrijver's fascinating style of writing. "Her book really describes daily life of the Belgian population and the horror the soldiers went through. So much changed because of the First World War. It was a real discovery to me."
5. The story of my life - Helen Keller
Mathilde: "This is a fine example of resilience and perseverance for me, and for young people who are having a hard time. Helen Keller's nanny never ceased to believe in Helen's development. It's in-cre-dible what Keller managed to achieve. Can you imagine what it must have been like in those days: to be deaf and blind... And to achieve so much? To decide for yourself: I WILL learn to speak. A prominent American university refused to enroll persons with a handicap, but Keller maintained: I have the right to an education."
6. The Virtues of Failure - Charles Pépin
The last book caught Mathilde's eye when she saw it lying on a friend's coffee table. The cover and the title immediately spoke to her. She started reading 'The Virtues of Failure' at once and couldn't put it down.
Mathilde: "We're living in a competitive world, and failure teaches us just as much as success does. Sometimes even more than success does. Pépin is a philosopher who describes mistakes or errors as a step in life. You can grow, but you shouldn't identify yourself with growth. In my public life, I often come across people who are having difficulties. They, sometimes with the help of others, have learned from these difficulties, with modesty and patience. This book has helped me to give a meaning to the difficult moments of my own life. You have to dare to think about yourself, your expectations, and what you expect from others."
At the end of our talk, the queen reads an excerpt from Pépin's book. She's marked the passage with colour - something she often does, beacuse paper should come to life. The passage clearly touches her: "Our failures are booty and sometimes even a real treasure. We have to take the risk of living to discover them, and share them to experience their worth. (silence) "This book was a lesson to me."
donderdag 23 november 2017
Disaster Victim Identification
23 November 2017
King Philippe & Queen Mathilde visited the Disaster Victim Identification team of the Federal Police that celebrates its 30 years of existence.
King Philippe & Queen Mathilde visited the Disaster Victim Identification team of the Federal Police that celebrates its 30 years of existence.
dinsdag 21 november 2017
National Seminar on SDGs
21 November 2017
Queen Mathilde attended the National Seminar on SDGs, organized by OvO (Ondernemers voor Ondernemers), a combined effort of companies and NGOs to boost social and sustainable development.
The Queen represented the UN at this meeting in Brussels. She pronounced her speech in Dutch and in French.
"Agenda 2030 is niet morgen, maar vandaag. Indien we van deze agenda werk willen maken, moeten we ons nu al durven afvragen of we goed bezig zijn, of onze inspanningen de goede kant opgaan."
"Nous avons besoin d’un canal qui facilite le contact avec de possibles partenaires dans le Sud et qui permet d’explorer les possibilités de financement et de coopération. Nous parlons ici d’entrepreneurs dans le sens le plus large du terme, incluant donc ceux qui font du volontariat ou qui produisent un travail de réflexion"
Queen Mathilde attended the National Seminar on SDGs, organized by OvO (Ondernemers voor Ondernemers), a combined effort of companies and NGOs to boost social and sustainable development.
The Queen represented the UN at this meeting in Brussels. She pronounced her speech in Dutch and in French.
"Ook leveren ondernemingen krachtige hefbomen voor duurzame ontwikkeling. We stellen vast dat de klassieke ontwikkelingssamenwerking met het Zuiden geleidelijk aan een nieuwe invulling krijgt.We zullen alle kansen benutten voor verfrissend en dynamiserend ondernemerschap. Vooral jonge en levendige krachten in de ontwikkelingslanden kunnen het verschil maken."
Royal Warrant Holders 2017
21 November 2017
King Philippe & Queen Mathilde received the new Royal Purveyors at the Royal Palace in Brussels.
King Philippe & Queen Mathilde received the new Royal Purveyors at the Royal Palace in Brussels.
With florists Daniël & Nele Ost
with Frank Vanpraet who sells fitness equipment
with hairdresser Eric Van Dooren of Vando
with Freddy Depaepe of Freddy Sport
with Patrick Sigal & his wife who own costume jewellery store Ciel mes Bijoux!
zondag 19 november 2017
Flashback: Gabriella's Communion
Somewhere in 2007, Princess Elisabeth accompanied mom to the holy communion of Archduchess Gabriella of Habsburg, which took place in a private ceremony at the home of Marie-Astrid & Carl Christian in Zemst.
zaterdag 18 november 2017
dinsdag 14 november 2017
Audience for New Nobles + Young Professionals: Entrepreneurs
14 November 2017
King Philippe & Queen Mathilde granted an audience to the persons who have been granted a noble title or a royal distinction in 2017, at the royal palace in Brussels.
Patricia Vlerick acted as lady-in-waiting.
The ceremony included a cello recital by Miss Christine Lee, laureate of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition of 2017.
At night, the King & Queen hosted a dinner for young social entrepreneurs at their home, Laeken castle.
King Philippe & Queen Mathilde granted an audience to the persons who have been granted a noble title or a royal distinction in 2017, at the royal palace in Brussels.
Patricia Vlerick acted as lady-in-waiting.
Among the newly titled is Michèle Sioen, who can now use the title baroness. In a few months, Sioen and her husband will become Mathilde's new neighbours at the Stuyvenberg castle of the royal estate of Laeken.
maandag 6 november 2017
State Visit #6: India
Day 1: 5 November 2017
King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and their delegation left for India from Melsbroek Airport.
King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and their delegation left for India from Melsbroek Airport.
During the flight Mathilde changed into a suit and went round to chat with the business people, academics, politicians and journalists on the plane.
After 7 hours of flight the royals and the 174 strong delegation arrived in New Dehli, India.
Descending the plane, from the top: Anick Van Calster (former advisor of Mathilde, now Director General for bilateral affairs at Belgian Foreign Affairs; in blue: Peter De Wilde (Director of Tourism Flanders), in brown: Geneviève Renaux (economic advisor of King Philippe); in striped jacket: Claire Tillekaerts (Director of Flanders Investment & Trade, wife of Dirk Bossé); Machteld Fostier (Mathilde's advisor).
video: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2017/11/05/filip-en-mathilde-komen-na-7-uur-vliegen-aan-in-new-delhi/
Day 2: 6 November 2017
Visit to the Taj Mahal by the Royal Couple and the delegation. The site was cleared for the event.
King Philippe took this picture of his wife:
Day 3: 7 November 2017
Arrival at Rashtrapati Bahvan for an official welcome by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The city was covered in the worst polluting smog the country has known. Schools had to close and flights were cancelled because of it.
Video where King Philippe tells how the couple visited India on their honeymoon:
At the Ghandi Memorial.
Afterwards Queen Mathilde changed into a dress by Indian designer Anita Dongre for her visit to the female empowerment & microfinance project "Fusion".
At the presidential palace Queen Mathilde attended a SDG themed lunch with the Indian First Lady and other prominent female guests.
Manekha Ghandi accompanied the Queen on a visit to Childline 1098, a safety net for children - comparable to Mathilde's patronage Child Focus in Belgium.
Laurence de Ghellinck accompanied Mathilde on this journey as lady-in-waiting.
At night, the Royal Couple participated in a gala dinner offered by Indian President Kovind and his wife.
Day 4: 8 November 2017
The day started with a networking event for Indian tour operators.
The King & Queen of the Belgians inaugurated 'India in Flanders Fields', an exhibition on the shared WWI history of the two countries, alongside Minister of State for External Affairs Singh and Bipin Rawat, the chief of staff of the Indian Army.
At noon there was a working lunch with foreign secretary Didier Reynders. The importance of the SDGs were discussed with representatives of an Indian Government think tank UN India, University rectors and Indian CEOs.
In the afternoon, Mathilde was intoduced to 'Plan-It Girls!', a female empowerment project on social emancipation: the issues of rape, arranged marriage and teenage pregnancy in Indian society were discussed. The project is founded by ICRW, the Intenational Center for Research on Women. Mathilde's an honorary member of the board.
Mathilde received a scarf as a gift.
Afterwards Mathilde took the time to talk to people on the streets.
Finally, Philippe & Mathilde attended a reception at the Belgian embassy in New Dehli where they assisted at a performance of Belgian dance group Bollyliscious.
Belgian ambassador to India, Jan Luykx and his wife, Raka Singh.
Day 5: 9 November 2017
In the morning the Belgian delegation flew from New Dehli to Mumbai.
They received a bindi on the forehead at their hotel.
King Philippe & Queen Mathilde had a meeting with the Governor of Maharahstra.
In the afternoon, the Queen visited Unicef India (Mathilde's the honorary chair of Unicef Belgium) at the Lions School in Mumbai. A group of children performed the Handwash Song.
She talked with representatives of Unicef on the actions they take to end the violence against children in their country.
Queen Mathilde sent out this message.
Together with the Healthcare Minister of Maharashtra, Dr. Deepak Sawant, Mathilde attended a Mumbai Seminar on life sciences and healthcare.
The Royal Couple finished their working day by attending a Port of Antwerp reception.
Day 6: 10 November 2017
King Philippe & Queen Mathilde got their first cricket lessons from Virender Sehwag. Later Mathilde commented she felt she was still trying to play tennis a little too much. The workshop was a Unicef project to get children to work on their confidence through sports in a safe and healthy environment.
Koningin Mathilde speelt in Mumbai voor het eerst cricket, nationale sport in India. Spelregels zijn ingewikkeld, zegt ze later. #BelInd2017 pic.twitter.com/Zv7XTUhFWj
— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) November 10, 2017
Queen Mathilde talked to the Belgian journalists.
Then the King & Queen joined sister Jeanne Devos for the lighting of the lamp ceremony. Belgian Sister Jeanne is the founder of the National Domestic Workers Movements. Mathilde has been showing support for her actions for over 15 years. Last year Jeanne Devos returned to Belgium for health reasons. She's joined the Queen in India especially for this occasion.
Indische jongen: “Breng volgende keer uw kinderen mee”-Filip: “Zal hen zeggen hoe fantastisch jullie zijn. Hopelijk ontmoeten ze jullie ‘ns” pic.twitter.com/iXi0V8qq6V
— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) November 10, 2017
Then followed a working lunch with Indian ladies.
At the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation, Queen Mathilde watched young musicians perform. The Indian organisation has been supported by the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition for the past 3 years.
A concert by Belgian girls choir Scala featuring the Symphony Orchestra of India was the closing event of the state visit. Mathilde was wearing a second dress by Anita Dongre.
One of the personal guests of the Royal Couple was Indian stewardess Nidhi Chaphekar, one of the victims of the Brussels terror attacks in March 2016. Mrs Chaphekar was in a coma for 22 days and had to undergo 8 operations. Philippe & Mathilde had had a personal meeting with her once before, in Brussels: http://queenmathilde.blogspot.be/2017/03/nindhi-chaphekar.html
Day 7: 11 November 2017
In the early morning, the Royal Couple and their entire delegation left Mumbai for Brussels.
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