Child Focus: 20 years

29 March 2018

As patron, Queen Mathilde was present at a celebration for the 20th anniversary of Child Focus at the Château du Lac in Genval.

Mathilde also wrote the preface to the book Child Focus: 20 jaar in de bres voor vermiste en seksueel uitgebuite kinderen.

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

28 March 2018

Queen Mathilde & Crown Princess Elisabeth (16) attended the modern dance performance "Mitten wir im Leben sind/Bach 6 Cellosuiten" by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker & Rosas at the Stadsschouwburg in Leuven.

The choreography was by Jean-Guihen Queyras.

Family: Henri d'Udekem Acquitted

March 2018

Mathilde's uncle, count Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz (82), has been acquitted in appeal of swindle.

The Court of Appeal in Ghent judged that the facts he had earlier been tried for, are not proven.
According to Mr d'Udekem's lawyer, his client is releaved and has never felt guilty of the accusations.

Count d'Udekem, who was a lawyer himself, and one of his former clients, known swindler Hans V. were accused of having robbed a former car dealer of  € 166.000 with fake promises over a plot of land. The car dealer secretly started recording conversations he had with the accused men. The court of appeal has followed Mr d'Udekem's lawyer, who claims it can't be certain it's really d'Udekem's voice on the tapes, since he's been often imitated in public.

Family: Marie-Cécile Still in The Voice

Queen Mathilde's cousin's daughter, Marie-Cécile de Lhoneux, survived her live performance in The Voice Belgique and is through to the next round.

video: https://www.rtbf.be/auvio/detail_marie-cecile-de-lhoneux-jungle?id=2327724

She sang Wankelmut & Emma Louise's 'Jungle'.

Kazerne Dossin

27 March 2018

Queen Mathilde visited the Kazerne Dossin Memorial in Mechelen. From these barracks, (Belgian) Jews and gypsies were transported by force to be murdered in Auschwitz. Today it's a memorial, museum and documentation centre on the holocaust and human rights.

Mathilde was accompanied by Simon Gronowski, a Jewish man who had been able to escape during a resistance raid on one of the transports, on 19 April 1943.

video: https://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20180327_03432241/koningin-mathilde-brengt-bezoek-aan-kazerne-dossin

The Queen also visited the exhibition "Neighbours 2018" on the daily life of the hasidic Jews of Antwerp. It combines photos by Dan Zollman with excerpts from one of Mathilde's favourite books: 'Mazzel Tov' by Margot Vanderstraeten.

The request to be guided through the exhibition by Vanderstraeten in person came from Court. The author afterwards said Mathilde would make an excellent journalist: "She was very well prepared, asked the right questions and is an excellent listener". 

Queen Mathilde stayed an hour longer than initially planned.

Johannes Passion

26 March 2018

King Philippe & Queen Mathilde attended a rendition of Johannes Sebastian Bach's 'Passion of St John' by Koninklijke Chorale Caecilia at the Carolus Borromeus church of Antwerp.

video: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2018/03/26/koning-en-koningin-wonen--johannes-passion--van-bach-bij-in-antw/

The royal couple was initially due to attend the passion two years ago, on 22 March 2016, the day of the terror attacks on Brussels. 

Before the concert there was a reception at the historic Conscience Library.

World Ports Sustainability Program

22 March 2018

Queen Mathilde pronounced the opening speech, in English, at a conference in the harbour of Antwerp.

The Harbour has agreed to sign the UN's World Ports Sustainability Program and thus implement the Sustainable Development Goals.

(...) First of all, on this second anniversary of the attacks in Brussels, I am thinking especially of the many victims of terrorism and their families. Working on sustainable development is also a way of fighting the root causes of terrorism.

(...) Pollution, of all kinds, is a major concern in ports, especially marine pollution and plastics.  And we must all adjust our ways of thinking and our consumption patterns to turn our linear economy into a circular economy. Further digitalization of both port activities and the rest of the port community is another essential goal.

(...) All ports around the world can and should promote sustainable development. 

(...) All over the world there is an increasing will to work together to find solutions to limit climate change, reverse environmental damage, promote economic growth, and improve people’s quality of life.  We cannot afford to be complacent. Real change takes time to accomplish. We must all take action now to implement the SDGs, to safeguard the future of our planet.