4 December 1999
Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz and her father, Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz left the royal palace where Mathilde had been getting ready since 6:00.
Since midnight she'd been made a royal princess in her own right, and her father and siblings had received the title of count or countess. Before this day they had been untitled nobility.
Meanwile the guests to the civil wedding had arrived and were waiting for the bride.
Queen Fabiola of the Belgians.
Queen Fabiola of the Belgians.
Mathilde's brother, Count Charles-Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz and his uncle, Count Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz.
Prince Alexandre and Princess Esmeralda of Belgium with their spouses, Léa Wolman and Salvador Moncada.
Philippe's cousins: Grand Duke Henri & Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Princess Margaretha and Prince Jean of Luxembourg.
Mathilde's sister Countess Hélène d'Udekem d'Acoz, Prince Lorenz & Princess Astrid of Belgium. Behind them: their daughter, Princess Laura.
Arrival at Brussels city hall.
Princess Mathilde was wearing a sleeveless dress covered by a coat with a 5 meter train, designed by Edouard Vermeulen of Natan.
Her tiara and lace veil had been lent to her by Queen Paola. Her new diamond and pearl earrings were a gift of Crown Prince Philippe.
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Mathilde and Philippe were officially married at the city hall. In Belgium only a civil wedding is valid, and a religious ceremony is optional but has no legal value. Therefore the civil ceremony has to precede the religious ceremony.
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When the couple pronouced their yes in French ("oui") and in Dutch and German ("ja"), they could hear the cheering of the crowd outside.
Once the ceremony was concluded, the married couple appeared on the balcony.
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After the ceremony, Mathilde's father escorted her back to the car. They were then driven to the cathedral for the religious wedding.
Guests arrive at the cathedral:
Mathilde's mother, Countess Anne Komorowska & Philippe's father, King Albert II of the Belgians.
Crown Prince Philippe with his mother, Queen Paola.
Austrian president Thomas Klestil & his wife.
Archduke Rodolphe & Archduchess Anna Gabriele von Habsburg.
Former King Constantine & Queen Anne Marie of Greece.
Prince Kubrat & Princess Myriam of Bulgaria.
King Carl Gustav & Queen Silvia of Sweden.
Queen Margrethe II & Prince Henrik of Denmark.
Queen Beatrix and Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
King Harald & Queen Sonja of Norway.
Prince Laurent of Belgium with Mathilde's sister, Countess Elisabeth d'Udekem.
Mathilde's mother, Countess Anne Komorowska & Philippe's father, King Albert II of the Belgians.
Crown Prince Philippe with his mother, Queen Paola.
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Inside the cathedral:
Duchess Hélène in Bayern with Princess Astrid of Belgium.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Queen Sofia of Spain. Behind them: Polish President Komorowski.
Prince Albert II of Monaco and the Prince of Wales.
Count Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz escorted his eldest daughter down the aisle at the Saints-Michel-et-Gudule Cathedral of Brussels while Bach's "Magnificat" resounded.
After the wedding ceremonies, Philippe and Mathilde returned to the royal palace.
Leaving the cathedral:
Philippe's uncle and aunt, Grand Duke Jean & Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.
Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.
Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco.
Crown Prince Naruhito & Princess Masako of Japan.
A group of young Belgian diplomats posed in church after the ceremony.
At the royal palace, the married couple greeted the public from the balcony.
Then the official photos were made inside the Royal Palace.
Princess Masako of Japan talking to Crown Prince Felipe of Spain.
Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal; Archduke Christian of Austria-Este & Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg.
The Polish presidential couple: Aleksander & Jolanta Kwasniewski.
Princess Marina of Savoie.
At the Salle du Trône, lunch was served for the family and their guests.
For the final part of the wedding day, the evening reception, Mathilde changed into a copy of her coat with a shorter train.
The Duke of Vendôme with Prince Eudes & Princess Marie-Liesse d'Orléans.
queen is so preety
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMarriage write for us
Do civil and religious ceremonies must be happen on the same day? I find it hard for the then Princess Mathilde to navigate her long dress from the city hall to the church.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenNo, there's no obligation to have both ceremonies on the same day. It's even very hard to get this arranged if you would like it, due to practical reasons. Most Belgians who wish to marry in a religious ceremony do so about a month after the civil ceremony which takes about 10 minutes at your local town hall.
VerwijderenInteresting to know that, thank you! Princess Maria Laura did it cleverly during her wedding day just to avoid the hassle, by wearing short casual dress for civil ceremony and later changed onto wedding dress fit for big cathedral. Maybe Princess Elisabeth would pursue in this way when her big day comes.
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