2022: The Year That Was

Let's take a look at the highlights of Mathilde's year.

Surprisingly, after having followed Mathilde for many years, 2022 turned out to be a great year when it comes to ... jewellery! Mathilde, who is usually very modest when it comes to clothes and jewellery seems to have realized that the royal jewellery collection is just too meagre. Probably also in light of Elisabeth, Eléonore and future daughters-in-law who will need to wear some bling, important purchases were made.

Mathilde had her impressive but a bit heavy looking sapphire ring (a 2009 gift from Philippe at their 10 years of marriage) altered into a more elegant, feminine design. I like it!

After more than 10 years this elegant pearl necklace made its reappearance at various occasions.

In June we discovered a new diamond necklace on Mathilde and a dazzeling new tiara on Elisabeth. The tiara was bought at auction for Elisabeth's 18th birthday and used to belong to Lady Vestey.

At her brother's wedding Mathilde wore a beautiful new pair of diamand and emerald earrings and a matching ring.

At the reception ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral Mathilde wore a spectacular diamond bow brooch.

A few weeks later she sported another antique diamond and sapphire brooch by Confalonieri.

And in November these vintage earrings by René Boivin were new to her jewellery case.

There were visits to fifteen foreign countries this year for Mathilde.

1-2. First trip of 2022 was an official visit to Oman & The Emirates. Belgium plans to depend on this part of the world for renewable energy. Also the world exhibition was visited.

3. In the early spring Mathilde and some of the children went skiing in Verbier, Switzerland: their regular spot. Philippe stayed behind in Belgium because of the war in Ukraine.

4. In March the King & Queen of the Belgians attended the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh in London.

In September they returned, for the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

And in November Queen Mathilde was one of Queen Camilla's high profile guests at a gathering on tackling violence against women. 

5. In April there was the annual pilgrimage/hiking holiday in Spain, along the Compostella trail. This time in the Palencia region.

6. May started with a brief visit to Denmark for the confirmation ceremony of Princess Isabella, Mathilde's goddaughter.

7. Early May Philippe & Mathilde went on state visit to Greece.

8. A month later they made a historical official visit to Congo, where King Philippe very publicly pronounced his regrets for the colonial regime. They also visited Dr Mukwege's clinic for victims of sexual violence used as a weapon of war.

9. Also in June, Mathilde & Elisabeth were guests at Princess Ingrid's wonderful 18th birthday gala in Norway.

10-11. Summer holidays were spent in Croatia and Italy.

12. Mathilde celebrated her brother's wedding in France.

13. The Informal Meeting of Heads of State of German Speaking Countries took place in Liechtenstein.

14. In October Philippe & Mathilde made an official visit to the region Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany.

15. The final foreign visit of 2022 was a state visit to Lithuania the same month.

Crown Princess Elisabeth made further steps into the limelight. 2022 was the year when she performed her first solo events!

She accompanied her father to a meeting after a dramatic killing had taken place in Strépy on the morning of the town's carnival.

Back from Oxford for a break, the Crown Princess took part in a meeting with academic experts on the situation in Ukraine. 

Even though she left the Royal Military Academy to pursue an academic formation in Oxford, Elisabeth was back for special trainings with her original promotion, both in the springtime and at summer camp.

In May Princess Astrid presided a Belgian trade mission to London and Oxford. And there she was as well!

Elisabeth looked incredible at her first official gala, in Norway for Princess Ingrid's 18th birthday. The antique tiara she was wearing is now her own.

Once her exams finished, Elisabeth came home to perform her first two solo engagements: baptizing a navy vessel and inaugurating a science lab. 

A few weeks later, Elisabeth was the radiant focal point of the National Day festivities.

Another solo event followed in September, when it was the Crown Princess who went to the British embassy in Brussels to present her condolences on behalf of the King & Queen, after Queen Elizabeth II had died. 

She was there at her brother's side, sporting a cute new haircut, when Gabriel performed at an official ceremony of the Royal Military Academy.

And finally she was back in Belgium for Christmas, shining at the Christmas concert and making a suprise appearance with her brother Emmanuel to run for charity.

Prince Gabriel also briefly left his shielded anonymous life behind him when he signed up for the Royal Military Academy. We got to see him at the Blue Beret Ceremony and at the official start of the academic year.

Queen Mathilde and her family attended two weddings.

Mathilde's younger brother, Count Charles-Henri d'Udekem married his French bride Caroline Philippe in her hometown Pont-L'Evêque.

Princess Laura of Belgium married her French-British fiancé William Isvy in Brussels. 

There was one funeral. The one we all watched with awe as the world said farewell to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kindom.

Earlier in 2022 there had also been the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh who died in 2021. Because of the covid restrictions back then, it had been a very confined funeral, without guests.

This year's official photos were made by Bas Bogerts.

Crown Princess Elisabeth had her first portrait painted.

Mathilde is known to be a skilled diplomat. In the past year she had meetings with various foreign leaders.

In the margins of the African & European Union Summit in Brussels, Mathilde had meetings with Dominique Ouattara, First Lady of Côte d'Ivoire, and with Monica Geingos, First Lady of Namibia.

Congolese Dr Mukwege, Nobel peace prize laureate, is a man the Belgian royal couple greatly admire. He was received at the Royal Palace.

In March Austrian President van der Bellen was welcomed during a state visit.

Via video call, Mathilde contacted Polish first lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, to discuss ways in which Belgium could help Poland in the immense effort the country was making for their neighbour Ukraine.

In May the Queen had a meeting with UN Special Representative on sexual violence in conflicts, Pramila Patten.

In June the Queen spoke to UN Special Representative for Children in Armed Conficts, Virginia Gamba.

And to Catherine Russell, the new UNICEF director.

In November the Swiss President and his wife were received during a state visit to Belgium.

At various moments during the year, King Philippe & Queen Mathilde showed their support for Ukraine, that's been living a terrible war since it was invaded by Russia in February. 

The Royal Couple visited Ukranian refugees in Brussels.

Mathilde made a visit to a Belgian-Ukrainian scouting group. 

Apart from various meetings with experts, there was a video conversation with Ukranian First Lady, Olena Zelenska. Both ladies also met at Queen Camilla's reception in London.

During the state visit to Lithuania Mathilde met Ukranian refugee children. It also became clear she'd been lobbying hard behind the scenes to get aid to the besieged country.

When it comes to interviews of sorts there was the documentary "Paola, côté jardin" where Mathilde's mother-in-law talked very openly about her life. Mathilde and the children also briefly featured in this document.

There was a short interview as promo for the Queen Elisabeth Competition: 
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2022/05/20/vier-jonge-cellisten-spelen-metallica-voor-koningin-mathilde/

And once again Mathilde explicitly showed her support for the world of arts and culture who have been cut dry by politics. She's also been carrying on her relentless work for mental health and sustainability. 

2023 will bring us Mathilde's 50th birthday, the first 10 years of King Philippe's reign and a state visit to South Africa. So let's go!