State Visit #11: Greece

King Philippe & Queen Mathilde are on a three-day state visit to Greece from 2 to 4 May 2022, at the invitation of President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

2 May 2022

10:00 Departure from Melsbroek military airport.

Melsbroek. Départ du Roi et de la Reine pour une visite d’Etat de trois jours en Grèce. @MonarchieBe #statevisit #greece #belgre 🎥 Wim Dehandschutter pic.twitter.com/HzIDtHapmO

— Pierre De Vuyst (@pierredevuyst) May 2, 2022

14:00 Arrival at Athens airport.

🇧🇪 Koningin Mathilde is pas voor de tweede keer in Griekenland, vertelde ze me op het vliegtuig naar Athene.

🇬🇷 In 2004 voor de Olympische Spelen; deze week voor een staatsbezoek.

📚 Ze herinnerde me eraan dat dochter Elisabeth Grieks (en Latijn) volgde op de middelbare school. pic.twitter.com/Pz8LCUVDuw

— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) May 2, 2022

The King & Queen are taken to Hotel Grande Bretagne, where they are staying for the duration of the visit.

15:00 Wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

15:10 Official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Mansion by President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou and her partner.

16:00 Welcome by Greek Prime Minister, Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion, followed by a private meeting.

16:50 Visit to Smile of the Child community center, an organization that has close ties with Belgian Child Focus - of which Queen Mathilde is Honorary President.

Via an interpreter Mathilde talks to the children: "Before I married my husband I was a speech therapist and a psychologist. I worked a lot with children, like children who have dyslexia ..." 

"Do you always have a bodyguard? M: "If I'm escorted? I'm always accompanied. I call them my guardian angels". 

"I have two boys who are mad about football. I'm also interested in sports. I play tennis, I love to cycle and a walk a lot, all the time."

🫅 Koningin Mathilde bezoekt bij start v/h staatsbezoek aan Griekenland opvangtehuis voor kinderen in Athene.

🧒 Smile of the Child is organisatie die zich inzet voor bescherming van kinderen.

🇧🇪 De ngo werkt nauw samen met @ChildFocusNL, waarvan Mathilde erevoorzitter is. pic.twitter.com/kKBUBdUeR8

— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) May 2, 2022

20:00 State banquet at the Presidential Mansion.

🇬🇷🇧🇪 The first day of the Belgian State Visit to Greece concludes with a state banquet.

🥂 The Greek president hosts King Philippe and Queen Mathilde at the presidential mansion.

🫅 Mathilde has no tiara moment - tonight’s dress code: dark suit (no black tie) / cocktail dress. pic.twitter.com/pRgSjWijNN

— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) May 2, 2022

3 May 2022

Visit to Adama Center where the King & Queen talk to refugees and the director of Caritas Greece.

10:00 Visit to the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion with the Greek Minister for Culture,

followed by a photo opp.

🇬🇷🇧🇪 Day 2 of the Belgian State Visit to Greece.

👉 King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visit Sounion, where they pay a short visit to the Temple of Poseidon.

👉 Belgian archaeologists have been working in Greece ever since the beginning of the 20th century. pic.twitter.com/TOKhK513tF

— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) May 3, 2022

📸 Als u straks foto’s van een echtpaar “alleen” aan de tempel van Poseidon ziet… zo komen die tot stand.

🇬🇷🇧🇪 Een leger fotografen en cameramannen volgt koning Filip en koningin Mathilde op staatsbezoek in Griekenland.

🎥 Een blik “achter de schermen”. “Alleen” is relatief. pic.twitter.com/HYaqIPxygm

— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) May 3, 2022

11:00 Immersive Technologies Showcase.

11:30 Meet and greet “Connecting past and future. The impact of New Technologies on Archaeology and Heritage Conservation”, followed by an Academic lunch.

On the right: CEO of Wallonia Export, Pascale Delcominnette

13:30 Visit to the archaeological site of Thorikos, guided by Roald Docter of UGent.

🇬🇷🇧🇪 Day 2 of the Belgian State Visit to Greece.

👉 King Philippe and Queen Mathilde climb the ruins of the ancient town of Thorikos.

👉 The oldest known theater in the world lies abandoned in Thornikos. pic.twitter.com/Kv4971XZl9

— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) May 3, 2022

19:15 Visit to the Acropolis Museum.

 

20:00 Belgian return event at the Acropolis Museum.

4 May 2022

10:00 Visit to the LNG-terminal of Revithoussa.

12:45 Queen Mathilde attends the working lunch "Sustainability today: challenges and solutions".

15:00 Unofficial farewell ceremony.

15:30 Departure 

17:30 Arrival in Belgium.

🇬🇷🇧🇪 Terug in België.

🛩 Het eerste staatsbezoek van koning Filip en koningin Mathilde in 2 jaar - aan Griekenland - zit er nu helemaal op.

🛬 De Boeing 737-500 waarmee we vlogen, was een Litouws toestel van @KlasJet. (Vroeger werd het vliegtuig v/d koning gehuurd in Portugal.) pic.twitter.com/MQI9iGFBue

— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) May 4, 2022