vrijdag 27 oktober 2023

Reception for Athletes 2023

26 October 2023

King Philippe & Queen Mathilde hosted a recpetion for Belgian athletes who've recently won a medal.







woensdag 25 oktober 2023

Elisabeth's 22 Today!

25 October 2023

Crown Princess Elisabeth turns 22 today!

For this occasion Court relaesed new images of the Princess, taken by Bas Bogaerts at home at Laeken Castle. The info that Elisabeth has just returned to Oxford, to start her final year in History & Politics was added.


Elisabeth is wearing a Dries Van Noten top and her mother's diamond solitaire earrings.

dinsdag 24 oktober 2023

Flashback: Birth of Elisabeth

25 October 2001

Mathilde & Philippe's first child was born on Thursday 25 October 2001, 21:58 at the Erasme Hospital in Anderlecht, Brussels. The girl weighed 2,930 kg and measured 49,5 cm. 

She was born by cesarean section as the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice. 

26 October 2001

The same night at 1:30 Crown Prince Philippe gave a press conference at the hospital where he talked very proudly about his daughter. He'd given her the first bath and he said she was a very pretty child, with a round face and very girly features. The parents were delighted it was a girl - which they had known beforehand. Philippe said it would be a great thing for Belgium to have a female future head of state.


Philippe & Mathilde named their daughter Elisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène. She was named after her great great grandmother, Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians, born as a Duchess in Bavaria in 1876. Philippe called his ancestor an inspiration for his daughter. He hoped she would one day be a strong queen, but also in the first place a strong woman, a real woman.



Around noon there was a first visit from the grandparents: King Albert II & Queen Paola and Count Patrick d'Udekem. Paola had been in Italy and was flown back to Belgium for the occasion.


A while later they were joined by new visitors: Mathilde's mother, Countess Anne Komorowska and her daughters Hélène and Elisabeth.





For Mathilde's parents Elisabeth was the first of their (eventually 11) grandchildren.

It was announced that Elisabeth's aunt, Countess Hélène d'Udekem and her cousin, Prince Amedeo of Belgium would become her grandparents.

101 canon shots were fired from the Parc Royal in Brussels.



27 October 2001

Queen Fabiola came to visit her new great-niece.


Someone elso who dropped by with a beautiful bouquet of roses: Maxima Zorreguieta, the fiancée of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander!


30 October 2001

Mathilde & Elisabeth received some more visits.

Princess Astrid & Prince Lorenz and their four children dropped by. Prince Amedeo, the baby's godfather, carried gifts.




Mathilde's mother and her sister Hélène, godmother to Elisabeth also visited. Mathilde's brother Charles-Henri was with them.



zondag 22 oktober 2023

Borrowed Jewellery: Chandelier Earrings

Princess Mathilde wore these diamond and pearl earrings in October 2006, at the opening of an exhibition at the Dutch Mauritshuis.



They must have been borrowed from a jeweller (or who knows, from a friend or a relative), since we never saw them again afterwards.

vrijdag 20 oktober 2023

Flashback: Association des écrivains de Belgique

20 October 2002

Princess Mathilde attended a celebration at the Concert Noble in Brussels, in honour of the centenary of the "Association des écrivains de Belgique", the Association of Belgian (Francophone) Authors.






donderdag 19 oktober 2023

Jewels: Diamond Bow Brooch

At Queen Elizabeth II's lying-in-state, Queen Mathilde wore this impressive and utterly gorgeous antique brooch for the first time. It's an early 20th century diamond bow in rococo style.

Look here for a close up of the belle epoque piece: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6231964



What can we tell about its provenance?

It was sold at auction on 12 November 2019 at Christie's Switzerland for CHF 18,750.

"Property of a Lady".
BELLE EPOQUE DIAMOND BOW BROOCH
Old and rose-cut diamonds, platinum, 1910s, 9.8 cm

Mathilde has also worn the brooch as a hair ornament.


dinsdag 17 oktober 2023

Incoming State Visit #10: Portugal

Monday 16 October 2023

On the day of his arrival, the Portuguese President had dinner with King Philippe. The official welcome was only scheduled for the next day.

Afterwards Mr Rebelo de Sousa was meant to meet the Portuguese community, but a terror attack in Brussels, killing two Swedish nationals and wounding a third who were in the capital for the football game Belgium-Sweden, changed all plans. The President was escorted back to his hotel.

Tuesday 17 October 2023

Because of the raised terror alert, the welcome ceremony was reduced to a photo opportunity inside the Royal Palace.










videohttps://www.hln.be/royalty/staatsbezoek-portugal-gaat-nog-door-in-koninklijk-paleis-van-brussel-maar-er-werden-enkele-aanpassingen-gemaakt~a8071d45/





In the course of the day, King Philippe had a telephone conversation with King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden to offer his condolences. King Philippe "expressed his support to the Swedish people, whose grief is shared by all Belgians."

In the evening there was a state banquet at the Castle of Laeken.








Mathilde looked beautiful in a new Costarellos gown ... Although Maxima was first in wearing it, a year ago.








Mathilde's lady-in-waiting was Clotilde Boël.

Before dinner a minute's silence was observed for the Swedish victims.






No tiara for Mathilde this evening, instead she wore the diamond bow brooch in her hair.


Wednesday 18 October 2023

Return event: a Portuguese fado concert at the the Palace for Fine Arts in Brussels.







Popular Posts