Voorleesweek + New Royal Warrant Holders 2024

19 November 2024

Queen Mathilde visited the Désiré Van Monckhoven Primary School in Ghent, where she participated like each year in the Reading Out Loud Week. 

Mathilde was accompanied by a member of 'DITO', an association of young adults with a disability or a chronical illness who volunteer to read to small children each week. 

With her co-reader, Mathilde read "Mijn zus woont in het donker" an inclusive picture book by Emy Geyskens and Kolet Janssen.

video: https://avs.be/nieuws/koningin-mathilde-leest-voor-op-gentse-basisschool-voor-voorleesweek

Later that day King Philippe & Queen Mathilde also received the newly appointed Royal Warrant Holders at the Royal Palace in Brussels:

Furniture Restorers "Art-Restauration s.r.l." (Olivier Delroisse)
Jewellery designer "CB-Design b.v." (Christine Bekaert)
Cosmetics "Environ Benelux n.v." (Hélène Vanhoudt)
Makeup artist "Scarmuse s.r.l." (Anouchka de Bellefroid)
Porcelain objects "Studio Pieter Stockmans" (Widukind Stockmans)

Christine Bekaert: "One of my friends gave a jewel from my collection to Mathilde as a gift eight years ago. The palace contacted me and I sent over my collection so the Queen could make her pick. Our Queen is a very beautiful and elegant woman. She really favours my larger bracelets ans my earrings." Nowadays Mrs Bekaert still sends over her entire collection to the Royal Family so Mathilde & Elisabeth can pick and choose. Bekaert: "Sometimes I have Mathilde in mind while designing bracelets, I know she loves them and she wears them really well." 

Michèle Beerland of Flamant Design.