Royal Titbits #14

Engaged: Marie-Cécile de Lhoneux & Gaspard Douville de Franssu.

Marie-Cécile is the daughter of Diane d'Udekem, one of Mathilde's cousins.

Gaspard (°1999) is the son of French Jean-Baptiste Douville de Franssu & Belgian Baroness Hélène de Gerlache de Gomery, a granddaughter of the famous explorer Adrien de Gerlache who was the first to spend a winter in the Antarctic onboard the ship Belgica. Gaspard's father was the director of the Bank of the Vatican from 2014 until earlier this year.

Gaspard himself works in real estate.

***

Married: Charlotte d'Udekem & Nicolas Nève de Mévergnies. 

Charlotte is a daughter of Count Bernard d'Udekem, head of the d'udekem d'Acoz family, and another cousin of Mathilde.

***

Last June Mathilde's lady-in-waiting Clotilde Boël & her husband, Sofina CEO Harold Boël were at the award ceremony of the Vocatio scholarships. 

Also present were Mathilde's friend Marie-Laure Jonet and Giulia Van Waeyenberge, sister of Melissa Maas-Van Wayenberge, another one of Mathilde's ladies-in-waiting.

UNGA81

From 20 September to 23 September 2026 Queen Mathilde will be in New York.

As an SDG advocate, she will participate in the United Nations' 81st General Assembly.

At UNGA80 in 2025

Mathilde will have meetings with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Chairwoman of the SDG group Amina Mohammed, UNDP President Alexander De Croo and Under-Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief Tom Fletcher.

Queen Mathilde will also visit the 9/11 Memorial, 25 years after the terrorist attack on the twin towers.

At the memorial in 2020

COMING UP Trade Visit to Saudi Arabia

21 November - 27 November 2026

Queen Mathilde will be presiding a trade visit to Saudi Arabia in the company of hundreds of participants.

To develop tourism, the financial sector and AI, Saudi Arabia is making heavy investments in infrastructure projects. Belgian companies such as Besix, DEME, and Jan De Nul are already active in Middle Eastern country, for example in the creation of artificial islands, and can benefit from the current construction boom. In addition, this trade visit will also attract Saudi investors to Belgium. 

Mathilde at her previous trade mission, in Turkey.

Flashback: School Visit in Molenbeek

15 September 2006

Princess Mathilde visited the exhibition "Une école dans son quartier" at the Chouette communal school of Molenbeek, Brussels. 

Recap: Royal Baptisms & Godchildren

1986: Prince Philippe becomes godfather to his nephew, Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este.

1988: Baptism of Prince Constantin de Nassau. Philippe is Constantin's godfather.

1999: Crown Prince Philippe becomes godfather to Prince Alexandre d'Arenberg (°20 May 1999).

19 February 2000: Baptism of Prince Dinis de Bragança at the cathedral of Porto in Portugal. Philippe is Dinis's godfather.

video: https://arquivos.rtp.pt/conteudos/baptismo-real-no-porto/

2002: Baptism of Count Niccolo Secco d'Aragona in Paris, France.

12 June 2004: Christening of Princess Catharina-Amalia of Orange Nassau in The Hague, Holland.

19 November 2005: Christening of Princess Alexia of Orange Nassau in The Hague, Holland. Mathilde is Alexia's godmother.

21 January 2006: Christening of Prince Christian of Denmark in Copenhagen, Denmark.

More: https://queenmathilde.blogspot.com/2022/11/flashback-christian-of-denmarks.html

1 July 2007: Christening of Princess Isabella of Denmark at Fredensborg, Denmark. Mathilde is Isabella's godmother.

22 May 2012: Christening of Princess Estelle of Sweden in Stockholm, Sweden.

14 November 2015: Christening of Prince Philipp von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha at Beiersdorf, Germany. Philippe is godfather to his namesake.

more: https://queenmathilde.blogspot.com/2015/11/earlier-this-week-christening-of-prince.html

Jewels: Butterfly Brooch

During the state visit to Denmark in March 2017, Queen Mathilde wore this diamond brooch in the shape of a butterfly for the first time.

It was purchased at auction from Drouot's (Paris) in October 2014, for € 8.400 by French jeweller Martin du Daffoy, who can be found at the Place Vendôme in Paris.

The brooch was made around 1900. It was described in the catalogue as:

Importante BROCHE DE CORSAGE en platine (900 millièmes) et or gris (750 millièmes) ajouré serti de diamants taille ancienne de forme coussin dont sept plus importants, et de diamants taillés en rose, à motifs de volutes, rinceaux et fleurs stylisées. Vers 1900. Dim.: 8 x 5,5 cm. Poids brut: 33,4 g

Mathilde was again seen with the same model in October 2017, at the cremation of the late King Bhumibol of Thailand ...

...  And in July 2018, at the Australian state visit to Belgium.

In 2022 Mathilde wore it to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

And in 2023 to King Charles's Coronation.

In 2024 Mathilde chose the brooch for a visit to Buckingham Palace.

In October 2024, Mathilde wore the brooch as a hair ornament during the state visit to France.

September 2026: at King Harald of Norway's funeral.