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.

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.

20 September 2026

Queen Mathilde is staying at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Meeting with UNDP administrator Alexander De Croo.

With Mirjana Spoljaric, chairwoman of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

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

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21 September 2026

Queen Mathilde & her team (new private secretary Marleen Steenbrugghe and SDG collaborator Jean-Louis Six) on their way from the hotel to the UN building.

With Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief.

Meeting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Speaking at the event 'Invisible Architecture: Building Safe Digital Systems for Children - Advancing Global Standards and Shared Responsibility'.

22 September 2026

With Queen Maxima at the General Assembly.

Stip It

21 September 2026

Before leaving for New York (so probably somewhere last week) Mathilde had a meeting with five primary school children who are taking part in the "Stip It" campaign, a anti bullying campaign that's been running for a number of years.

They did a dance for the Queen and presented her with a Kintsugi plate. All of the children have at some point in their young lives been the victim of bullying.

The videos were made by Flemish children's TV chain Ketnet who will start airing "STIP IT : Kintsugi" from 5 October 2026 on KETNET & VRT MAX.

Fashion Flashback: Elisabeth's Bracelets

 

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.

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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.

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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.

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.