Mathilde Invests in Young People

400.000 euro for 18 year olds without a family home

This week it emerged that queen Mathilde will be investing € 400.000 in 18-year-olds who grew up in foster care. Once they reach their legal majority they can no longer rely on foster care and often have no-one to turn to for financial, practical or emotional support.

Three Belgian organisations who help 18-year-olds during this transition time will be able to do so even better now they receive the royal subvention.

Where does the money come from? 

Oeuvres de la Reine/Het Hulpfonds van de Koningin is a fund started by queen Fabiola in 1964. For many decades it gave a one-time financial support to individual pleas from Belgians who adressed the queen, e.g. to prevent a family from being evicted, to buy a computer for a student whose family is without funds...

Queen Mathilde and her team seem to have reorganized the Oeuvres de la Reine/Hulpfonds.

What's changed?

Apart from individual one-time gifts, the Fund will also provide a 3 year financial aid to 3 organisations for young people, in a field that has been let down by financial support from the government. This is a strong personal signal from Mathilde, who's forever been investing in young people's wellbeing, even before she became royal.

Who will benefit from the money?

Three Belgian organisations will receive funds during 3 years. Mathilde has been acquainted with their work through visits or her royal protection.

La Société Royale Protectrice de l'Enfance
Cachet vzw with their project 'Grote Stap'
Koninklijk Werk IBIS with their project 'Bootsman'

World Economic Forum 2020

From 21 to 23 January 2020 King Philippe & Queen Mathilde took part in the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Tuesday 21 January 2020

With PM Sophie Wilmès.

With WEF Founder & CEO Klaus Schwab and his wife, Hilde Schwab.

King Philippe attended the opening session "Forging a Sustainable Path towards a common future" where Greta Thunberg was one of the guest speakers.

Queen Mathilde attended the session "The Big Picture on Mental Health" by Frances "Ming" Kuo, Associate Professor at the University of Illinois, USA.

Belgian Power Reception.

  with AB Inbev CEO Carlos Brito

Wednesday 22 January 2020

Meeting with UN high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi.

Meeting with the Schwab Foundation that Mathilde is a member of.

With FAO director-general Qu Dongyu.

With Achim Steiner, administrator of the UN development program.

Meanwhile King Philippe had left the WEF and travelled on to Israel for the 5th World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem.

Happy 47th Birthday!

20 January 2020

Visit to Liège

15 January 2020

Queen Mathilde visited senior citizens care center "Résidence Saint-Joseph" in Racour where she met with residents & their families, nursing staff and volunteers.

At Waremme Mathilde visited J&JOY, a clothing brand invested in social entrepreneurship.

The next stop was at BioWanze, a biological refinery in Wanze.

The visit to the province ended in Huy with a walkabout. This visit was originally planned for both the king & queen. Because King Philippe had travelled to Oman after the death of Sultan Qabous bin Saïd Al Saïd, Mathilde carried out the visits on her own.

video: https://www.rtc.be/video/info/divers/la-reine-mathilde-en-visite-en-terre-hesbignonne-_1503992_325.html

2019: The Year that Was

CROWN PRINCESS ELISABETH: Mathilde's eldest daughter took her place in the spotlight this year

At her 18th birthday, crown princess Elisabeth captured many hearts with her grace, positivity and self assurance during an official ceremony at the royal palace.

Furthermore she accompanied her father on a visit to the Brussels Fire Brigade, she made her first humanitarian visit abroad accompanying her mother to Kenya for UNICEF, and she turned up behind the scenes at her father's National Day speech. She also accompanied her parents to the state funeral of her great-uncle, grand duke Jean of Luxembourg.

There were official photo shoots, and a new stamp in her honour.

INTERNATIONAL QUEEN: in 2019 Mathilde visited fourteen countries

France for an exhibition on Knopff in Paris.

Luxembourg for the funeral of grand duke Jean, and on a state visit.

Switzerland for the World Economic Forum in Davos, and for a visit to the WHO in Geneva.

Mozambique for a humanitarian visit as a UN SDG representative.

South Korea on a state visit.

Austria for the informal meeting of the German Speaking States.

Germany for an official visit to the German regions Thüringen and Sachsen-Anhalt, and for the Bambi Awards in Baden-Baden.

Kenya for a UNICEF visit. Crown princess Elisabeth was with her.

Holland for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands.

Italy for the Venice Art Biennale.

New York, USA for the UN General Assembly.

Japan for the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito.

Family holidays were spent in Egypt, France and Spain.

HEADS OF STATE

King Philippe & queen Mathilde officially welcomed president Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo of Congo, and his spouse Mrs. Denise Nyakeru-Tshisekedi at the Royal Palace in Brussels.

The king & queen hosted a lunch for the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda and his wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda.

Queen Mathilde joined her husband for a lunch with Romanian president Klaus Iohannis at the royal palace in Brussels. Together they opened Europalia Romania cultural festival.

HONOURS

Mathilde was made a new honorary member of the Royal Belgian Academy for Medecine, granting her royal protection to the institution.

And she received the German Bambi Award for her efforts in promoting children's rights all over the world.

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS. The king & queen frequently receive groups of young professionals at the castle of Laeken, as a means of showing their appreciation.

Young police officers

Young judges

Young Social Workers

Young Civil Servants

Young employees of Public Transport Services

FAREWELL: Sadly there were three funerals to attend in 2019.

Count Philippe de Lannoy, father of hereditary grand duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg.

Former cardinal Godfried Danneels.

Former grand duke Jean of Luxembourg.

CELEBRATIONS

60th wedding anniversary of king Philippe's parents, Albert II & Paola in France.

20th wedding anniversary of the royal couple.

INTERVIEWS: Mathilde talked to the press about her work, life and passions.

In Mozambique, where queen Mathilde made a visit as SDG advocate for the UN, she talked about the importance of quality education for girls - and about getting boys involved in this.

An interview for the queen Elisabeth Competition on attending the concerts with the late queen Fabiola, the love of the entire family for music and being a strict mum when it comes to bedtime!

https://www.canvas.be/video/koningin-elisabethwedstrijd-2019/koningin-mathilde-met-fabiola-was-het-een-uitdaging-om-te-zwijgen

Mathilde & Elisabeth both talked to the press while on UNICEF visit to Kenya. The queen talked about the importance of quality education for girls and about her own volunteer work in Egypt, before she became a royal.

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2019/06/27/kroonprinses-elisabeth-de-keniase-meisjes-van-mijn-leeftijd-to/

German ZDF was allowed to film & follow the queen for a documentary. She talked to the journalists about the German origins of the Belgian royal family.

https://www.zdf.de/dokumentation/dokumentation-sonstige/beruf-koenigin-mathilde-von-belgien-102.html#xtor=CS5-21

For their 20 years of marriage, Philippe & Mathilde gave a look inside their married life. Details about the engagement, the wedding and the first fears of an empty nest were shared.