15 December 2020
Queen Mathilde visited psychiatric hospital Sans Souci in Jette (Brussels) to attend a Christmas concert by the musicians of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.
The concert was part of their project "Sharing Christmas on Tour": an idea of Mathilde's to bring music to safe spaces (like a courtyard or a garden) of medical institutions during the corona pandemic.
14 December 2020
Queen Mathilde had video calls with several students from various Belgian universities.
They discussed the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic poses to their student life and their more general mental health and well being.
11 December 2020
The Christmas tree, donated this year by the town of Libramont, was placed in place in front of the royal palace.
11 December 2020
Court published photos of Queen Mathilde at various unannounced and so far uncovered visits the Queen made to Belgian care homes for the elderly. The first one was Vulpia Résidence Palmyra in Drogenbos.
Mathilde wishes to thank the more than 10.000 volunteers who've been stepping in to help the Red Cross in care homes since the start of the pandemic.
10 December 2020
From the Castle of Laeken Queen Mathilde had video conversations on mental health with Professor Jan De Lepeleire who works at the Psychiatric Center of KU Leuven.
2 February 2006
Princess Mathilde visited the College of Europe in Bruges to participate in a debate on microfinance.
3 December 2020
Queen Mathilde visited the juvenile detention center for girls "De Zande" in Beernem.
The 53 girls receive schooling on campus and get personal and psychological guidance. The lockdowns due to the Corona pandemic have made their lives particularly difficult and even more restricted.
video: https://vrtnws.be/p.JNV0Ro1bW
2 December 2020
Queen Mathilde had a meeting with author Bart Van Loo at the royal palace in Brussels.
Van Loo wrote a bestselling book on the Dukes of Burgundy. They had an animated & enriching conversation about literature. The private audience lasted 90 minutes.
1 December 2020
As SDG advocate, Queen Mathilde took part in this year's (digital) European Health Summit. She pronounced a speech on mental health.
"Let’s face it. Long before the pandemic, in “normal times”, we knew. We knew that too many people in our societies were facing depression and anxiety. We knew that burnouts were on the rise. We knew that suicide figures in many European countries are appalling. We live in a world that can at times be hard to manage. We should not be afraid of recognizing our vulnerabilities. Seeking the right support to tackle them will make us stronger.
The COVID pandemic has brought to light many stories of resilience and mutual support. Understanding better how this resilience came about and how these experiences can help us rebuild better, in mental health too, is an urgent challenge."
The summit is a gathering of policy makers and experts from the medical field & from private companies who exchange about vaccines, medical innovation, European medical policy and the sustainability of healthcare.
1 December 2020
Queen Mathilde sent her congratulations to Professor Andrew Hattersley and Professor Sarah-Maria Fendt for obtaining the Baillet-Latour Health Prize & Grant 2020.
Because of corona this year's prize was handed out in a virtual ceremony.
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