Queen Mathilde

zondag 23 juli 2023

INTERVIEW "Being multilingual helps to put things in perspective"

In 2010 journalist Martine Tanghe (1955-2023) interviewed Princess Mathilde for magazine "Onze Taal". The result is an interesting insight on Mathilde's family life, language skills and opinions.

Recently she was the VIP guest at the 'Youth Language Feast' for Onze Taal's 30th anniversary in Bruges: Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz - since her wedding to Crown Prince Philippe (in 1999), Princess of Belgium. She was born in 1973 as the daughter of Count Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz and Polish Countess Anna Maria Komorowska. She wad educated speaking French. She studied speech therapy in Brussels and psychology in Louvain-la-Neuve, and she's the mother of four children.
Princess Mathilde is more than fascinated by the Dutch language, and immediately agreed to be interviewed on the subject. We had a long and relaxed talk at her office in the royal palace of Brussels.

'Onze Taal' ('Our Language') refers to our mother tongue, Dutch. However it isn't your mother tongue, is it. When did you first learn Dutch?
Mathilde: "I started taking Dutch lessons when I was twelve, which was perhaps a bit late. I think you have to learn to speak a language as a child, in a playful manner. But I have fond memories of my years at school. The last three years of secondary school I had a wonderful teacher for the Dutch language. She didn't just focus on the linguistic aspect, but also on the culture that surrounds it. Her lessons were very interesting."

Did you think Dutch was hard to master?
Mathilde: "It wasn't easy. I specially struggled with the grammar, the pronounciation of various sounds and knowing which syllable to stress. I'm aware of my French accent, and I'll probably never lose it. I try to improve myself each day. It's a constant challenge. But the most important thing is to be able to communicate well with those around me."

Read the entire interview, in Dutch, here: https://onzetaal.nl/uploads/editor/1101mathilde.pdf

zaterdag 22 juli 2023

Jewels: New Diamond and Pearl Earrings

Queen Mathilde wore these delicate diamond and pearl earrings for the first time on her state visit to Poland in October 2015.

They were new to her collection.

In 2023 Crown Princess Elisabeth wore them for the first time, at the National Day celebrations.

vrijdag 21 juli 2023

10 Year Reign: National Day 2023

21 July 2023

On this very special National Day, King Philippe celebrates he's been King for exactly ten years as he took the oath as seventh King of the Belgians on 21 July 2013.

At 10:00 there was the traditional Te Deum mass at the Saints-Michel-et-Gudule cathedral in Brussels.
Apart from the Royal Family, former King Albert II & Queen Paola were also be in attendance, for the first time in 10 years.

🇧🇪 KING PHILIPPE 10 YEARS ON THE THRONE IN BELGIUM

👑 For the first time since his abdication in 2013, King Albert, 89, and Queen Paola, 85, attends the National Day.

👨‍⚕️ 1 month ago, he was hospitalized for 9 days with symptoms of dehydration and a blood infection. pic.twitter.com/ZmIf8Ksz0T
— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) July 21, 2023

The Royal Couple and the Crown Princess made a superior "flag dressing" effort!

Elisabeth was wearing a new Natan dress and clutch and a new hat by Fabienne Delvigne, combined with her Gianvito Rossi sandals.

Princess Eléonore was wearing a new Maje dress.

After the mass, the royals greeted the public.

At 16:00 the Royal Family attended the Military Parade at the Place des Palais.

Crown Princess Elisabeth and cadet Prince Gabriel marched in the parade with their respective promotions of the Military Academy.

Other royals who were present: Princess Astrid & Prince Lorenz, Prince Laurent & Princess Claire and Princess Delphine & Jim O'Hare.

These photos, taken by Bas Bogaerts, were shared with the public a day later: King Philippe posing with his two eldest children, both in the their uniforms of the Royal Military Academy. They were taken before the parade.

After the Military Parade, the ladies changed outfits and visited the festivities and stands in the Parc Royal.

Elisabeth was wearing a new dress by The Kooples, her mother's Delvigne clutch and Percossi Papi earrings. Eléonore had changed into a new Maje model.

At 21:00 the Royal Family and all four children attended the "Happy Belgium" concert at the Cinquantenaire.

Mathilde & family greeting the families of Laurent and Delphine.
Laurent & Claire had brought their 3 children along, while Delphine & Jim were accompanied by their daughter, Josephine O'Hare.

🇧🇪 Welcoming Delphine into the Belgian royal family is perhaps King Philippe’s greatest act as “new” head of the family. Check out this video. Delphine gets a warm greeting by Queen Mathilde, gives Philippe a pat on the back herself, socializes with Claire.pic.twitter.com/y32HHUhj9S
— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) July 22, 2023

During the concert footage was shown of King Philippe playing the piano alongside the orchestra.

The royal family went on stage to address the crowd.

Both Eléonore and Elisabeth were wearing a new Diane von Fürstenberg dress. Elisabeth was also sporting her mother's Caroline Herrera crystal earrings and an Armani clutch belonging to Mathilde.

The dresses belong to the new DvF collection that isn't yet available in stores.