Belgium

Queen Mathilde acquires a new goddaughter due to a peculiar Belgian tradition being enacted

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23rd February 2023
Queen Mathilde has acquired a new goddaughter after a family in Molenbeek asked The Queen of Belgium to become godparent to their child. Her Majesty does not know the family, but has accepted, gifting the child an engraved silver cup, and arranged for an audience to be held with the Mayor of the city. But how did Queen Mathilde end up being the godmother to a child she does not know? Belgian…
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Belgium

King Philippe of Belgium and his unique relationship with the church

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12th February 2023
King Philippe of Belgium will be marking a decade of kingship in July 2023; he took the throne after his father abdicated in 2013. Philippe’s role as sovereign has a different relationship with the church than many other monarchs. Belgium does not have a state church. As of 2018, over 60% of Belgians identify as Christian, with 57% of the population identifying as Catholic. As monarch…
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Belgium

Egyptian visit planned for the Belgian royals

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25th January 2023
Egypt will welcome a royal visit in March when Queen Mathilde of the Belgians and her daughter, Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, visit the country for three days. The Queen and Duchess of Brabant will be in Egypt from 14-16 March. The visit will centre around…
Belgium

New coins and stamps celebrate Queen Mathilde's 50th birthday

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21st January 2023
Queen Mathilde will grace Belgian coins and stamps in honour of her 50th birthday, the Belgian Royal Mint has announced. The Belgian queen will feature on a 12.5 Euro gold coin with her husband’s profile on the back—the first time that King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will be displayed together on a commemorative coin. It is legal tender in Belgium, and only 2,500 coins have been…
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Belgium

Queen Mathilde - the quiet queen who became the first Belgian born consort

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20th January 2023
Queen Mathilde of Belgium is celebrating her 50th birthday on January 20th. Born Mathilde Marie Christine Ghislaine d’Udekem d’Acoz on 20 January 1973, she was the oldest of five children born to Count and Countess Patrick d’Udekem d’Acoz in Uccles, Belgium. Her early schooling saw her study in Bastogne and Brussels, and her later studies saw her receive a diploma in…
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