King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the
Belgians have landed in South Africa for a five-day state
visit. The King and Queen arrived in Pretoria the evening
before the official beginning of the visit, landing in Wonderboom
Airport, north of the capital on 22 March. Their Majesties
have undertaken this trip accompanied by the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Hadja Lahbib, and the Presidents of…
Like most in Europe, the Belgian line of
succession is governed by absolute primogeniture (the eldest child,
regardless of gender, ascends to the throne) through the
descendants of King Albert II. The new laws of succession took
effect in 1991, and if all the…
King Philippe took the Belgian throne
after the abdication of his father, King Albert II, on 21 July
2013. King Albert announced his intent to abdicate on 3 July, with
his abdication taking effect on Belgium’s National Day. The day
began with the traditional Te…
While Belgium doesn’t have jewels that
belong to the Crown but to individual members of the Royal Family,
some pieces are considered the most important, which we could
potentially see at the Coronation of King Charles III. First, when
it comes to tiaras, the general consensus is that the Nine
Provinces Bandeau Tiara is the most important piece. Since Queen
Astrid, it was passed from…
Princess Elisabeth follows in great-great-grandmother's footsteps on visit to Egypt
16th March 2023
A century after her ancestor walked the
same routes and stayed in the same hotels, Princess Elisabeth, The
Duchess of Brabant, has carried out a working visit to Egypt with
her mother. Queen Mathilde and Princess Elisabeth undertook a
three-day visit to Egypt to recreate…
Queen Mathilde and Princess Elisabeth of
Belgium are on a royal tour of Egypt this week, but they aren’t the
first Belgian royals to visit the African nation. Their trip is
inspired by Elisabeth’s namesake, who ventured to King Tut’s tomb
and was fascinated…
The curse of Egyptian King Tut’s tomb is
well-known. Of those who have entered Tutankhamun’s tomb, many have
succumbed to unexpected, early deaths. From Lord Carnarvon to
Howard Carter, those who “disturbed” the tomb had early deaths
under the so-called “curse of the Pharaohs.” One royal was not
afraid to risk the curse: Queen Elisabeth of Belgium.
Queen Mathilde acquires a new goddaughter due to a peculiar Belgian tradition being enacted
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…
King Albert and Princess Delphine show father-daughter affection for the first time
18th February 2023
King Albert and Princess Delphine have
been pictured greeting each other warmly for the first time in
public. The royals attended the annual Mass for deceased Royal
Family members at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in
Brussels. As the royals arrive at the church…
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde listen to grieving families following devastating earthquake
15th February 2023
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the
Belgians travelled to the Flanders to meet with two grieving
families. On Monday, 13th February, Their Majesties arrived
in the municipality of Houthalen-Helchteren, in Belgian Limburg
province, and were welcomed by two families, one of Turkish origins
and the other one from Syria. The King and Queen sat around
the kitchen table of one home and on…
