After many delays and postponements due to global events, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde have touched down in Athens, Greece, for a much-anticipated state visit.
For the occasion, the couple travelled with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmés, the Minister of Public Enterprise and Public Function Petra De Sutter and some Minister-Presidents of Regions Elio Di Rupo (Wallonia), Rudi Vervoort (Brussels-Capital region), Jan Jambon (Flanders), Pierre-Yves Jeholet (French community of Belgium) and Oliver Paasch (German community of Belgium).
Their Majesties and the rest of the Belgian delegation departed Melsbroek Airport, near Brussels, in the late hours of the morning. They touched down at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos shortly after 1 pm on Monday, 2 May, where they were welcomed, among others, by Belgium’s Ambassador to Greece.
After a quick stop at the Hotel de Bretagne, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde made their way to Syntagma Square, where the King laid a wreath at the feet of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The gesture, a tradition that kickstarts all state visits, was followed by a minute of silence, then the playing of the national anthems, and finally a troop review for the King.
The royal couple then made their way to Athens Presidential Palace, where they were welcomed by President Katerina Sakellaropoullou and her partner, Mr Pavlos Kotsonis. The four posed for a photo opportunity on the steps in front of the palace before going inside for the exchange of decorations.
The Greek side received Belgium’s Order of Leopold, the highest order in the country, and the Belgian side received Greece’s Order of the Redemptor. This exchange was carried out in front of the cameras, but the following meeting was behind closed doors.
Reunited with the rest of the Belgian delegation, King Philippe headed to a meeting with Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during which they discussed “common interests between Belgium and Greece.”
Afterwards, His Majesty met Athens’s Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, who awarded him the Gold Medal of Merit of the city of Athens, a conglomerate that counts more than four million inhabitants, compared to Brussels’s 1.3 million.
Meanwhile, Queen Mathilde visited Smile of the Child, an organisation that works to protect children and is a close partner of Child Focus, a Belgian institution that has Her Majesty as honorary president. The Queen of the Belgians was seen wearing a bright pink face mask and sitting down with the children and having a good chat with them.
As Wim Dehandschutter of Het Nieuwsblad reported, the children seemed very interested in the Queen, asking her many questions, including “How do you become Queen?” to which Her Majesty replied: “Thanks to my husband. He was a prince and then became king. And so I became queen nine years ago.”
Another child asked about her bodyguards, to which the Queen of the Belgian replied: “Escorted? I am always accompanied. I call them my guardian angels.” Her Majesty also spoke about her boys and their passion for football, as well as the sports she loves.
As it is also traditional, the first day of the state visit was concluded with a state dinner hosted by the Greek President. With a toned-down dress code of “black tie/cocktail dress,” Queen Mathilde found a way to still incorporate some jewels, wearing a brooch that belonged to Queen Fabiola in her hair.
During the dinner, both heads of state offered toast, each praising the ties that unite Belgium and Greece and indicating the future path of cooperation on the many current events as the only possible response to global challenges.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians will remain in Greece until 4 May, in a state visit that the Royal Palace says will be focused on “diplomacy, economy, education, culture, with a specific accent on energy and archaeology.”
