The King of the Belgians has made a heartfelt plea in his Christmas message for the country to come together and face the future with hope.
King Philippe’s Christmas address focused on the many challenges millions across Belgium have faced in the past year and the work and dedication of those who have helped others in their hardest moments. And he urged everyone to put aside fear and mistrust and keep working as one to overcome the difficulties that must still be faced.
The Belgian Monarch’s speech began by touching on the continuing and ever changing challenges presented by the pandemic. He said that ”We all hoped that at the end of the year, we would have brought the pandemic that is hitting us so hard under control. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case – the virus affects us all.”
He had warm words of sympathy and support for those suffering with Covid and for the families who have lost loved ones to the virus and he touched on the frustrations felt by many as the pandemic continues.
”Faced with this never-ending crisis, we can experience impatience, discouragement, sometimes even exasperation. These feelings are understandable. But they should not prevent us from seeing all that has been achieved for almost two years. Thanks to the daily efforts of each and every one of you, our country continues to function and move forward.”
Belgian Royal Palace still/ fair use
King Philippe thanked teachers and support workers helping young people through the challenges of the pandemic and had special praise for frontline medical workers as well as scientists involved in the vaccination programme. And he looked to a different kind of future, saying ‘‘we will have to learn to live with coronavirus but now we have a perspective to get out of the current crisis.”
A crisis of a different kind also figured heavily in his speech. In recent days, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde have returned to some of the areas impacted by the deadly floods which hit Belgium in the summer. Speaking of the devastation the water had brought, he said ‘‘the Queen and I spoke with disaster victims in our flooded towns and communities. Day after day, they struggle to overcome their difficulties, which are still very present.”
And he offered his thanks to local officials working to help those still trying to put their lives back together following the floods, praising their ”determination” and ”patient work of reconstruction” before adding, ‘‘with them, we express the wish that this work be accelerated in the field in order to allow each disaster victim to find a home, safe and warm as quickly as possible.”
The King of the Belgians ended by addressing the wide range of issues still facing many across the country, saying ‘‘we are living in a period which challenges us deeply and which weakens us in our certainties....we will not get out of it by wanting to control everything. Neither will we get out of it by distrusting others, by being divided. We will come out of it by showing ourselves worthy of trust, by responsible acts that we take over time and with consistency.”
His final wishes were for hope as he said ”let’s not be afraid of the future. Let’s approach it with confidence.”
King Philippe ended by wishing everyone a Happy Christmas on behalf of the whole Belgian Royal Family. His speech was, as usual, shared in French,
You can watch King Philippe deliver his speech here.
