The Belgian Royal Family has released their Christmas photo for 2019. The image, shared on their official social media, shows King Philippe and Queen Mathilde alongside their four children.
Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant stands alongside her two brothers, Prince Gabriel and Prince Emmanuel, and her sister, Princess Eleonore, surrounding their father. The photo was taken by Bas Bogaerts.
It was shared alongside a message wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and New Year in four languages.
The photo puts a new focus on the family of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde following a difficult few days for the wider royal family. Last week, Philippe’s father, King Albert, lost his appeal against providing DNA samples in an ongoing court case with Delphine Boel, who claims she is his daughter. Belgium’s Court of Cassation dismissed his plea not to provide DNA. His genetic material can now be compared with that of Ms Boel as part of the paternity case.
King Albert’s court case has cast a shadow over the past months which have also seen cause for celebration for the Belgian royals. In October this year, Princess Elisabeth won praise for her confident speech as she celebrated her 18th birthday in a well received event at the Royal Palace in Brussels. And at the start of December, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde gave a special TV interview as they marked their 20th wedding anniversary.
