They’re far from well known and considered dull by some and yet, in a world that is suddenly questioning monarchy, they are the ones who are weathering the storm. Ten years ago, they would have been well down the list of sparkling royals and yet now, in 2026, there are plenty of kings and queens who would happily trade places with them. Their latest appearance proves just that point as their very presence appears to shore up a once apparently unassailable crown. Step forward the King and Queen of the Belgians.
Before we go any further, we probably need to do some introductions because, truth be told, they’re not exactly household names. Philippe, King of the Belgians is a somewhat shy man of 65. His consort is Queen Mathilde who has just turned 53 and who likes to wear clothes most often seen in a mother of the bride boutique circa 1995. And yet this far from glamourous pair are now the stars of European royalty.
(Kongehuset)
It’s a role that neither would seek but which now seems inevitable. For, from the very start of their partnership back in the late 1990s, the two have had their eye on a shared goal. Steadying the Belgian royal ship so that it remains a necessary part of the country’s constitutional set up. Neither has ever sought to be the most glitzy, the most fashionable, the most stylish or the most talked about. Instead, they have looked to keep their monarchy relevant and perhaps understood long before others that being just a little bit ordinary is the way to go there.
There is a quiet confidence about the two of them that is serving them really rather well right now. There’s no doubt that much of that is down to Queen Mathilde. When she married the then heir to the Belgian throne, Philippe, in 1999, he was seen as an awkward man who was less than comfortable in his own skin and who had inspired little confidence in some. All that changed within months of their marriage. Mathilde brought out a calm in him that allowed the real Philippe to be seen. And set against his rather unusual family, that could only be a good thing.
Philippe’s father, King Albert, was seen as a good constitutional monarch who navigated his role within Belgium’s complex political situation well. However, he was far from an ideal roayl. Rumours of infidelity swirled around his marriage to the very beautiful Queen Paola who came across, more often than not, as out of sorts. Albert and Paola’s younger son, Prince Laurent, was the compulsory ”colourful” character that all royal dynasties seem to require. They were the odd royals of Europe.
Their monarchy had also weathered recent storms. Albert had succeeded his brother King Baudouin, who had been hugely popular. But Baudouin’s reign had begun in turmoil, with the abdication of his father, Leopold III, who had staggered from crisis to crisis. Philippe’s transformation from awkward heir to calm king in waiting was a turning point. Mathilde, meanwhile, soon became easily the most popular member of the royal family. When Albert unexpectedly decided to abdicate in favour of Philippe, handing over the throne in July 2013, it was the new queen that everyone cheered for and the response of the new king and queen sealed their royal fate.
For Queen Mathilde resolutely remained in the supporting role. Rather than take the spotlight that everyone wanted her to have, she steadied the sometimes obvious nerves of her husband and kept him front and centre. Within a few years, Belgium had a Head of State who was known, respected and who wasn’t going to cause an controversy of his own. The king and queen were seen with their young family and supported their first born, Princess Elisabeth, as she began her own royal career with little speeches at big events.
They were and are an oasis of calm, never too demanding and always putting country first. Even when King Albert’s indiscretions caught up with them again, they were ready to face down the trouble. Albert’s admission that he had an illegitimate daughter caused huge headlines but Philippe and Mathilde took it all on the chin. The king welcomed his half sister to his home and made little fuss over her decision to accept the title of Princess Delphine which was hers by law. She’s now invited to big public events, including National Day celebrations. It was another example of Philippe and Mathilde’s ordinary approach to their extraordinary lives.
And in March 2026, their own version of royalty is becoming the one everyone wants a part of. A few years ago, a State Visit by the King and Queen of the Belgians to Norway would have been a ‘so what’ in the regal calendar. A minor flutter of excitement from royal watchers over the tiaras and then back to other things. Now, the very presence of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde in Oslo is helping bolster the Norwegian crown which is beset by so many problems that its once unshakeable popularity seems in permanent danger.
(Bas Bogaerts)
The controversy around Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was laid bare in the papers relating to the convicted sex offender, shows no signs of abating. The wife of the heir to the throne gave a TV interview in which she claimed she had been manipulated and in which she declined to answer some questions.. All the while, her husband sat at her side with little to say for himself. Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, is now on trial for rape. Both situations have had a negative impact on the Norwegian royals who, just ten years ago, enjoyed popularity ratings of over 90% at times.
Enter Philippe and Mathilde. A long planned State Visit saw the Belgian royals arrive for an official welcome ceremony with King Harald and Queen Sonja before heading inside for an almost impossible job – the reintroduction of Mette-Marit to public life after that interview. The Crown Princess of Norway appeared at their sides for a photocall ahead of lunch. She kept to the sidelines until Queen Mathilde brought her into conversation. There was an official photo. And then, later, at a State Banquet, it was Mathilde again who was sat with King Harald as he declared that the Crown Princess was ”dear” to him and would have come to the gala event if she hadn’t been unwell. It was a major endorsement and having Europe’s steadiest royals along for the ride did more than help.
Philippe and Mathilde are constructing a new form of monarchy in some ways. There are still the usual engagements but they have long sought to put community ventures at the heart of what they do. Meanwhile, their own children are growing up and putting a new spin on the age old tradition of the Crown. King Philippe’s heir, Elisabeth, was the first princess of her generation to do military service with every other female first in line following suit. It was a real turning point for the Belgian crown and for European royalty. Princesses were sidelined no more and Princess Elisabeth showed that equality meant just that. The women who would inherit are no different from the men.
Meanwhile, Philippe and Mathilde’s other children are building their own lives away from the spotlight. Their elder son, Prince Gabriel, continues his own military service while their younger son, Prince Emmanuel, had a year’s football training before moving on to further education. Their youngest child, Princess Eleonore, is a talented musician.
Eleonore turns 18 in just a few weeks’ time and King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will find themselves heads of a fully fledged, grown up royal family. It will bring its own questions and pressures but the seem more than ready for them. For this is a royal couple who have proved that sure and steady really does win the race. In an age when monarchy is under scrutiny like never before and where it’s been sucked into a celebrity spiral that doesn’t necessarily suit this ancient institution, Belgium’s king and queen are offering a template that clearly works. Somehow, the ones everyone forgot about have become an example for all royals.
