Pope Francis is in Belgium for a three day visit to the faithful and Belgium’s newest princess will be attending a major event.
Pope Francis will be leading a Mass at Brussels’ Stadium on Sunday, 29 September where over 35,000 Belgian Catholics are expected to attend.
Princess Delphine and her partner, Mr. James O’Hare, will be joining King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, Princess Eléonore, Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz, and Prince Laurent and Princess Claire at the Mass.
The princess is the daughter of King Albert II of Belgium and Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps. After a lengthy legal battle that began after Albert abdicated, she was recognised as a princess with the style of Her Royal Highness in 2020.
In 2023, Princess Delphine’s lawyer wrote to the Prime Minister of Belgium to ask that she receive the same honours and invites as her half-siblings, Prince Laurent and Princess Astrid.
While the Prime Minister responded that not all members of the Belgian Royal Family have a public role, Belgium’s newest princess has continued to push for a more public role.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde met Pope Francis when his plane landed on September 26th but will be officially welcoming His Holiness on September 27th.
