Belgium

A King on a skateboard! King Philippe tries his luck on a board as Queen Mathilde watches on

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26th March 2023
A sight you don’t see every day: a King on a skateboard. Yet, that happened during a visit that King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians undertook to Skateistan.  Their Majesties were in Johannesburg, South Africa’s capital, and were visiting the skate park during their ongoing state visit to the country.  The park is part of a project by Belgian company Skateroom aiming to…
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Belgium

The inauguration of King Philippe of the Belgians

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19th March 2023
King Philippe took the Belgian throne after the abdication of his father, King Albert II, on 21 July 2013. King Albert announced his intent to abdicate on 3 July, with his abdication taking effect on Belgium’s National Day. The day began with the traditional Te…
Belgium

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde listen to grieving families following devastating earthquake

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15th February 2023
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians travelled to the Flanders to meet with two grieving families.  On Monday, 13th February, Their Majesties arrived in the municipality of Houthalen-Helchteren, in Belgian Limburg province, and were welcomed by two families, one of Turkish origins and the other one from Syria.  The King and Queen sat around the kitchen table of one home and on…
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BelgiumEuropean Royals

A centenary war veteran meets a King

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21st October 2022
King Philippe of the Belgians held an audience with a very special guest at Laeken Castle on Wednesday, 19 October.  The guest in question is 100-year-old Andrée Damon, who celebrated her milestone birthday on 5 September.  However, it is not her age that makes her so special. She is one of Belgium’s last remaining World War II veterans; she took part in the combat operations as a…
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BelgiumEuropean Royals

King Philippe decorates last WWII veteran in Congo

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11th June 2022
During his first day in the Democratic Republic of Congo, King Philippe decorated the last veteran of World War II to fight in Burma (today’s Myanmar). The Belgian King held the ceremony at Kinshasa’s memorial for combat veterans, where he had previously laid a wreath as a homage to all those who gave their lives in war. He then offered 100-year-old Corporal Albert Kunyuku…
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