Belgium's National Day - 21 July 2006

[johann]

and more (Belga)

[linda85]

Mathilde's dress is very pretty and a unique design. It is classic a la' the Kennedy style. It seems that a lot of designers are going back to the classic look. I personally think that Mathilde looks very pretty in this dress. I am not crazy about the color though. It seems a bit harsh on her. I like her in pinks and reds, not orange so much.

[johann]

And more (Belga)

[johann]

And the last ones (Belga)


so there are more unconventional royal hats out there

[Hannelore]

Originally Posted by johann

so there are more unconventional royal hats out there

Of course because hats should be fun! :)

A lot of people showed up for the parade, and I honestly can't understand how they could stand that terrible heat. I went out in the garden around 19.00 and it was still over 30°C. Not exactly what the cold Belgians are used to ...

[johann]

Originally Posted by queenofcelts

Ekisabeth - poor kid, it is obviously boring for her.

After all she got lots of presents – surely she had a busy afternoon unwrapping all these nice things and sharing her experiences with her little brothers.

(polfoto, belga, getty)

[mtbcm]

Originally Posted by martha-louise

It seems that the prince had more fun in the afternoon than on the Te Deum. :) Indeed he looks good and relaxed !

The Te Deum isn't supposed to be fun ... still I think Phillippe didn't adopt the "Oh, Am I Bothered!" look... but must be good to be out and play like a big kid, loose up a little...

I have to say that Mathilde hat is growing on me... my first impression was "Great Colour, Great Idea, so-and-so hat" but the more I see the hat the more I admire her choice, it has something of ethnic... specially in the front pictures the hat outline her beauty, her eyes specially. I'm still not convinced with the side pictures of it.

Thank you! It looks like that Belgium had a great day to remember :)!

Regards,
mtbcm :)

[magnik]

Well, what I notice that ladies hats match to each other - Paola and Claire, Fabiola and Mathilde even Albert and boys and somehow Astrid

[elisabetteke]

Thanks for all the pictures.
I was in Brussels today, and I saw princess Mathilde and prince Phillip from very close in the park. They look so wonderfull together and they are really interacting with the people. I really loved Mathildes outfit and I especially loved her earrings (they looked like flowers made of glass) but I forgot my camera so I couldn't take pictures. Does anyone has a picture where you can see the earrings Mathilde wore in the park?
thanks,
elisabetteke

[Maxie]

Mathilde orange dress and her hat are to die for! I love them! The white paint suit is gorgeous too! :)
Claire has been looking good, too! Such a lovely hat, the same goes for Queen Paola. And Elisabeth is so sweet! Must be quite something for such a child to have all the people wanting to shake hands with you or talk to you and sit all your way trough a boring Te Deum. :)

[flcty]

:) OMG thankyou for the pictures.
too bad amedeo wasn't there. joachim is really HOT!

[Danielle]

Mathilde's outfit is just beautiful. I really love it except for that hat/bandage thing on her head. The colour doesn't match with her outfit. I really just can't get over how good the dress is. Little Elisabeth was just so adorable. Aww. I just love what Claire wore as well. The jacket was very pretty. I'm not a big fan of white suits, but the one Mathilde wore later on looked very pretty on her. Poor Joachim and his leg. :(

[JessRulz]

I love Mathilde's dress! :) But I dislike her hat, I think it would have been better if it was in a brighter colour, a pink like Elisabeth's dress maybe. Elisabeth is soooo adorable and soo cute!! Paola looked wonderful, the purply-coloured hat looked marvelous on her. Claire also looked wonderful, her pantsuit was simply beautiful. Fabiola is getting more beautiful with age.
Thanks to everyone who posted pictures!!

[Mathilde1286]

Wow, Mathilde's sense of style is slowly changing, I think. And I think as someone stated earlier, Yes, it looks like she has changed her make-up. That is such a pity because she looks waaaaay more beautiful with natural, if any, make-up...the eyeliner is just not working for her. I miss the old make-up :(--she definately has the skin for it and all that eyeliner really makes her face looks sort of out of balance because she's so fair skinned. I liked older outfits a lot better than I'm liking these. But she looks fantastic!! And little Elisabeth is encredibly CUTE!! They all look so wonderful...like a very happy family!!

And I LOVE Claire's pant suit and absolutely adored her hat!! :)

[mybags]

I loved Mathilde's whole ensemble today. Just so elegant...

[puresnow]

Thank you so much for the wonderful pictures!

[Hannelore]

here are some more from nieuwsblad.be

[ghostdog]

A BIG THANKS to everyone for posting and putting so much effort and energy in this thread, regarding the national day in Belgium...
I appriciate very, very much the wonderful work you've all done ! Peace... ( now more than ever needed ):) :) :)

[Hannelore]

Despite the heat more than 100,000 people had come to Brussels for the festivities.

Video about the national day (first 15 mins.): http://www.vtm.be/nieuws/index_bekijkonline.htm (19h)

Among the people waiting outside the cathedral to see the royals there was a lady who said "I shook hands with Elisabeth and she did really well! She looks just like her dad and Mathilde told me that all 3 of them look just like their father. I said to her, well just have a 4th then and it'll look like you. She agreed, so who knows"

[Larzen]

thanks for the video Hannelore, when watching it I was strucked about how much King Albert reminds me of his cousin King Harald, not so much in looks, but in their friendly and jovial way of acting and laughing when around other people.