State Visit from China: March 30 - April 1st, 2014


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Marika86

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Thanks for the information!
Hopefully there will be a gala banquet with tiaras.
 
Thanks for the information!
Hopefully there will be a gala banquet with tiaras.

I am trying not to get my hopes up, but it would be nice. Especially if Mathilde were to wear one of Fabiola's tiaras.
 
Well, it is a state visit after all, so why not a tiara and orders? I think the nine provinces is most fitting as she didn't wear it in public yet the tiara has been worn by three of her predecessors.
 
Well, it is a state visit after all, so why not a tiara and orders? I think the nine provinces is most fitting as she didn't wear it in public yet the tiara has been worn by three of her predecessors.
I think tiaras and orders yes as at all State Visits in Belgium the dresscode at the State Banquet was white tie. But i don't think she will wear the full version of the nine provinces tiara for this State Visit.
 
Hopefully Princess Astrid and Archduke Lorenz will be able to attend. Prince Laurent will be recovering in the hospital.
 
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Queen Paola wore the full 9-Provinces tiara mainly at State Visits from other Royals. I believe that Queen Mathilde will do the same, so I expect her to wear either her laurel tiara or only the bandeau of 9-Provinces.

Do you think that Albert and Paola will be present, like Beatrix attended the state banquet this week?
 
Do you think that Albert and Paola will be present, like Beatrix attended the state banquet this week?[/QUOTE]




You can only speculate because, without the exception of Leopold III, there haven´t been abdicated Kings in Belgium before....
Princess Juliana attended state visits from now and then at the first years of her daughter´s reign before she almost withdrew completely from public.
I know that the Queen of England paid a, more or less, private visit to King Leopold and his 2nd wife, when she paid a state visit to Belgium in 1966, because he and Princess Lilian didn´t attend any engagements or banquets at this visit.
 
Queen Paola wore the full 9-Provinces tiara mainly at State Visits from other Royals. I believe that Queen Mathilde will do the same, so I expect her to wear either her laurel tiara or only the bandeau of 9-Provinces.



I really do expect Queen Fabiola to hand over some of her tiaras to the new Queen as I was expecting this to give the items to Queen Paola before, which she never did!
She doesn´t use them anymore, didn´t even use a tiara when she still attended state banquets some years ago and it doesn´t make sense for the pieces to stay locked away in the vaults!
I never understood why Queen Paola as the wife of a reigning monarch, was only in charge of two tiaras (one of them a very humble one) despite of having more tiaras within the belgian royal family...:sad:
 
Queen Paola wore the full 9-Provinces tiara mainly at State Visits from other Royals. I believe that Queen Mathilde will do the same, so I expect her to wear either her laurel tiara or only the bandeau of 9-Provinces.



I really do expect Queen Fabiola to hand over some of her tiaras to the new Queen as I was expecting this to give the items to Queen Paola before, which she never did!
She doesn´t use them anymore, didn´t even use a tiara when she still attended state banquets some years ago and it doesn´t make sense for the pieces to stay locked away in the vaults!
I never understood why Queen Paola as the wife of a reigning monarch, was only in charge of two tiaras (one of them a very humble one) despite of having more tiaras within the belgian royal family...:sad:
I think the Issue is simple that it were gifts to her and belong to her personally. It would be different if the new King would be her son or daughter but so there is no reason why she should items who where gifted to her hand over to ther sister-in-law or now to the wife of her nephew.
 
Well, it is a state visit after all, so why not a tiara and orders? I think the nine provinces is most fitting as she didn't wear it in public yet the tiara has been worn by three of her predecessors.

Orders yes, but we've seen the Belgians not break out tiaras before for a state visit (the Finnish one comes to mind), which is why I am not getting my hopes up. It is likely they will wear tiaras and orders, but one never knows, imo.
 
I think the Issue is simple that it were gifts to her and belong to her personally. It would be different if the new King would be her son or daughter but so there is no reason why she should items who where gifted to her hand over to ther sister-in-law or now to the wife of her nephew.



I don´t know if these items were personal gifts to the woman Fabiola or to the then Queen of the Belgians (I doubt that these exquisite pieces were given to her if she was simply "Senorita de Mora y Aragon)...?!
Philippe has always been regarded as a kind of "honourary son", "the son she never had", etc.
She always seemed to got along perfectly with Mathilde, the wife of the man she and King Baudouin regarded as some sort of a "son".
If the 2 tiaras I´m thinking of are really private gifts to her, she is of course legally right. But morally it´s a very weak thing to keep it without using it (She is a very old lady in a wheelchair) and a selfish thing to do! In my opinion she still ows something to Belgium and its monarchy, a country and its top institution that has given Fabiola so much! It should be in her own interest to give the monarchy, and by that the country itself, the opportunity to represent itself in the best way possible.
 
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King Albert Ii and Queen Paola are abroad; they did not come back for their son 's illness, so i believe they will not attend the State Visit either.
Queen Fabiola wore the Nine Province tiara easily with her hair , for Paola it was a problem as she has fine hair, with Queen Mathilde's hair it will be on its best !
 
Seeing the King handing out the order of Leopold to the president I guess there´ll be a full white tie/ tiara state banquet tonight indeed!
 
Thanks for the updates!
I am looking forward to seeing the photos from the state banquet.
 
Yes, very unusual the state banquet taking place on the 2nd day of an official visit, but "Royalty" say so, too:
Royalty Online

Perhaps this is because today´s a sunday (which is very unusual for a state visit to start also...)?!
 
This evening there is a prive dinner with the King and Queen in Laeken palace, also home of philippe and Mathilde.
 
Wartenberg, it is difficult to organize a State Visit of a Sunday. I am looking forward Queen Mathilde's tiara !
 
This evening there is a prive dinner with the King and Queen in Laeken palace, also home of philippe and Mathilde.


It started with a walk through the park that looks wonderful with the first signs of spring:


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** belga gallery **


And here are some more extra pics of the visit to the Chinese pandas of the animal park Pairi Daiza this afternoon:



** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** Pic 5 ** belga gallery **


** nieuwsblad.be gallery: Xi Jinping opent pandapaviljoen in Pairi Daiza **


** lavenir.net gallery: Le président chinois chez les pandas géants de Pairi Daiza **
 
The park looks wonderful indeed. I love the scenery we get during spring. I take it that the woman in black and purple is the Chinese First Lady - she looks quite elegant. I like Mathilde's outfit too, although I have mixed reviews about the shawl and shoes.
 
The blue and magenta outfits are amazing, I didn't like the stripped one much (if I'm not mistaken she's worn it before in one of the Joyeuse Entrées?) but all in all, Mathilde looks great.
 
The park looks wonderful indeed. I love the scenery we get during spring. I take it that the woman in black and purple is the Chinese First Lady - she looks quite elegant. I like Mathilde's outfit too, although I have mixed reviews about the shawl and shoes.



I guess I put myself into danger posting something "off topic" while posting comments about dresses are not ( I personally think it is not off topic as this being a political and economic visit in the first place, not about the fashion industry), I still have to say I have no mixed reviews about clothes rather about how despots are courted here in europe when economic advantages for the west are appearing at the horizon...
If I were part of a royal couple I guess I´d keep my mouth shut, smile and play the game, too. But as a private citizen living in a free (minded), democratic society I feel highly uncomfortable looking at these jolly pictures in the zoo....
 
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Whatever we think about human rights in China (and I am sure the King and Queen have their own thoughts) it is thee economic superpower in the world today bar none. Phillipe and Mathilde therefore have to do what they can to ensure that Belgium establishes the best trade links it possibly can with that country. To have the Chinese president as their first visiting head of state since they came to the throne is a massive test, no question. I hope that everything goes well, especially the showpiece Royal Banquet tonight which is the main event.
 
Whatever we think about human rights in China (and I am sure the King and Queen have their own thoughts) it is thee economic superpower in the world today bar none. Phillipe and Mathilde therefore have to do what they can to ensure that Belgium establishes the best trade links it possibly can with that country. To have the Chinese president as their first visiting head of state since they came to the throne is a massive test, no question. I hope that everything goes well, especially the showpiece Royal Banquet tonight which is the main event.


I agree. But a TV report about the denial of human rights in China last night, especially by this particular president and the mistreatment he puts upon fellow countrymen/-women who speak their mind, made me very sensible about this issue once more.
As I said before, being head of state of a democratic country I would also play the diplomatic game for the benefit of my country although my instincts would demand to stay away for sick leave...
Still I think the western countries are very hypocritical about human right issues: On the one hand they shower human right activists with awards, such as the nobel peace prize, to snub their respective leaders, but on the other hand we invite these leaders with all honours when it comes to trade businesses...:whistling:
 
:previous:

4th in line to the British throne gets all sorts of flack from Amnesty International and the media for a weekend in Kazakstan - but there is no trade involved

King of the Belgians (by Government request) hosts visit for Chinese President - hopeful of trade, income and jobs

Has there been complaints in Belgium from the media or Amnesty?
 
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