Philippe & Mathilde in South Africa; March 11-13, 2006

[leanne]

Leanne, I can't put the link to that specific program here, because it isn't online, but another program is, so I'll post that in a day or two

Thank you Catherine. Very much appreciated.

 

[fanletizia]

Mathilde gets a taste of South African girl power

Belgium's Crown Princess Mathilde met up with some of the dedicated campaigners who are building a brighter future for South African women at the weekend. The popular royal, who is a well-known champion of gender equality, joined forces with President Mbeki's wife Zanele to show her support for a programme that is giving a voice to the country's long-suffering female population.

from hellomagazine

 

[Royal Fan]

Aww shes such a caring person

 

[Emily]

Thanks to all who posted these lovely photos! The causes Mathilde highlights are always so worthy. I have alot of admiration for her.

 

[mtbcm]

(source: Hola magazine)













​

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

Thank you for the pictores from Hola, they're wonderful!!

 

[mirrjam]

thank you, sweet pictures. Mathilde is really sweet and tender towards her husband.

 

[pollyemma]

Yesterday I was reading a Belgian newspaper called “De Morgen.” It had an article on Philippe’s stiffness on his recent visit to South Africa versus his dad’s charisma in Lithuania. I think the article has an anti-monarchy bias, but I thought maybe some of the non-dutch speakers would be interested to read what Belgian papers have to say about their royal family.

It strikes me as pretty extreme to call the visit to South Africa a "fiasco," however, do you guys think that most people in Belgium have a negative opinion of Philippe? also, I have never thought of trade missions being "humiliating" for royalty...but maybe the guy has a point....

So here is my translation…
"De Prinselijke appel valt redelijk ver van de koninglijke boom." 22 march 2006. "De Morgen" page 4.
“The royal apple falls rather far from the royal tree”

Even before its conclusion, the Belgian trade mission to Lithuania was declared a success. This did not surprise anyone. The businessmen were accompanied by none less than the King of Belgium . Even (or especially) on non-Belgians, this makes a big impression. Back home, however, there continues to be discussion about Prince Philippe’s behavior during his recent visit to South Africa.

Anonymous sources are calling it a “fiasco.” Apart from the Prince’s unfortunate stiffness, people are accusing him of showing very little interest in his duties on the trip.

“You can’t compare gold and iron,” says royal-watcher Jan van den Berghe ,and his colleagues agree, albeit in more diplomatic language. “Philippe is no Albert,” they say and point to the contrast between the jovial and open manner of the king and the dutiful, uptight manner of the crown prince.

“He will never have the charisma and humor of his father,” says VTM-royalty watcher Briggite Balfoort. “He is more like his uncle King Baudoin. But give him time, just like all the Coburgs the Prince is a late bloomer.”

But there is a real question whether he will ever bloom. In contrast to his younger brother, Laurent, the 46 year old crownprince still does not have much experience with public appearances. “Putting Philippe in the spotlight is like putting salt on a snail, ” says van den Berghe. “He has a number of qualities that will make him a good king but he is not cut out for foreign trips. Those require him to be a salesman for both his country and, by extension, himself. He can’t do that if he continues to act so stiff. In that case, Laurent would be just as good of an option.”

The business representatives who went along on the trip to South Africa want the controversy over the prince to die down as quickly as possible. “Soon he will be afraid to go outside” says Ronny Lannoo, spokesman for Unizo.

That would be counterproductive. Apart from how stiff and uninterested he may have been, in many countries you get a lot further with the prince along on your trade mission than without him.

Rudi Thomas, chair of the Belgian chamber of commerce, says the value of a royal presence on a trade mission cannot be underestimated.

Rudi Bogaerts, tutor to both Laurent and Philippe, does not agree with that. He believes trade missions are humiliating for royalty and should be abolished as soon as possible.

Bogaerts believes that Phillipe’s "problem” goes beyond a lack of flair. He believes it is not the prince himself but his staff who are responsible for his sometimes not coming off well abroad. “When the Prince goes abroad, he is not given sufficient preparation. Thus he does not know enough about the countries he travels to. It is almost impossible for him to avoid making a fool out of himself sometimes under those circumstances. If someone would just take time even for 1 day to teach him about the culture and language of his destination, then I think he would soon cut a much better figure.”

“Moreover,” adds Bogaerts, “In Wallonia the prince does much better than in Flanders. The combination of his lack of proper preparation combined with his poor Dutch speaking skills make him look ridiculous. I can assure you, though, than when speaking French he cuts an impressive figure.”

The same applies to the rest of the royal family, but they have better ways of dealing with it. “Philippe wants to do everything very thoroughly.” Says Bogaerts. “He has a hard time admitting the areas where he is lacking.” Van den Berghe agrees, “King Albert has enough of a sense of humor to admit his mistakes with a twinkle in his eyes and to turn the situation into a joke. As for Laurent, you won’t often see him on these sorts of foreign trips. He just refuses to go.”

Philippe does it all, however: everything people ask him to do he does with a great sense of duty. The question is “at what cost?” Bogaerts says “Philippe is the sort of man who will one day say “I won’t put up with this anymore. Enough is enough.” He does not have this built in “safety mechanism” that his brother Laurent has. Laurent gets angry. Philippe doesn’t do that. He swallows it until one day he can’t take it anymore and explodes.”

 

[Emily]

Thank you for that translation, Pollyemma. Being an American, I can't really speak to Philippe's stiffness or lack thereof. From what I see of him on the royalty videos he seems reserved but I wouldn't necessarily call that a liability -- obviously it will be in some situations but it will be an asset in other situations. If he is unprepared by his advisors, well then that may need to be rectified, but he certainly wouldn't be the first member of royalty to receive that criticism. Prince Charles was lambasted for years for various problems with various staff members, although lately he seems to be doing just fine.

 

[grevinnan]

If he indeed has such poor Dutch language skills it seems they could easily be remedied by intense language tutoring.

 

[Mette2]

Thank you very much for the translation pollyemma. That was a very interesting read. But isn't this the same thing some people have been saying for years? It seems they can't come up with something new to say. Hopefully he'll prove all who doubt him wrong.

Also thank you mtbcm for the pictures from Hola. They're very sweet indeed.

 

[Regina]

Thank you Pollyemma for your post.
What about Princess Mathilde? She was perfect, in my opinion!

 

[linda85]

Thanks for the translation Pollyemma. However, Phillipe has a secret weapon: Mathilde. She will be a great asset when he becomes king. She is already coming into her own on her solo trips as well

Linda 85

 

[Regina]

Thanks for the translation Pollyemma. However, Phillipe has a secret weapon: Mathilde. She will be a great asset when he becomes king. She is already coming into her own on her solo trips as well

Linda 85

I agree! I like Prince Phillip very much. Of course I never had met him but I think he does the Best he can for Belgium. He is not lazy or not concerned with his country. And he chose the perfect woman for him: Princess Mathilde who is a woman full of charisma, kindness, serenity and strength. They will be very good Monarchs in the future, imo.

 

[crisiñaki]

I agree! I like Prince Phillip very much. Of course I never had met him but I think he does the Best he can for Belgium. He is not lazy or not concerned with his country. And he chose the perfect woman for him: Princess Mathilde who is a woman full of charisma, kindness, serenity and strength. They will be very good Monarchs in the future, imo.

To me Phillippe and Mathilde will be great kings for their country, he gives the impression of stiffness because he's a very serious person but it doesn't have to be read like that, he's like old school royal because his uncle Baudouin shaped him like that and should be understood; Mathilde it's a true gem, the belgians should feel incredibly proud because they are gonna have a Queen like her

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

About the article Pollyemma posted: the paper in which it appeared has never ever said a positive word about the monarchy, and the person they quote, Jan Van Den Berghe, is a self declared royal watcher who hates ever Belgian royal and invents all sort of gossip and lies (a hilarious one he uttered a few months ago: Philippe & Mathilde's marriage is an arranged one, in reality Philippe is gay and has a secret relationship with Edouard Vermeulen of Natan...I have to admit, not easy to come up with!)

The VBO (Belgian trade organization) emphasized, after the Flemish criticism, that it is very glad with the role Philippe plays, and that it can't be another one than a discreet one. The prince is not a business man, and must not get involved in actual cotracts between the parties, but has to open doors and present the parties to each other. Which he does, and apparently this mission was a success. Maybe not for the anonymous man who wasn't pleased, but he has to realize that he has to do the selling himself, the prince can't do it for him.

Philippe's Dutch is as good as his French IMO, and Mathilde's is very good as well, although she has a French accent.

 

[crisiñaki]

Jan Van Den Berghe, is a self declared royal watcher who hates ever Belgian royal and invents all sort of gossip and lies (a hilarious one he uttered a few months ago: Philippe & Mathilde's marriage is an arranged one, in reality Philippe is gay and has a secret relationship with Edouard Vermeulen of Natan...I have to admit, not easy to come up with!)

1. There's really someone that stupid?
2. Yeah, an arranged marriage, they are so cold and unfeeling towards each other NOT, I haven't seen many couples as openly and naturally affectionate as P&M but once again, the guy is stupid; though you gotta credit his originality, next time he'll say that Laurent is the secret lover of Albert of Monaco

 

[pollyemma]

About the article Pollyemma posted: the paper in which it appeared has never ever said a positive word about the monarchy, and the person they quote, Jan Van Den Berghe, is a self declared royal watcher who hates ever Belgian royal and invents all sort of gossip and lies (a hilarious one he uttered a few months ago: Philippe & Mathilde's marriage is an arranged one, in reality Philippe is gay and has a secret relationship with Edouard Vermeulen of Natan...I have to admit, not easy to come up with!)

The VBO (Belgian trade organization) emphasized, after the Flemish criticism, that it is very glad with the role Philippe plays, and that it can't be another one than a discreet one. The prince is not a business man, and must not get involved in actual cotracts between the parties, but has to open doors and present the parties to each other. Which he does, and apparently this mission was a success. Maybe not for the anonymous man who wasn't pleased, but he has to realize that he has to do the selling himself, the prince can't do it for him.

Philippe's Dutch is as good as his French IMO, and Mathilde's is very good as well, although she has a French accent.

thanks for the context! in holland we also have a few papers which would never in a million years bring themselves to say anything good about the monarchy. I just try to avoid their royalty coverage as I the bias and the blatant errors are just too much to handle.

phillipe with vermeulen...that is beyond ludicrous. wow. I will make a point of never taking anything that man says seriously ever again.

the bias shows in their failure to mention anything about Mathilde and how well she does. She is such a great asset for him. Even if he might be a little bit stiff at times, having her there more than makes up for it.

 

[stellam]

If one looks at photos of Philippe in South Africa where he is among the public there is no way he can be accused of being stiff and cold. But then photos give a completely different view to that of a video or actually seeing him in person. Perhaps a change should be made among his advisors instead.

Stellad

 

[Regina]

1. There's really someone that stupid?

I agree. Being gay with 3 children is quite something...

next time he'll say that Laurent is the secret lover of Albert of Monaco

People against monarchy have always to make up weird and sensacionalists stories to call the attention, but call "gay" to Prince Phillipe is too much!

 

[crisiñaki]

I agree. Being gay with 3 children is quite something...



People against monarchy have always to make up weird and sensacionalists stories to call the attention, but call "gay" to Prince Phillipe is too much!

The guy is as straight as it gets

 

[martha-louise]

I also think that the 'clumsyness' or stiffness of Philippe has a lot to do with the preparation of his advisors. Two exmples were given in the program 'Royalty'
At a certain moment they give cisors to the prince, but he didn't know whatfor.
An other moment he gives a wine decanter to a moslim
Those are big mistakes of the advisors. It is their task to know exactly minute per minute what is going to happen. They have to be aware of the culture of the land they visit, the persons the prince will meet.
Also, the prince doesn't have to remember the names of all the members on the trip, the advisors have to tell it to him, before he talks to them.
In my opinion the prince gives them to much credit. He should have renewed his 'cabinet' years ago. And attract young dynanmic skilled people.

Cause one can see he does really his best. But indeed he doesn't has the flair of his father. And the biggest difference is, I think, that the king is a good old optimistic person, and Philippe has more a pessimistic/neutral look Although he has a sense of humor. And he was making a good impression on the pictures of South-Africa.

 

[pollyemma]

well, if Philippe's staff is causing him to make a mistake then it is responsibility to take care of that. if a staff member hands him a decanter that he then hands to muslim, he needs to speak to that staff member afterward. If the person keeps making mistakes they should be fired.

it is only normal that mistakes will happen once in awhile, but if it becomes a pattern then the responsibility to fire the people who made the mistakes and hire a competent staff is squarely on Philippe's shoulders.

 

[Maxie]

What are these people talking about? Philippe is great, just the way he is. Everyone is different and he's handling his duties with great care. I like his quiet ways and he seems to be a fun guy too (at least to me). I always found his Dutch just fine, so I definitely think the papers should stop bothering him (and Mathilde too. Her Dutch is terrific and her accent is charming) about that.

But if his staff is making him look bad because they don't inform him properly, he should dismiss them. I have to agree on that one with martha-louise and pollyemma.

 

[mtbcm]

Thank you polly on this article .

I am sure that these kind of critics must hurt a sensible person as Phillippe ...

For what I see Phillippe has improved a lot in the shy and stiff aspect after his marriage with sweet Mathilde.

But if he does have those problems, which I doubt in the measure the media refer, there are technics to help him deal with without starting conjuntures saying he will in future explode and so on.

Phillippe won't do that, I am sure. He was raised to be a King, a Noble and he will do what necessary to honor his destiny. And he has Princess Mathilde and three sweet Princes to help him through the difficult periods that may exists.

As for the advisors they have to change... a person like Phillipe should have great shadow behind him... and can't be a person that thinks and acts like Philippe... must be quite the opposite so all fronts are covered.

But thinking again, 30/40 years back one can't forget all the gossip around Albert and Paola... saying how different they were from eachother, how happy and smilling Paola was suffering near the serious and stiff Albert... and how those things would separate them... and here they are awarded by TRF Members at the Couple Loving Looks and Gestures Thread!

And to be a great King in a foreign country one doesn't have to dress, think, act accordingly that country (although he must be fully aware of traditions that are important to avoid misunderstandings) but to have a compromise towards the objectives of that visit. I prefer a quiet King who listens to the proposals and makes things work to a King who dances the konga eat bugs and know nothing about what the trip was about...

Yesterday I was reading a Belgian newspaper called “De Morgen.” quote]

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

The report of the mission in Royalty was apalling. Only criticism, and unfounded too. In Place Royal they gave a really good view of the mission in all its aspects, showing Philippe's sense of humor, and actually showing interviews, things he was saying. Nothing of all that in the Flemish program, only predjudices...

 

[martha-louise]

Me too, I think the report of the mission was just terrible. The editor-in-chief Pol Vandendriessche of the program puts himself too much on the front, giving his own unfounded critics. It seems that he doesn't want a program that extols the royal family, by being critical. But he does it in a very wrong way. And I don't get his point, what does he want to achieve with it. He probably thinks he has some power towards the royal family, 'cause he knows that's he's being watched. He misuses the medium to express his own thoughts.
This program is watched by people who carries the royal family in their hearts. And that's clearly not the fact with Vandendriessche. In my opion the program has lost some of his charm since he is editor-in-chief...
Vandendriessche is a bit comparable with Vandenberghe, both royaltywatchers, but in an unhealty way. Under the veil of objectivism they merely like to mock.

 

[Maxie]

I don't know what it is with journalism these days. It seems like they all provide us with their opinions in stead of giving the plain, objective details. It seems like it's always up to us to decide what is true and what is just the subjective image they want us to believe. *Sigh*

 

[oskana]

I disagree with this criticism of the mission. if anything the south africa trip was the best I have seen philipe and ofcource mathilde was her radiant self. He seemed very relaxed and engaged. I think the criticism are based on anti-monarchy attitudes. Belgians should be proud of their future king and queen. (btw is there a video of their mission to south africa).

 

[Emily]

The report of the mission in Royalty was apalling. Only criticism, and unfounded too. In Place Royal they gave a really good view of the mission in all its aspects, showing Philippe's sense of humor, and actually showing interviews, things he was saying. Nothing of all that in the Flemish program, only predjudices...

Thanks for that information, Catherine -- it does put everything in perspective.