Such a nice surprise!
https://soirmag.lesoir.be/254491/article/2019-10-18/une-grande-fete-pour-elisabeth
Here it says that Elisabeth will get the Order of Leopold that day and that she will give a speech afterwards, there will also be a party and a group photo.
I think it's such a nice detail that they are inviting her teachers from Sint-Jan Berchmans, her dance teacher, her piano teacher, all the people who have one way or another helped shape her into the woman she's turning into.
This is set to be the future Queen's first official speech, isn't it? A splendid idea to mark the occasion with a ceremony.
The article on Le Soir also says that the princess will speak in all 3 official languages, which will be a good opportunity to see how much progress she has made in her German (as we know her Dutch and French are already excellent).
Five teens, two Dutch-speaking, two French-speaking, and one German-speaking will also have the opportunity to speak briefly on their future or the future of the country. The princess will then thank the previous speakers , including her father, in her own closing speech.
I wonder what the article meant by saying the Germanophone's speech would be "a first".
The official program also includes music and dance numbers.
Giving the spotlight to the Queen Elisabeth competition winners as well is very apt for a royal ceremony in honor of Queen Elisabeth's namesake.
All the senior Royal Family members have been invited , including King Albert and Queen Paola, Prince Lorenz and Princess Astrid, Prince Laurent and Princess Claire, and Prince Amedeo, who is Élisabeth's godfather.
I am looking forward to this event, which looks great and very appropriate for a young, modern monarchy.
It's heartening to see that her godfather Prince Amedeo will be present despite the intermittent rumors of frosty relations between their respective parents. Incidentally, I wonder if he was appointed as her godfather because she replaced him as the heir to the throne in their generation.
Sounds a bit like what Willem-Alexander did for his 50th birthday; maybe that's where they got their inspiration.
King Philippe indeed seems to treat the other Benelux monarchies as inspirations; several years ago, when he reformed the titles of royal descendants, the court explained the changes to the media as similar to the systems used in Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The extent to which European monarchies inspire one another, even though most are no longer first or second cousins as in the past, is quite interesting.
While I understand the reason for the timing of this ceremony, I wonder if it wouldn't have been more logical for it to happen when Princess Elisabeth is ready to carry out full-time official functions.
I also think it would be proper if Belgium, and other monarchies which use primogeniture, revisited their laws on regency. Many Western monarchies set the age of majority for the monarch to 18 when it was still 21 or older for the rest of the population. It would suit modern needs to set the age of majority for the monarch to 21 or older while it is 18 for the rest of the population. Having no higher education and minimal work experience with official functions will likely limit the effectiveness of an 18-year-old monarch. If something were to happen to King Philippe in the following years, I would hope for a constitutional amendment or an unofficial "regency" to enable Queen/Princess Regent Elisabeth to complete her formal education and a period of training before assuming her full-time functions.