Princess Mathilde Turns 40

The Duchess of Brabant, Princess Mathilde, today celebrates her fortieth birthday.

To mark her milestone birthday, the Belgian Royal Court issued a series of new portraits of Mathilde and her family. The portraits, which were taken shot by Michel Gronemberger, have been heavily criticized for their artificial appearance thanks to various lighting and post-production features. A commemorative stamp has also been issued; Princess Mathilde attended the official launch of the stamp on January 17th at the stamp factory in Mechelen.

The Princess was born in 1973, to Patrick and Anna Maria d’Udekem d’Acoz, members of the Belgian nobility. She has four younger siblings; Marie-Alix (who died in a car accident in 1997), Elisabeth, Hélene and Charles-Henri. Mathilde grew up in Bastogne, before attending secondary and tertiary education in Brussels, where she studied speech therapy and psychology.

Mathilde married the heir to the Belgian throne, Prince Philippe, in December 1999. They have four children: Elisabeth, Gabriel, Emmanuel and Eléonore.

Filed under Belgium
Tagged Birthday, Portraits, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, Royal Stamps.

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