Category Archives: Belgium

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Queen Mathilde Attends Inter-Religious Conference

  September 9, 2014 at 9:07 pm by

The Queen of the Belgians was this evening present at the closing ceremony of an inter-religious conference that has been taking place in Antwerp. ‘Peace Is The Future: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue 100 Years After World War One’ was organised by the Community of Sant’Egidio to bring together the different religions of the world to pray for continued peace and to enter into dialogues to assist religions work together to … Continue reading →

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Festivities in Maastricht to Mark 200th Anniversary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

  August 31, 2014 at 2:24 am by

The heads of state of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany gathered in Maastricht yesterday to mark the 200th anniversary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima welcomed King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, and President Joachim Gauck and his partner Daniela Schadt for the celebrations, entitled ‘Hello World!’, in Maastricht, which included a fashion show, concert and an … Continue reading →

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Royals Commemorate the Start of WWI

  August 5, 2014 at 8:41 pm by

On August 4, a ceremony to commemorate the start of the First World War was held at St. Symphorien, near Mons in Belgium. The event was attended by the King and Queen of the Belgians, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the King of Spain, the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, as well as the Presidents of France and Germany. During the event, King Philippe, Prince William, President Hollande and … Continue reading →

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Dutch King and Queen Receive First MH17 Victims

  July 24, 2014 at 12:00 pm by

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima were yesterday present for a solemn service at Eindhoven Airbase, as the first bodies of victims of last week’s Malaysia Airlines plane disaster arrived in the Netherlands. Representatives of the ten nations which lost citizens in the incident were also present to receive the 40 coffins upon their arrival from the Ukraine on Dutch and Australian military planes. Prince Laurent of Belgium was sent to … Continue reading →

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Belgian National Day

  July 22, 2014 at 6:03 am by

The Belgian Royal Family celebrated National Day this past days. The celebrations started on Sunday July 20 when King Philippe and Queen Mathilde along with Princess Astrid, Prince Lorenz, Prince Laurent and Princess Claire attended the concert “Prelude to National Day” which took plac at the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels hosted by the Queen Elizabeth and the National Orchestra of Belgium. Later on, the King and the Queen were … Continue reading →

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Belgian Photo Session at Sealife National Marine Park

  July 12, 2014 at 11:15 pm by

The King and Queen of the Belgians and their four children today participated in a photo session at the Sealife National Marine Park in Blankenberge. During their visit, in which Dutch was the main language spoken, the family first spent time at Expedition Turtle, where a number of different turtle species are on display. Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eléonore then were shown by carers how to prepare … Continue reading →

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Princess Beatrice Attends Belgian Royal Wedding

  July 7, 2014 at 3:57 am by

On July 5, Princess Beatrice attended the wedding of Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este and Elisabetta “Lili” von Rosboch von Wolkenstein. The wedding took place at the Santa Maria Trastevere Basilica in Rome, Italy. Also amongst the guests was Lavinia Borromeo, the half-sister of Beatrice Borromeo, who herself is the girlfriend of Pierre Casiraghi, Prince Albert II of Monaco’s nephew. The whole Belgian Royal Family attended as well … Continue reading →

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Queen Fabiola of Belgium Celebrates Her 86th birthday

  June 11, 2014 at 1:00 am by

The Spanish-born widow of the late beloved King Baudouin of Belgium was born in Madrid, Spain on June 11, 1928. Queen Fabiola was the fourth daughter of the Marquess of Casa Riera. Her godmother was none other than Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain. Doña Fabiola de Mora’s family were close to the Spanish Royal Family and in her youth, Fabiola was a lady in waiting to the Infanta Pilar of … Continue reading →

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King Albert Turns 80

  June 7, 2014 at 5:48 am by

King Albert II of Belgium celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday, June 6th. The former Belgian Monarch was born at Chateau Stuyvenberg in 1934, the second son of King Leopold III of the Belgians and Princess Astrid of Sweden. The infant Prince of Liège was christened Albert Félix Humbert Théodore Christian Eugène Marie with his godparents being Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. Tragedy struck on the August 29th, 1935, … Continue reading →

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D-Day 70th Anniversary Commemorations

  June 6, 2014 at 7:56 am by

Royals from across Europe, as well as many heads of state, have gathered in Normandy to mark the seventieth anniversary of the D-Day landings, the Allied invasion of German-occupied territory which became the beginning of the end of World War Two. This morning, local time, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended a Royal British Legion service at the Bayeux Cathedral, as did British Prime Minister David Cameron … Continue reading →

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Princess Astrid of Belgium Turns 52

  June 5, 2014 at 8:20 pm by

Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este celebrates her 52nd birthday on June 5th. The Princess is the only sister of King Philippe of Belgium and was born in 1962, the second child and only daughter of the future King Albert II and Queen Paola. The Princess was named in honour of her father’s mother, the tragic Astrid of Sweden, who was killed in 1935. The Princess was baptised Astrid Josephine Charlotte … Continue reading →

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First Communion for Princes Nicolas and Aymeric

  May 29, 2014 at 11:26 pm by

Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric, the eight-year-old sons of Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium, today celebrated their first holy communion. Taking place at the Sainte-Catherine de Bonlez in Chaumont-Gistoux, the two Princes joined ten peers for the ceremony which was conducted by the church’s priest, Willy Gettemans, and Father Guy Gilbert. Father Gilbert is a personal friend of Prince Laurent, and performed the wedding ceremony of Prince Laurent and Princess Claire, as … Continue reading →

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Second Child for Prince Edouard and Princess Isabella de Ligne

  May 16, 2014 at 6:43 am by

On 9 May 2014, Princess Isabella de Ligne and her husband Prince Edouard welcomed their second child, a girl. The little princess was named Athénaïs, and her full name is Athénaïs Allegra Isabella. She bears the title of HH Princess Athénaïs de Ligne de la Trémoïlle. She joins her elder sister, Princess Althea, who was born in 2010. Princess Isabella, then known as Isabella Orsini, married Prince Edouard de Ligne civilly on … Continue reading →

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Belgian Introductory Visit to Sweden

  April 29, 2014 at 11:25 pm by

Today, April 29th, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde paid an introductory visit to Sweden. The King and the Queen were welcomed at the Royal Palace in Stockholm by King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. At the luncheon hosted by the Swedish King and Queen, were also present Crown Princess Victoria, her husband Prince Daniel and Prince Carl Philip. In the early afternoon, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visited the … Continue reading →

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Royals Attend Double Canonisation at the Vatican

  April 27, 2014 at 9:38 am by

Catholic royals from across Europe were present at the canonisation of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II today at the Vatican. King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain, former King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and Prince Hans-Adam II and Princess Marie Aglaë of Liechtenstein were amongst the million plus there for the mass, which was … Continue reading →

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Belgian Royal Birthdays

  April 15, 2014 at 10:31 pm by

The King of the Belgians celebrates his 54th birthday on April 15th. Philippe was born at the Chateau de Belvedere in Brussels in 1960, the eldest child and son of former King Albert II and Queen Paola. The infant Prince was baptised with the names Philippe Léopold Louis Marie at the Church of Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg near the Royal Palace in Brussels. Chosen as his godparents were his paternal grandfather, former King Leopold III … Continue reading →

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Prince Laurent Discharged From Hospital

  April 9, 2014 at 4:21 am by

Belgium’s Prince Laurent was discharged from hospital yesterday afternoon, after spending three weeks in hospital suffering from pneumonia. The spokesperson for the Royal Court, Pierre-Emmanuel Bauw, confirmed the news, saying that the Prince had been determined stable enough by his doctors at the Brussels Saint-Luc University Hospital to complete his recovery at home. Prince Laurent was admitted to the hospital on March 18, and then placed in an induced coma the … Continue reading →

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Chinese State Visit to Belgium

  April 2, 2014 at 12:24 am by

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Mrs Peng Liyuan, started a three day state visit to Belgium on March 30. The President and his wife arrived at the Zaventem Airport in Brussels in the morning, and were welcomed at the airport by Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo. Then, outside the Royal Palace, took place the welcoming ceremony at the presence of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. After a performace … Continue reading →

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Prince Laurent Placed In Artificial Coma

  March 26, 2014 at 7:53 pm by

Following his hospitalisation last week, the Belgian Royal Court confirmed yesterday that Prince Laurent has been placed into an artificial coma by his doctors to aid his recovery from pneumonia. The artificial coma will assist the Prince’s body to heal, as he will not be exerting unnecessary energy, and will allow the antibiotics to fight his illness. It is believed doctors will gradually bring Prince Laurent out of the coma … Continue reading →

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Prince Laurent Hospitalised in Brussels

  March 22, 2014 at 2:51 am by

Belgian media yesterday reported that Prince Laurent, the younger son of former King Albert II and Queen Paola, was hospitalised on Tuesday, the reason being ‘exhaustion’. He has been at the Brussels Saint-Luc University Hospital since then. A spokesperson for the palace did not confirm the news, however they stated that the Prince requests privacy. It is believed that despite the exhaustion, there is no cause for concern over the … Continue reading →

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