State Visit from Australia to Belgium 27-30 June

[eya]

After the invitation of the King and the Queen, the governor general of Australia, Peter Cosgrove and his wife will be paying an official state visit to Belgium 27-30 June

https://www.monarchie.be/fr/agenda/visite-detat-du-gouverneur-general-du-commonwealth-daustralie

 

[Mbruno]

Is Belgium hosting the Prime Minister or the Governor General? I would have thought that, if the former, it would be an official visit as the Prime Minister is not the Head of State. HM The Queen is our HoS with the GGen as her representative.

State visits from Australia and Canada always mean a visit by the Governor General. A visit by the Prime Minister may be an official visit, but not a state visit.

 

[Mbruno]

Apparently, in addition to the state visit to Belgium, the GG's European tour will also include an official visit to Italy and the Vatican and business meetings in France, Portugal and Spain. The GG is also scheduled to meet King Felipe VI of Spain.

 

[iceflower]

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Here are a video of the welcome ceremony and some more photos of day 1:


** fb video ** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 **

 

[An Ard Ri]

Is the State Banquet tonight?

 

[Mbruno]

Any chance there will be video coverage of the state banquet ?

 

[iceflower]

Is the State Banquet tonight?

It is! The Palace shared a photo of the final preparations:


** Pic **


And here's another gallery of day 1, that will be updated later:


** gettyimages/zimbio gallery: Sir Peter Cosgrove, Governor General Of The Commonwealth of Australia On Ofiicial Visit in Belgium **

 

[Mbruno]

It is! The Palace shared a photo of the final preparations:


** Pic **


And here's another gallery of day 1, that will be updated later:


** gettyimages/zimbio gallery: Sir Peter Cosgrove, Governor General Of The Commonwealth of Australia On Ofiicial Visit in Belgium **

Thank you. Where will the state dinner be held? At the Royal Palace of Brussels or at the Royal Castle of Laeken ?

 

[maria-olivia]

The Queen needs a coach for walking with high heels !

 

[Marchesina]

Thank you. Where will the state dinner be held? At the Royal Palace of Brussels or at the Royal Castle of Laeken ?

That is the Castle of Laeken.

 

[Marchesina]

The Queen needs a coach for walking with high heels !

I've seen Mathilde walking perfectly with high heels. That pavé in front of the Palace must be atrocious to walk, if you look carefully you'll see how bumpy it is.

 

[maria-olivia]

Wolfers tiara in a perfect way !
Sad that our Uniforms have no Belt anymore.

 

[Mbruno]

Wolfers tiara in a perfect way !
Sad that our Uniforms have no Belt anymore.

It would be much better, however, if the Queen could have the Art Deco bandeau as her "lesser" tiara.

 

[Marchesina]

I have to agree about belts and the Art deco bandeau. Plus the Order of Leopold should have his collar back in my opinion.

 

[maria-olivia]

The Order of Leopold never had a Collar.
King Baudouin wore on his Wedding day his Collar of the Order of Isabelle la Catholique.
Prince Albert de Liège the Collar of the Order of Malta

 

[Marchesina]

The Order of Leopold never had a Collar.
King Baudouin wore on his Wedding day his Collar of the Order of Isabelle la Catholique.
Prince Albert de Liège the Collar of the Order of Malta

I see, thanks for the clarification. Yet it still looks rather empty. Also, I'd love Philippe to create a family order for the ladies, but I can only imagine the havoc it would cause.

 

[maria-olivia]

Queen Paola was the first Queen to wear a Sash. She decided small Sashes of the Leopold Order for the Ladies. She never wore the Order of Leopold Sash. Queen Mathilde is the first Queen wearing it .
Queen Fabiola never wore Sashes.

 

[iceflower]

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Here are two more galleries of yesterday's banquet:


** fb gallery ** ppe gallery **


** dailymail article: Purple reign! Belgium’s Queen Mathilde is resplendent in a lilac ball gown as she joins King Philippe at a state banquet **


And here are the first photos of day 2, June 28:


** belga gallery **

 

[wartenberg7]

Queen Paola was the first Queen to wear a Sash. She decided small Sashes of the Leopold Order for the Ladies. She never wore the Order of Leopold Sash. Queen Mathilde is the first Queen wearing it .
Queen Fabiola never wore Sashes.

So Queens Elisabeth and Astrid didn´ t wear sashes?! That´ s weird...!
I think in having done so, Belgium was the only european country.


I guess the reason why Paola never publicly wore her belgian order is that there was never a state visit during her husband´ s reign where no orders of the visiting guest of state had been handed out.

 

[iceflower]

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Here are some more photos of the Waterfront event:


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 **

 

[Stefan]

I guess the reason why Paola never publicly wore her belgian order is that there was never a state visit during her husband´ s reign where no orders of the visiting guest of state had been handed out.

But she also didn't use it oin her official Gala pics as Queen. Queen Mathilde wore it when her official picture was taken.

 

[wartenberg7]

But she also didn't use it oin her official Gala pics as Queen. Queen Mathilde wore it when her official picture was taken.

I know. Still she is a holder of this most prestigious belgian order as I learnt when Philippe got married and all the decorations of Albert and Paola were enumerated during the civil marriage act in the town hall.