King Philippe's Christmas Speech 2013 -present


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cdm

Heir Presumptive
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King Philippe's voice is so nice!
Good first christmas speech :clap:
 
Very nice indeed to see the king make his first Christmas speach! A vert festive scene with him standing by the tree!
 
The speech is nice. It is great that Belgium accomplished a lot in 2013.
 
I love how he's working so hard to include all communities of Belgium, I feel like he truly believes in his job and loves his country genuinely :)
 
Lovely message in french. I love this couple, they are nice and serious people.
I remember, i had watched thei wedding, around 15 years ago, Mathilde was very delicate and emotionnated, but i think she became a strong and devoted person. I think she will be a great Queen.
 
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Excellent speech by the King. Politically neutral and non-partisan, as it is appropriate for a constitutional monarch, yet mindful of the current socioeconomic circumstances facing many Belgian citizens.
 
It was absolutely natural after the recent tragic events in the Christmas message of the king to emphasize the fight against terrorism.
 
King Philippe pictured during the registration of the yearly Christmas message and best wishes at the Royal Palace in Brussels, Monday 18 December

http://www.belgaimage.be/#/gallery/6034180

And the Christmas speech

Dutch:


French:



German:



English google translation

"Ladies and Gentlemen

At the beginning of this month, I received at the Palace a group of children, curious to discover and understand what the job of King is. Speaking of the preparation of my Christmas speech, one of them mentioned how lucky we are to live in a country as beautiful as Belgium. Despite the personal difficulties we face, despite the insecurity in the world and the threats to the global balances, dare to see things with another look. A look that sees beyond what is missing, beyond what is lacking. A look that marvels.

Our way of seeing things determines how we act. If we marvel at nature, we will act towards her with more respect. This is especially true for those around us. Beyond our weaknesses and lacks, there is in each of us a rich inner beauty that deserves to be cultivated. In Holsbeek, in a nursing home I recently visited, care teams help older people to reveal what is beautiful in them, beyond what illness or old age has taken away. This led them to imagine, together, new ways to build relationships with the neighborhood. We saw some happy people there. Such a look at old age brings hope. Marveling at the beauty of life gives us a thousand opportunities to live it better and to help others to live it well.

The wonder drives us to be creative. In Namur in particular, I was impressed by a project that brings together technicians, entrepreneurs and artists. They learn, they learn to be surprised, to marvel at simple everyday objects, tools or technologies they thought they knew. And they put themselves to invent and innovate. It is also how we must grasp the great challenges of our time, such as the future of our planet. We will raise them thanks to our creativity.

Finally, we marvel at what we have built together, our common good, the fruit of a long history of bonds built in solidarity and compromise. We can draw strength from it so as not to give in to sterile cynicism and indifference. The future of our democracies depends first and foremost on the way we look at them. It starts with the links we make between us. I think here of this beautiful project in St Gilles, carried by young people, which wants to be a "factory of links". We come out enriched. There are also young people of immigrant origin whom the Queen and I met recently in Vilvoorde. They developed projects of social integration, building on the discovery of self-esteem. The beauty of their looks spoke volumes.


Ladies and Gentlemen

Our world is restless. Foci of tension and crises multiply. We need more than ever wonder. We need it for our children and their future.

Let's make this choice together.

The Queen and I wish you, with all our family, a merry Christmas and a beautiful new year."
 
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The Fire,wreaths and tree makes it all look so festive at the Royal Palace.
 
The King's Christmas Message 2018

 
The King's Christmas Message 2019

 
It is exact the same setting as in other years, with an identical tree also, but this year the camera viewpoints were less static and there were candles placed in the fireplace. In ither years that fireplace was a black hole, now it looked nice thanks to the dozen of red candles.
 
It is exact the same setting as in other years, with an identical tree also, but this year the camera viewpoints were less static and there were candles placed in the fireplace. In ither years that fireplace was a black hole, now it looked nice thanks to the dozen of red candles.

I never understood why they wouldn't light the fireplace. It would improve the setting, creating a more intimate, warm and cozy atmosphere.
 
I never understood why they wouldn't light the fireplace. It would improve the setting, creating a more intimate, warm and cozy atmosphere.

Yes that would be really be the icing on the cake for a Christmas address ,even without the lit fire the room was a perfect setting.
 
The Belgian King's Christmas Message always looks festive and traditional :previous:
 
I very much appreciate King Philippe's consistent habit of not only making passing mentions of isolated and disadvantaged people in society (which many of his European colleagues also do in their annual speeches) but keeping them in the focus of his Christmas speeches.
 
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