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On April 21, 2015, Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium arrived in Strasbourg, France for a one-day visit.

The day began with a visit to the Council of Europe.  Whilst there the reigning couple held a meeting with the Secretary General Council of Europe, Mr. Thorbjorn Jagland, as well as with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Ms. Anne Brasseur.

Thereafter, Their Majesties attended a plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).  According to the official website for PACE His Majesty gave a speech in which he:

“…called for the establishment and preservation of a decent society, expressing his regret at ‘too many situations in which men and women are not treated with dignity’. These shameful attitudes, which we were acquiring in particular when faced with the pressures of migration, were not just held by private individuals but also by institutions, he said, pointing to the recent tragedies in the Mediterranean.

[His Majesty went on to note that] in order to build and preserve a decent society, there was a need to ‘reconnect with our vision of human beings in their entirety’, namely independent individuals, free of any external interference, but at the same time receptive to others and the world around them, shaping themselves in a spirit of respect and tolerance.”

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Photo courtesy of Getty Images/F. Florin

On Wednesday, April 1, 2015, His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium visited the Beauvechain Air Base in Beauvechain.  During today’s visit His Majesty met with various military personnel as well as co-piloted the new NH-90 helicopter.

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Photo courtesy of Getty Images/E.Lalmand

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On Wednesday, February 25, 2015, Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium visited the institutions of the European Union in Brussels.

The reigning couple began their visit at the European Parliament where they met with its President, Mr. Martin Schulz, and held a meeting with several leaders of various political groups according to the Belgian royal court. Thereafter, the reigning couple visited the European Commission as well as met with members of the Council of the European Union including its President, Mr. Donald Tusk.

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Photo courtesy of Getty Images/J.Thys

On Wednesday, February 11, 2015, Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium visited the Perce-Neige, a therapeutic day center for children with disabilities, in Jambes.

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On Wednesday, February 11, 2015, His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium visited the project, OpBoksen, in Genk.  The purpose of the project, created by former Olympic boxer Mr. Abdel Wahhabi, is to empower socially vulnerable young people through the sport of boxing.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images/Y.Jansens

On Tuesday, February 10, 2015, Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium arrived at the Kinepolis in Brussels to attend the screening of the 2012 film, Disconnect, directed by Mr. Henry-Alex Rubin.

The film “…explores the consequences of modern technology and how it affects and defines our daily relationships…”

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On Wednesday, January 21, 2015, Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium arrived in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, to participate in the 45th Edition of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting.

The WEF is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation.  The event “…engages political, business, academic and other leaders of society in collaborative efforts to shape global, regional and industry agendas.  Together with other stakeholders, [the forum] works to define challenges, solutions and actions, always in the spirit of global citizenship.”

Other royals attending this year’s four-day meeting include His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, and His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Turki Faisal bin Turki Al Saud to name a few.

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