On the morning of Sunday, September 18, 2016, Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium accompanied by their four children, Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eleonore, participated in the Dimanche sans Voiture (Car-Free Sunday) in Brussels. Dimanche sans Voiture is a day when many Belgians ditch their cars for a day and ride their bikes where ever they may be going. If that makes any sense.
Anyway, the royal family rode their bikes from the beautiful Château de Laeken to the Quartier St-Géry where they attended a neighborhood party with the locals.
On the evening of Thursday, September 15, 2016, Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium attended the 10ième Soirée de Gala du Comité de Soutien Flandre Occidentale de la Fondation Roi Baudouin in Jabbeke.
On Thursday, September 15, 2016, Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium visited Horizons Neufs in Louvain-la-Neuve to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The Horizons Neufs is a non-profit organization and care home for adults with learning disabilities.
During today’s visit Her Majesty was given a tour of the home where she also met with staff and residents.
On Tuesday, September 13, 2016, Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians visited the province of Luxembourg.
The day began with a tour of the Auberge du Vivier intergenerational center in Habay-La-Neuve. Thereafter, Their Majesties visited the Galaxia, a business park dedicated to space applications in Transinne. The day ended with a “…reception at the town hall of Libin followed by a meeting with the inhabitants…” according to the Belgian royal court.
Please click the links below to watch two more video news reports as well as to view photos.
On Sunday, September 11, 2016, His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium arrived at the Adegem Canadian War Cemetery in East Flanders to attend the 70th commemoration ceremony in honor of the British, Canadian and Polish soldiers who died for the liberation of Belgium at the end of World War II.
On Friday, September 9, 2016, Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium accompanied their children — Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel, and Princess Elenor — and His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the opening of 40th Edition of the Memorial Van Damme held at the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels.
According to the Belgian royal court the event is “…dedicated to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games 2016. [The Memorial Van Damme] is part of the circuit of the IAAF Diamond League.”
On the morning of Thursday, September 8, 2016, Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium hosted the 13th Summit for Heads of German Speaking States at the Kloster Heidberg in Eupen, Belgium. Those in attendance at today’s meeting included His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, His Serene Highness Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Joachim Gauck, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Johann Schneider-Ammann along with government officials from Belgium, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, and Luxembourg.
Discussions during the meeting focused on the “…economic challenges in each country, but also the means used to fight against terrorism…” according to the Belgian newspaper, La Meuse.
Meanwhile, Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium along with Her Serene Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein, Ms. Daniela Schadt (partner of Presdient. Joachim Gauck), and Mrs. Katharina Schneider-Ammann (wife of President Johann Schneider-Ammann) visited the Belgischen Rundfunk- und Fernsehzentrum der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft (BRF) and the Musée de la Poterie in Raeren.
In the afternoon, Their Majesties accompanied by their guests attending the summit attended a conference held at the German Community Parliament in Eupen. The day ended with a tour of the Zentrum fur Forderpadagogik also located in Eupen.
The Royal Correspondent 