With his country in serious financial debt, His Majesty King Albert II of Belgium proposed to cut the royal family’s allowance for 2012 through 2013. In a statement from the royal palace, His Majesty “…aims to voluntarily contribute to economy measures…” decided by the new government to avoid breaching the EU’s 3% deficit threshold. According to the Associated Press, the royal family received an allowance of around $13 million (roughly) in 2011. His Majesty also offered to pay for maintenance as well as for the extensive renovations needed on royal residences, which is normally financed by the state.
Here is the documentary entitled, Leopold III, la chute d’un Roi. The series discusses the reign of the late king of Belgium and the crisis generated by his return after World War II.
It was announced by the Belgian royal court that His Royal Highness Prince Philippe of Belgium will attend the funeral of playwright and Czech ex-president Vaclav Havel on Friday, December 23, 2011 in Prague.
Held at the historic Saint Vitus Cathedral the state funeral will also be attended by His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, United States Secretary Hillary Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Israeli President Shimon Peres.
One week after the horrific attacks on the Place Saint-Lambert in Leige, Belgium more than 3,000 people, along with Their Royal Highnesses Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde, attended a remembrance ceremony in the square where shooter, Nordine Amrami, killed six people and injured 125.
Also, in attendance where the victims families, politicians including Prime Minister, Elio Di Rupo, and Interior Minister, Joëlle Milquet. After three minutes of silence honoring the victims Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde laid flowers in the square then spoke with the victims families.
This evening at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, H.R.H. Princess Claire attended a concert performed by the Brussels Choral Society and the Charlemagne Orchestra for Europe under the leadership of Mr. Bartholomeus-Henri Van de Velde.
On December 15, 2011, H.R.H. Prince Philippe of Belgium attended a conference on logistics in the area of the Belgian-Dutch Delta, held at the Provincial House in Antwerp. Also in attendance was H.R.H. Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje.
During the conference the heirs to the Belgian and Dutch thrones participated in a working lunch with top officials in the port economy in the Belgian-Dutch Delta. This conference is the result of a first cross-border meeting, held in December 2010, in Hoeven, Netherlands. These conferences are a joint initiative and a common organization of the provinces of Noord-Brabant (Netherlands), Antwerp and the Benelux Union.
The Royal Correspondent 