Mathilde will make history

Just four days to go until Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz becomes the first Belgian born woman to be queen of her country.  Forty years after her birth in Uccle, a well to do area near Brussels, the former speech therapist will become consort to King Philippe when he is sworn in before both houses of the Belgian parliament at noon, Brussels time, on Sunday.  Less than an hour after that the new Queen Mathilde will greet wellwishers in a balcony appearance at the Royal Palace before an afternoon of celebrations to mark the beginning of a new reign.

 

The Royal Palace in the Place des Palais in Brussels - the new Queen of the Belgians, Mathilde, will make her first official public appearance as consort on its balcony on Sunday 21st July

(photo Alvesgasper)

 

Once the celebrations are over, the new queen will settle into creating a very modern monarchy.  Her husband, the new king, will assume a wide range of duties and responsibilities.  We're used to seeing today's royals out and about at official, cultural and charity events on a regular basis and there will be a lot more of that for the fledgling monarchs.  But as king, Philippe of the Belgians will assume constitutional responsibilities which he may have tasted before as heir to his father but which will be totally down to him and his wife from Sunday.

 

 

An official portrait of Prince Philippe, currently Duke of Brabant, who will assume a wide range of constitutional responsibilities on Sumday when he becomes King of the Belgians

  

His contact with the government will increase - one of the monarch's responsibilities is regular briefings with ministers.  The royal household's website states that this relationship between politicians and the king is designed to provide continuity but that the royal role is advisory only.  King Albert II has been praised for his work towards stabilizing the country's central administration in the recent rocky years which have seen problems in forming a working government.  Future burdens now fall to Philippe.  



 

Meanwhile, the king and queen will still have a young family to raise.  Their eldest child, Princess Elisabeth, will find herself heiress to the throne at the age of eleven.  She'll become Duchess of Brabant, the official title for the next in line for the Belgian crown, and over the coming years Queen Consort Mathilde will help her little girl prepare to become her country's first Queen Regnant. 

 

 Future queen consort Mathilde with her four children - in the background is future Queen Regnant, Elisabeth

 

And while Elisabeth has a defined constitutional role, Philippe and Mathilde will have to help establish the part their other children will play in their monarchy.  Prince Gabriel, 9, Prince Emmanuel, 7, and five year old Princess Eleonore will find themselves in supporting roles to their big sister as they get older.  The decision to send them to a Flemish speaking school and to raise them as bilingual is seen as part of the royal family's role in unifying the very different parts of their country.

 

 

The complete Belgian royal family with current King, Albert II, at its centre.  All its members will find their roles redefined from Sunday with the abdication

 

The soon to be Queen Mathilde is a bit of a trailblazer for modern consorts.  Hers was the first royal wedding of the current generation of heirs and when she said 'I do' in December 1999 at the Cathedral of St Michel and St Gudula in Brussels she became the last royal bride of the 20th century.  She had trained as a speech therapist before her marriage and ran her own practice in Brussels.  The royal wives that followed her all worked, from the future Princess Mary's career in advertising and real estate to Letizia of Spain's role as a journalist.  Jobs became part of the package for a queen to be. 

The last royal bride of the 20th century - a tumultuous hundred years for monarchies ended with the celebration of a marriage that has set the template for other modern princes and princesses

 

But a working woman who marries a king to be finds her future career catered for, whether she likes it or not.  Being a queen in waiting is a full time job and like every member of the main Belgian royal family, Mathilde set up her own charity, the Princess Mathilde Fund which aims to help the most vulnerable in society.  And becoming queen consort will up the number of activities Mathilde takes part in - from Sunday she's the nation's hostess, welcoming foreign dignitaries on her country's behalf.  And while we've seen a lot of the couple at royal weddings in recent years, from now on representing Belgium abroad on state visits falls to them.

 

 They'll have to get used to canapés for tea - the future King and Queen of the Belgians' role will include hosting state receptions and representing their country abroad

 

As a homegrown princess, Mathilde already enjoys huge popularity in Belgium.  As their first native queen consort, being a girl from Uccle can only continue to be an advantage.

Mathilde is the first Belgian to be queen of her country but not the first Belgian to be a queen.  The next post is all about those women from the lands of Belgium who were queen consort of England...

 

 

 

Philippa of Hainualt, Queen of England, left her mark on British history