Cars and clothes for Mathilde and Philippe

Day two of the German State Visit to Belgium, being hosted by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, featured quite a lot of cars and clothes. In fact, it featured a huge amount of lots of things as the royal couple and their guests, President Joachim Gauck and his partner, Daniela Schadt, seemed to spend just about the whole 24 hours being really very busy indeed. Packed schedule doesn't really come close to describing it.

Queen Mathilde, President Gauck, King Philippe and Daniela Schadt at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels on day two of the German State Visit to Belgium
(photo @MonarchieBe Twitter)

The cars came first. The day began with a visit to Audi in Brussels where the guests got a tour of the German car maker's facilities. There were plenty of mechanics to enjoy but did Mathilde and Daniela look slightly bemused at the boys getting toy cars while they were given sparkly silver boxes instead? 

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Then, before we'd even hit 11am, it was off to Antwerp where there were talks for King Philippe and the German President on board a boat at the famous port.

All aboard - talks about the chemical sector for King Philippe and German President Joachim Gauck during day two of the German State Visit to Belgium
(photo Belgian Monarchy Facebook)

This is where the clothes came in. Queen Mathilde, in palest mauve, and Daniela Schadt, in a rather elegant navy and white suit, headed to fashion museum, MoMu, in Antwerp to see some of their latest exhibitions which open again to the public on March 17th 2016.

Learning about the Little Black Dress - a tour of a famous museum for Queen Mathilde and Daniela Schadt
(photo Belgian Monarchy Facebook)

After such a busy morning it was time for lunch but before sitting down there was the small matter of an official reception at Antwerp Town Hall. These parts of State Visits are always special - speeches, visitors books, signing and waving. And in Antwerp, we were treated to the full range.

Accueil à l’Hôtel de Ville d’Anvers @Stad_Antwerpen #VisitedEtatAllemagne pic.twitter.com/Iix3K47vtQ

— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) March 9, 2016

There was also a chance for the royal couple and their guests to have a look at the Rubens exhibition there and, presumably, to sit down for five minutes during a lunch held in their honour, because the afternoon was just as busy as the morning had been.

Visite à la Maison Rubens #Rubenshuis @Stad_Antwerpen #VisitedEtatAllemagne pic.twitter.com/0C1kdN0W0f

— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) March 9, 2016

They headed to Mechelen where there was an action packed visit to a regional youth centre which included the chance to chat to some of the people using it and running it as well as a little spot of music.

Regionaal Open Jeugdcentrum Mechelen - Staatsbezoek Duitse Bondspresident GauckCentre ouvert régional pour les jeunes de Malines - Visite d'Etat du Président fédéral allemand GauckVideo Koninklijk Paleis/Palais Royal/Königlicher Palast/Royal Palace
Posted by Belgische Monarchie Monarchie belge Belgian Monarchy on Wednesday, 9 March 2016

After all that, the day still wasn't done. In the evening, President Gauck and Daniela Schadt hosted an event at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels for their royal hosts.

They're still standing after a very long day - the royal hosts and their guests at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels after a packed itinerary

(photo @MonarchieBe Twitter)

Mathilde sparkled in subtle silver while Daniela Schadt's bright pink silky suit was pretty stunning itself. The State Visit comes to an end today with another packed agenda. They'll all be glad of a sit down at the end of these three days.

And there is a special page about the two State Visits this week here.