After two days in Paris, the Belgian royals are leaving the French capital on Wednesday morning.
The final day of the King and Queen's three-day state visit to France will take them to the Château de Chantilly and Lille, a major city in the north with strong ties to Belgium.
At Château de Chantilly, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, will attend an event deeply connected to the King's family history: the preview opening of an exhibition dedicated to Louise of Orléans. This French princess became Belgium's first queen by marrying Leopold I in 1832. Although often referred to as the "forgotten queen," she played a unique role in Belgium's history.
The exhibition is a collaboration between the Condé Museum and the Cultural Heritage Service of the Namur Province. After its public opening in Chantilly this Saturday, it will move to Namur from mid-March to mid-June, to be displayed at the TreM.a – Museum of Ancient Arts.
Later in the day, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will travel to Lille for a luncheon hosted by the city's mayor, Martine Aubry. Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort, Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele, and State Secretary Mathieu Michel will also be in attendance.
In the afternoon, the royal couple will visit EuraTechnologies, a start-up incubator and accelerator, which claims to be one of Europe's largest technology innovation hubs.
"This is an excellent example of how cross-border cooperation among Flemish, Walloon and French actors in the region can create an integrated digital ecosystem capable of competing with major European cities," said the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday morning.
