King Phillip and Queen Matilda of Belgian will officially host three Ukrainian families from one of their royal properties, according to information confirmed by RTBF.
The royal family will put two properties owned by the Royal Trust at the disposal of Ukrainian refugees. According to the head of the fund, the royal accommodation was intended to go towards helping the vulnerable.
“This is housing whose original purpose was to be made available to social agencies to accommodate people on low incomes, a mission that corresponds with what we hope to achieve at the Royal Trust,” President of the Royal Trust Jan Smets told RTBF.
In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis it has given rise to, the Royal Trust President stated that the royal lodgings would now be put to use for urgently welcoming refugees.
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The lodgings are currently being renovated by the Royal Trust, but it is hoped that they will be quickly refurbished and redecorated by the start of April. Each home will accommodate one family.
This is not the first time that the Belgian Royal Family have stepped in to give accommodation to the vulnerable. In 2009, then King Albert II and Queen Paola donated an apartment from the Royal Trust to host some of Belgium’s homeless. Last year, the Royal Trust gave also gave away property to help receive disaster victims following heavy flooding in the summer.
The Royal Family has taken an active role in the refugee crisis. It recently visited an asylum centre in Molenbeek, as well as the new refugee Palace 8 reception in Brussels.
