For the first time, Belgium's King Philippe bares his soul in a unique documentary about his ten years on the throne, which will be broadcast by Flemish and Walloon broadcasters VRT and RTBF from Friday.
Documentary maker Nicolas Delvaulx was allowed to follow Philippe for a year and a half to direct a film entitled 'Philippe, a year with the King of the Belgians'. It shows the Belgian King speaking more freely and spontaneously about his childhood and his years on the throne than ever before.
The film's greatest strength is that viewers hear Philippe himself tell his story uninhibitedly, about the most personal things in his life. This is not because he gave an interview with Delvaulx, but because they held ten two-hour-long conversations over the course of about a year and a half. Not only was Delvaulx allowed to follow Philippe with a camera, but he was also able to have personal conversations with him, as he wanted to show the person behind the head of state.
"At first I was only allowed to film what the rest of the press was allowed to film," Delvaulx told VRT. "Until I said that I could not make something more personal if I could not have a dialogue with the King. And then we had a lot of moments with the two of us."
Capturing the 'raw truth'
Delvaulx could record the insightful conversations on his phone, but the audio was not meant to be used. "However, as I listened to the recordings, I said to myself: who better to talk about the King than himself? With that emotion? I also thought it was modern to do it that way. And so I asked if I could use the recordings."
At first, the King said no. "But then I made a montage with his voice underneath, and showed it to him, and then he agreed," said Delvaulx. "It is an exceptional case because it was for his ten-year reign. And I think that is what gives the film its power."
As the recordings were not initially going to be used, the King speaks very freely according to Delvaulx: "You really hear how he is, thinks and speaks. That's the strength of the film. There is a sincerity. What is special is that I was allowed to ask all the questions I wanted. There was no censorship. I was able to capture the raw truth."
King Philippe of Belgium salutes the troops during the military and civilian parade on the Belgian National Day in Brussels, 21 July 2023. Credit: Belga
Importantly, the King's condition for using his voice was that he would also speak in Dutch. The interviews were originally given in French, because Delvaulx is French-speaking, but Philippe redid some of his interviews in Dutch.
"He and his collaborators chose the fragments he wanted to do in Dutch from the original conversations. Sometimes he also added something, if he felt it was important."
By exposing himself and his views on his role, the King also made himself vulnerable in a way that no Belgian King has ever done before. He himself has not yet seen the final film, but Delvaulx did send him a preliminary version.
"He asked a lot of questions, such as 'does this go too far?' and 'is this the right time?' But at the same time, he thought the film was very well made and congratulated me on it," Delvaulx said.
"It is difficult for him, because you have to dare. There are few Kings or heads of state who would dare to do such a thing. The film shows the human behind the King, and that touches people. He realises that too, I think. He took the plunge, and we should thank him for that."
The documentary (co-produced by VRT and RTBF) can be watched in full on VRT 1 and VRT MAX on Monday 18 December and on RTBF from Friday 15 December.
