Belgium's former King Albert II, Prince Laurent, Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz attended the Te Deum celebration for King's Day on Friday morning at the St. Michael & St. Gudula Cathedral in the centre of Brussels.
King's Day (Fête du Roi in French, Koningsdag in Dutch) is celebrated annually on 15 November in honour of the King. However, King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and their four children were not present at the celebration, as tradition dictates that the King "does not celebrate himself."
Former Queen Paola and Princess Claire were absent from the celebration as well. The Queen suffered a minor fall in early November and will have to rest for four weeks.
Outgoing Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) pictured during the Te Deum mass, on the occasion of the King's Day in Brussels. Credit: Belga / Benoit Doppagne
Belgium's outgoing Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) and outgoing Home Affairs Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) arrived at the cathedral just before 10:00. In addition to the government representatives, various schools, members of the diplomatic corps and patriotic organisations were also present.
The celebration was led by Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Luc Terlinden, who started by wishing Queen Paola a speedy recovery. He also spoke about the victims of the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and the floods in Spain.
There are no nationwide celebrations on the occasion of King's Day, but civil servants working in Federal Government services and some other public services have a day off.
C’est la fête du Roi ! 👑 👉 Le Roi Albert II, la Princesse Astrid, le Prince Lorenz, et le Prince Laurent assistent au traditionnel Te Deum en la cathédrale des Saints Michel et Gudule à Bruxelles. pic.twitter.com/Vm2bFcHJLB
— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) November 15, 2024
