King Philippe & Queen Mathilde

[Principessa]

Good King Phil (sadly, not in a pinstriped face mask) visiting the Janssen bio-tech lab, who are working on a coronavirus vaccine

Janssen, the well known pharmaceutical company from Belgium.  Even, over time, orientated myself for job possibilities at the company.

[Dresstoimpress]

Filip and Mathilde went on a bicycle trip with their children and a friend yesterday and ended up having a pasta in a local restaurant.

[Future Crayon]

Good King Phil and Good Queen Til out in Antwerp to visit TropischTG (the Tropical Diseases Research place). Guys? A giant model coronavirus is NO replacement for teeny tiny houseplants



I love the guy on the left's purple and orange mask. Tres chic!

[Future Crayon]

Good King Phil visiting the Aircraft Generation Operations Centre.





I'm guessing the pilot is wearing the mask to talk to Phil, because the idea of flying a fully loaded F16 on your own at incredibly high speeds and altitudes while wearing a thin surgical mask to keep you safe is a little silly

[Future Crayon]

Phil's taking no chances #safetyfirst

[Future Crayon]

Good Queen Til looking smart and summery meeting the team at digital platform Wellweb

[Future Crayon]

Good King Phil meeting the new ambassadors from Portugal, Montenegro, Niger and El Salvador

[oldfriends]

Filip and Mathilde went on a bicycle trip with their children and a friend yesterday and ended up having a pasta in a local restaurant.

Love this - The family that bikes together....!

[Principessa]

Filip and Mathilde went on a bicycle trip with their children and a friend yesterday and ended up having a pasta in a local restaurant.

Love this - The family that bikes together....!

The Dutch RF is know for the same, but yeah Dutch and their bicycles

The Belgian royals, I mean Til, Phil & kids can come across as boring. But they have their attitude, standards and all set well. Their children come across as well behaved, loved and raised well. A loving family.

[Future Crayon]

Good Queen Til visiting Minor-Ndako, a project working with unaccompanied child refugees.

NO, she is not sitting on a teeny tiny swing set in that first photo. I checked.

[anastasia beaverhausen]

The teeny tiny swing set went home with her to amuse the houseplants.

[periwinkle]

haha that is funny Anastasia yes something for the tiny house plants to have fun with. The picture of the family eating out without the grandparents is striking. Did those two just breeze in and out without staying or did the younger family decide to eat without the grandparents on purpose makes you wonder.

[Principessa]

According to a Dutch news site (NOS), Philippe wrote an letter to the president of Congo (about the past a.o.)

https://nos.nl/artikel/23...gruweldaden-in-congo.html

Roughly translated as:

Belgian king Filip: 'Deepest regret for atrocities in Congo'

The Belgian king Filip has expressed his "deepest regret" for the Belgian performance in Congo. In a letter to Congolese President Tshisekedi, Filip writes about "wounds from the past", referring to the reign of King Leopold II, among others.

Today it has been 60 years since the African country gained independence from Belgium. "This anniversary is an excellent opportunity to reconfirm our friendly ties," writes the Belgian king. According to him it is necessary to talk about the common history "in all openness and serenity".

"This history consists of common achievements, but also of painful episodes. Violence and atrocities were committed during the Congo Free State that continue to weigh on our collective memory." This period ran from 1885 to 1908, when Congo was under the personal rule of King Leopold II.

Reign of terror
Millions of people died during that reign, according to estimates. As a result of the anti-racism demonstrations after the death of the black American George Floyd, much discussion has arisen in Belgium about how the country should deal with the Congo past. Several Leopold II statues have recently been defaced and removed.

In his letter, King Filip also discusses the period after 1908, when Congo came under Belgian rule. "During the subsequent colonial period, suffering was also inflicted and his humiliations inflicted. I continue to express my deepest regrets for those wounds from the past."

No official apologies
He also makes the link between contemporary racism and the Belgian misdeeds in Congo. "Wounds that are now painfully felt again by acts of discrimination, are still too strong in our society. I will continue to fight against all forms of racism," said Filip.

According to Belgian media, the letter comes somewhat unexpectedly. The Belgian press also emphasizes that the king does not offer official apologies, but speaks of "deep regret". As a result, his words have less legal weight.

[Dresstoimpress]

In my opinion it was very well worded. Although most reactions are very positive there are some voices that say that having regret and recognising it is not an apology. And some people still demand an official apology.
But I think you can only apologize for things you have done yourself, crimes you have committed yourself. A son can't be held responsible for his father or mother's deeds for example.
Nor can Belgian citizens be held responsible for things done by their ancestors.

This was the best way to go about it in my opinion.

Given that this came as such a surprise; may I wonder if a certain crown princess may have had already some influence?

[Principessa]

The teeny tiny swing set went home with her to amuse the houseplants.