Belgium’s royal family gathered in Brussels on Friday to celebrate two major events: the country’s National Day and the tenth anniversary of King Philippe’s accession.
The National Day celebrations in Belgium kicked off on Thursday evening with a concert at Bozar in Brussels. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were joined by Princess Astrid, Prince Lorenz, and Prince Laurent for the concert.
Queen Mathilde wore a bright yellow caftan-style dress for the concert, paired with gold shoes and accessories. She recently wore the same dress during the Queen Elisabeth Voice Competition.
She also wore a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings with sunburst pendants.
Princess Astrid wore a pair of diamond fringe earrings for the concert.
After the concert, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde headed out to take part in the Bal National.
Mathilde again wore bright yellow, one of Belgium’s national colors.
With her top and trousers, Mathilde also wore a pair of her signature gold statement earrings.
On Friday, King Philippe celebrated the 10th anniversary of his inauguration with his wife and children by his side at the traditional National Day thanksgiving mass in Brussels.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were joined by all four of their children this year: the Duchess of Brabant (21), Prince Gabriel (19), Prince Emmanuel (17), and Princess Eleonore (15).
Philippe’s parents, King Albert II and Queen Paola, were also in attendance at the Te Deum mass. Albert’s attendance was a bit of a surprise, as he recently spent some time in the hospital.
King Albert II reigned in Belgium from August 1993, when his elder brother, King Baudouin, died, until July 2013, when he abdicated in favor of his elder son, King Philippe. He recently celebrated his 89th birthday.
Albert and Paola posed for a family portrait with Philippe, Mathilde, and their children on the cathedral’s steps.
It’s fun to look back ten years at photos of Philippe’s inauguration. Look how little the kids were! Queen Fabiola, King Baudouin’s widow, was also still alive in July 2013. She passed away about a year and a half later.
For Friday’s mass, Queen Mathilde (in red) and Princess Elisabeth (in yellow) both wore Natan, while Princess Eleonore opted for a dress from Maje.
Mathilde accessorized with a favorite pair of diamond earrings.
Here’s a closer look at the earrings, which feature several different geometric cuts. She wears the earrings often, including a recent appearance at the Queen Elizabeth Voice Competition.
She also added a gold and diamond cuff on her right wrist. We saw her wear the bracelet recently in Athens.
Princess Elisabeth borrowed a pair of diamond and pearl earrings from her mother’s jewelry box for the mass.
These diamond and pearl drop earrings feature a distinctive circle detail in their design, which helps to quickly visually differentiate them from Queen Fabiola’s Diamond and Pearl Drop Earrings.
Elisabeth also borrowed one of her mother’s diamond bracelets.
Here’s a closer look at the tennis-style bracelet, which has a floral design. Queen Mathilde wore the same bracelet for Philippe’s inauguration on National Day in July 2013.
Princess Eleonore wore a pair of delicate earrings with small diamonds suspended from gold chains.
Queen Paola wore a black and ivory ensemble for the mass.
She wore classic diamond and pearl button earrings, plus a black beaded necklace with a large floral pendant.
After the mass, the family headed to the traditional military parade in Brussels.
Princess Elisabeth, the heir to the throne, took part in this year’s parade.
So did her younger brother, Prince Gabriel.
Several more members of the royal family were also in attendance. Princess Astrid, who attended with Prince Lorenz, wore a military uniform, her usual tradition at this event. Prince Laurent was with Princess Claire, who wore different shades of pink.
She accessorized with clip-on pearl stud earrings.
Also present were Princess Delphine, King Albert II’s daughter, and her spouse, Jim O’Hare.
Delphine didn’t wear significant jewelry with her self-designed outfit, but she did incorporate sparkly blue hearts on her hat and her coat dress.
Later, Philippe and Mathilde and their children headed to the “Party in the Park” celebrations in Brussels.
Both Queen Mathilde and Princess Eleonore wore green and white floral printed dresses for the park event.
Queen Mathilde kept the floral theme going with her earrings, wearing her beaded jasmine earrings from Carolina Herrera.
Princess Elisabeth, seen here trying out virtual reality headsets with her father and brother, also wore bright green for the park celebrations.
She also added a pair of green earrings her ensemble, again borrowed from her mother’s jewelry box.
In the evening, the royal family gathered once again for a concert and fireworks in Brussels.
The cameras lingered on King Philippe warmly greeting his half-sister, Princess Delphine.
Queen Mathilde chose a black-and-white ensemble for the final moments of National Day, paired with coordinating statement earrings.
And Princess Elisabeth was glamorous in a one-shoulder floral dress, accessorized with diamond floral earrings. These were also borrowed from Queen Mathilde, who wore them recently during the Queen Elisabeth Voice Competition.
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