Last weekend, the Belgian royal family gathered in Brussels for the annual celebration of the country’s National Day, including bejeweled appearances at a pair of concerts, a church service, and a parade.
On Saturday, the King and the Queen of the Belgians were joined by his sister and brother-in-law, Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz, at the Bozar in Brussels for a concert on the eve of National Day. The royal couples posed in front of a bust of King Philippe and Princess Astrid’s great-grandmother, Queen Elisabeth, ahead of the concert.
Both Queen Mathilde and Princess Astrid wore eye-catching orange for the concert. Mathilde opted for an orange gown from the brand Essentiel Antwerp, featuring elegant cape-like sleeves. (Her daughter, the Duchess of Brabant, wore the same gown in fuchsia pink for the royal wedding in Jordan last June, while the Princess of Orange wore the same gown in royal blue to celebrate the birthday of Crown Prince Christian of Denmark in October.) Mathilde accessorized with gold filigree jewelry from her collection.
With her orange and black ensemble, Princess Astrid wore a pair of gorgeous diamond tassel earrings that have been in her jewelry box for many years. You’ll also glimpse a diamond ring on her right hand.
On Sunday, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were joined by their four children–from left to right here, Princess Eleonore, Prince Gabriel, the Duchess of Brabant, and Prince Emmanuel–for the traditional Te Deum service at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels.
With a dress from a favorite royal designer, Natan, Queen Mathilde wore a special pair of heirloom diamond and pearl drop earrings. The jewels previously belonged to King Philippe’s beloved aunt, Queen Fabiola, who was Queen of the Belgians from her royal wedding in 1960 until the death of her husband, King Baudouin, in the summer of 1993. The earrings were among Fabiola’s most-worn pieces of jewelry. King Philippe was extremely close to his uncle and aunt, and Queen Mathilde has worn several pieces of Fabiola’s jewelry since her passing in 2014, including these earrings and the Wolfers Tiara.
The Natan dress came with its own accessories in the form of crystal buttons, but Mathilde also added a little additional sparkle to the look, wearing her diamond floral bracelet on her left wrist.
Princess Elisabeth, who has the title of Duchess of Brabant as heir to the throne, wore a bright pink dress from a brand that has also become a favorite with several royals, Safiyaa. (We recently saw the Princess of Wales wear a Safiyaa dress at Wimbledon, and pieces from the brand have also been worn by the Duchess of Sussex, the Princess of Orange, and more royal ladies from Denmark, Sweden, and Greece.) With the dress, Elisabeth wore a stunning pair of diamond earrings that she borrowed from her mother’s jewelry box for the occasion.
The earrings feature an interesting assortment of geometric diamond cuts. Queen Mathilde has worn these for numerous occasions, including an appearance last year on National Day.
Princess Eleonore also went for a brightly-colored dress for the Te Deum service. UFO No More tells us that the floral dress comes from Diane von Furstenberg. As usual, the young princess kept her jewelry very minimal, wearing a pair of delicate earrings that faded into her hair.
After the Te Deum service, the family attended the annual military and civilian parade in Brussels. Queen Mathilde and Princess Eleonore wore the same outfits that they had worn for the church service, but Princess Elisabeth changed into her naval uniform. Her aunt, Princess Astrid (not pictured here), also wore a uniform for the parade.
Princess Claire was not present for this year’s National Day celebrations, but the royals were joined by two of the newest members of the family: Princess Delphine, the King’s half-sister, and her husband, Jim O’Hare. Delphine is an artist, and as usual, she wore an outfit with a great deal of flair for the parade.
With her red, white, and pink ensemble, Princess Delphine wore a silver-toned necklace with a pendant spelling out the word “love.” It’s one of her own designs.
At the end of the day on Sunday, the King and Queen were joined by their children for a concert and celebration in the Parc du Cinquantenaire. Everyone wore slightly more casual, summery evening outfits for the event, with Queen Mathilde in a patterned blouse with matching trousers and both Princess Elisabeth and Princess Eleonore in pink dresses.
With her brightly-printed ensemble, Queen Mathilde opted for a pair of leafy gold statement earrings from her personal jewelry collection.
And Princess Elisabeth went for a pair of statement earrings, too. Hers featured hammered metallic disks in various pastel colors.
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