Their Royal Highnesses Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg embarked on a two-day state visit to Belgium, the homeland of his late mother, Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte who was born a Princess of Belgium.
This latest state visit to Belgium by a Crown Head is more personal as the visiting Head of State is a first cousin of the receiving Head of State. This is both a family reunion and a strengthening of diplomatic ties between the two nations.
Moreover, the two heads of state are also celebrating their respective birthdays. King Philippe turned 64 on April 15, and today, April 16, Grand Duke Henri marked his 69th birthday.
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| Royal cousins, Grand Duke Henri and King Philippe jointly celebrated their birthdays |
The royal cousins shared a simple birthday cake made of a single-layered chiffon topped with raspberries. It appeared that the Grand Ducal couple of Luxembourg arrived in Belgium ahead of the scheduled state visit to spend time with the Belgian royals at Laeken Castle where Grand Duke Henri spent many happy childhood memories.
Cousins
The receiving Head of State, King Philippe of the Belgian, is a first cousin of Grand Duke Henri. They celebrated their birthdays at Laeken Castle, the home of the Belgian royal family, and to which Grand Duke Henri had spent most of his childhood.
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| Visit to the City Hall of Brussels |
Their grandfather, King Leopold III, reigned in Belgium for 17 years, from 1934 until his abdication in 1951. But they did not meet their grandmother, Queen Astrid, who died very young at 29, in 1935, due to a car accident in Switzerland.
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| Photo credit: Belga/Frédéric Andrieu/Olivier Polet (pool) |
In a speech during the state banquet hosted by King Philippe, Grand Duke Henri recalled many of his happy childhood memories of visiting Belgium and spending time at Laeken Castle. But by the time he and King Philippe were born in 1955 and 1960 respectively, the Belgian king was already their uncle, King Baudouin.
By the way, their grandmother Queen Astrid was the older sister of Crown Princess Martha of Norway, the mother of King Harald V, making them first cousins once removed to the Norwegian monarch.
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| Photo credit: Belga/Frédéric Andrieu/Olivier Polet (pool) |
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| Photo credit: Belga/Frédéric Andrieu/Olivier Polet (pool) |
The Speeches
At the beginning of his speech, the Grand Duke spoke fondly of his family ties to Belgium and the memories of his childhood spending time in the Castle of Laeken. He went on to talk about the exceptional relationship between Belgium and Luxembourg, which is bound to grow:
“ It is this unique relationship that we are celebrating today. Indeed, this closeness is experienced daily by our people, our students, our researchers, our artists, and our entrepreneurs. This State visit will enable us to develop new opportunities for cooperation. ”
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| State Banquet ©Belgian Royal Palace |
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| Photo credit: Maison du Grand-Duc/Sophie Margue |
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| The cousins. Grand Duke Henri and Prince Philippe |
In response, King Philippe said: "To overcome future challenges, we must indeed have strong roots. Well, our common roots, both those of our families and our people, are anchored in a soil that is exceptionally rich humanly, culturally, and spiritually.
At the crossroads of the Latin and Germanic worlds, our two countries with their Burgundian and Lorraine heritage have throughout history shown themselves to be very resourceful, if not to say brilliant. The Mystic Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers, which you can admire tomorrow in Ghent, is a glorious example of the adage: 'Beauty will save the world."
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| The Grand Ducal couple at Laeken's garden. Credit: Maison du Grand-Duc/Sophie Margue |
The Court Regalia
The two royal couples wore meaningful insignia. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore the insignia of Belgium’s Order of Leopold, while King Philippe and Queen Mathilde wore the insignia of Luxembourg’s Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau.
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| Queen Mathilde and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa |
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore pieces of jewelry that have connections to the Belgian heritage of her husband. She wore the Belgian Scroll Tiara originally owned by her mother-in-law, Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte, and the aquamarine jewelry suite - necklace, earrings, and bracelet - also owned by the late grand duchess.
Queen Mathilde wore a shimmering iced blue gown and was be-decked with diamonds. She also wore a tiara that had special meaning to her husband and his cousin Henri.
The Nine Provinces Tiara was a wedding gift by the Belgian people to Princess Astrid of Sweden on her wedding to the future King Leopold III of Belgium in 1926.
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| State Banquet © Belgian Royal Palace |
Since the death of Queen Astridi n 1935, the Nine Provinces Tiara remained in the main line of the Belgian royal family and worn by each of the Queen consort of Belgium - Queen Faviola, Queen Paola, and Queen Mathilde.
The Nine Provinces Tiara is one of the most versatile headpieces worn by a Belgian Queen Consort. It can be worn as a meander bandeau or a necklace. The spikes can also be replaced by different gemstones.
The state visit will continue tomorrow with the formal agenda of the visit which includes cultural, political, and economic meetings and company visits to Brussels, Ghent, and Liège.
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