The Belgian royal house celebrated a special premiere: All four children of King Philippe (66) and Queen Mathilde (53) participated together in a state banquet. They honored their distinguished visitors from Asia.
Special Honor for Crown Princess Elisabeth
The event on Tuesday evening marked the highlight of the state visit of the Japanese imperial couple to Belgium. For this special occasion, the royal couple brought all four children to such an official gala dinner at Laeken Palace for the very first time. According to media reports, Crown Princess Elisabeth (24) sat at the table of honor next to Prime Minister Bart De Wever (55). She wore a blue, short-sleeved dress and the laurel tiara, a piece of jewelry from her mother Queen Mathilde's collection. The Crown Princess had also welcomed the distinguished visitors from Japan at the airport earlier.
Prince Emmanuel (20) and Princess Eléonore (18) made their debut at an event of this significance. Only Prince Gabriel (22) had already had some experience with such a high-profile event: On the occasion of Philippe and Mathilde's state visit to France in 2024, he had participated in the dinner with President Emmanuel Macron (48).
Visit from Japan Is a Special Event
According to media reports, the presence of the royal couple's four children at the state banquet on Tuesday demonstrates how much the palace values the visit of Japanese Emperor Naruhito (66) and Empress Masako (62). It is said to be the most significant state visit of Philippe's reign to date, who has been King since July 21, 2013. Naruhito is the only emperor in the world and rarely leaves Japan. Additionally, the Belgian royal family and the Japanese imperial house have maintained warm relations for generations.
In his speech at the state banquet, King Philippe apparently looked back on the long friendship between the two families and recalled, among other things, a trip to Japan in 1985. On that occasion, Naruhito had introduced him to an authentic Japanese tea ceremony.
On Thursday, the Japanese imperial couple, who previously also visited the Netherlands, will fly back to Tokyo.
