King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians

Skiing Holiday on February 17, 2012 in Verbier, Switzerland

Prince Philippe And Princess Mathilde Of Belgium

Family Photocall In Verbier

Princess Eleonore, Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel and Prince Emmanuel

Eléonore and Elisabeth

Eléonore

Great Royal Weddings: Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium Marries Princess Mathilde

by Beth Cooney Fitzpatrick

Posted Feb 11th 2011 at 10:30AM

When Belgium's Crown Prince Philippe, the Duke of Brabant, proposed to Countess Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz in the fall of 1999, he changed the course of his nation's royal marriage history.

By making a crown princess of d'Acoz, an aristocratic former children's speech therapist, he positioned the stunning 26-year-old to become the first Belgian-born royal consort in its monarchy's history.

The engagement was celebrated by a Belgian populace often divided by linguistic and cultural differences, who were captivated by the surprise love match of the shy, studious 39-year-old prince, oldest son of reigning King Albert II and Italian-born Queen Paola.

The couple met playing tennis and dated for three years, but had been so low-key about their romance that Prince Philippe had to assure his nation's people and a skeptical press that theirs was not an arranged union.

Soon enough, the princess-to-be charmed Belgians with something even more beguiling than her striking good looks: her Belgian birthplace. Being a native gave multilingual d'Acoz a unique place in a monarchy that had produced its queens by marriages to foreigners with royal ties for centuries.

"The whole of Belgium fell for your charms," Brussels mayor, Francois Xavier de Donnea declared to Princess Mathilde on her wedding day.

Their highly anticipated marriage on bitterly cold Dec. 4, 1999, was unusual for European royals, who tend to celebrate their pageant-style weddings in warm seasons. While hundreds of thousands were expected to cheer the newlyweds in Brussels' streets, freezing temperatures kept the throngs to an estimated 20,000.

Despite the chill, two ceremonies, one a civil service at city hall, one Roman Catholic at the St. Michiel and St. Goedele Cathedral, incorporated the spirit of the approaching holidays. The bride and groom were accompanied by a contingent of little girl bridesmaids decked out in red velvet dresses during the nuptials.

After their civil service, where their vows were broadcast by loudspeaker so well-wishers could listen in the streets, the couple traveled separately (with the princess bride in a gleaming Rolls-Royce) to the cathedral for the religious service before 1,200 invited guests. Great Britain's Prince Charles and Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako were among the high-profile royal witnesses.

Princess Mathilde's wedding gown, designed by Edouard Vermeulen of the fashion house of Natan, has been cited by some critics as one of the more stylish royal wedding dresses of the last century. The tailored coat-style dress, with a dramatic high and open collar, was accessorized with a vintage Art Deco diamond tiara loaned to the bride her by her mother-in-law, Queen Paola. Her veil was also an heirloom from her mother-in-law, who wore it at her own wedding, and was created in 1877 for the ancient Italian royal house of Ruffio di Calabrias.

The bride carried a cascading bouquet of white flowers with heavy greenery. The interior of the cathedral was appointed in an estimated $250,000 worth of coordinating arrangements.

During the religious ceremony, the couple pledged their vows in French and Dutch. They added German when they recited their civil vows, a nod to Belgium's diverse inhabitants.

After the ceremony, the couple was feted at a breakfast reception, followed that evening by a party hosted by King Albert II and Queen Paola at a royal palace.

The couple have since become the parents of four children, including the nation's first future female sovereign, 9-year-old Princess Elisabeth, who is her generation's heir-to-the-throne based on a change in royal succession laws Belgium enacted in 1991.

http://main.stylelist.com/2011/02/11/great-royal-weddings-crown-prince-phillipe-of-belgium-marries-p/

Belgium's Prince Philippe places a ring on his finger as Princess Mathilde reads the vows of marriage at a wedding ceremony at St. Michael's Cathedral in Brussels, Saturday December 4, 1999. Thousands of spectators turned out in Brussels for the royal event.

Belgian Crown Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem leave the Catherdal of St. Michael and St. Gudula after their wedding in Brussels, Belgium Saturday, December 4 1999.

Princess Mathilde & Prince Philippe Of Belgium Take Their Kids To School

King Leopold III of Belgium and Queen Astrid

King Baudouin of Belgium and Queen Fabiola

King Albert II of Belgium and Queen Paola

In 1958, Prince Albert of Liege went to the Vatican to witness the inauguration of Pope John XXIII. At a reception at the Belgian embassy, the prince met Italian Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria. “We were both shy, so we only talked a little,” Paola said later about their first meeting. Shy but smitten, Prince Albert proposed marriage to Paola, and she accepted. The Prince wanted to marry in Rome by the Pope, but when that didn’t work out, the couple were married at St. Goedele Cathedral in Brussels. Upon arriving in Brussels for the first time before her wedding, Princess Paola won over the Belgian media immediately.”The charm and beauty of the blond princess from the south quickly captured the hearts of the Belgians,” wrote the newspapers back then.

Donna Paola married HRH Prince Albert, Prince of Liège, in Brussels, Belgium, on 2 July 1959. The couple have three children:
Philippe, Duke of Brabant who married Countess Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz
Astrid who married Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este
Laurent, who married Claire Louise Coombs

Prince Philippe of Belgium and Princess Mathilde




Prince Philippe, Princess Mathilde, King Albert II and Queen Paola

Paola and Fabiola of Belgium

The Nine Provinces Tiara

Astrid in the original version of the tiara

This tiara was a wedding gift from the people of Belgium to Princess Astrid of Sweden, who married the future King Leopold III in 1926. Created by Belgian jeweler Van Bever, the original version of the diadem is a flexible diamond bandeau in a stylized Greek key motif topped with 11 large diamonds on spikes. These large stones, totaling around 100 carats on their own, symbolize the nine provinces of Belgium and the (now former) Belgian colony of the Congo.

Astrid, Fabiola, and Paola wearing the full version of the tiara

Princess Astrid, who would be Queen Astrid for just a year before her tragic death in a car accident at the age of 29, later added a set of diamond arches to enclose each of the 11 independent stones. After Astrid’s death the tiara was in the possession of King Leopold, and his second wife Princess Lilian wore parts of the tiara but not the full gem (Lilian never held the title of Queen). Leopold abdicated the throne in favor of his son Baudouin; when Baudouin married, Leopold gave the tiara to the new queen. Fabiola, Belgium’s first queen since Astrid, wore it on her wedding day. She handed the jewel over after Baudouin’s death and it is now worn by Queen Paola.

Astrid and Fabiola wearing the bandeau only; Fabiola wearing the bandeau and arches without center diamonds

This tiara can be worn in several different ways: the original bandeau and spike version, the full diadem with arches, just the bandeau worn as a tiara, or the bandeau and arches without the 11 large diamonds inside. Additionally, the bandeau can be worn as a bracelet or a necklace.

http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2011/12/tiara-thursday-nine-provinces-tiara.html

Princess Mathilde, Princess Elisabeth and Prince Philippe of Belgium photographed during the inauguration at Princess Elisabeth Children Hospital on September 7, 2011 in Gent, Belgium.

That's so adorable!!!! Elizabeth is going to a great queen one day^^

mervellous pictures and mervellous family

The Laurel Wreath Tiara

Given to Mathilde after her marriage to Prince Philippe (In 1999). It was given to her by a group of aristocrats in Belgium.

The beautiful diamond brooch that Mathilde wore to the religious wedding service of Prince Albert II of Monaco to Charlene Wittstock was a gift to her from Queen Fabiola -- maybe eventually we'll see a former queen offer a future queen one of her magnificent tiaras, too?

http://madhattery.royalroundup.com/2011/07/albert-and-charlenes-reception-hrh-the-duchess-of-brabant/

Royal double takes: The princesses sharing style tips

20 APRIL 2012

The world’s most high profile fashion designers clamour to dress them.

But judging by recent photos, it seems the European princesses have another source of style inspiration – each other.

The teal satin dress Princess Mathilde wore to the Monaco royal wedding bore a striking

resemblance to the outfit Mary chose to celebrate William and Kate's nuptials

Victoria and Princess Mary of Denmark looking strikingly similar in their ruched, empire line

dresses

It's all white for Mary, Queen Rania of Jordan and Letizia in ivory suits

When Crown Princess Letizia of Spain paired a fire engine red dress with nude accessories, it left many wondering if she had been taking fashion tips from the sartorially savvy Duchess of Cambridge.

Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit is another future queen whose taste coincides with that of her peers.

At the Swedish royal wedding in 2010 she stepped out in an ice blue floor-length showstopper that was strikingly similar to one worn by the bride's sister, Princess Madeleine.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden could be mistaken for Mette-Marit in ethereal ruffles

When Crown Princess Letizia of Spain chose nude accessories to complement her fire engine

red dress, it left many wondering if she had been taking style tips from the Duchess of Cambridge

Spain's future queen and newcomer Charlene of Monaco demonstrate how to tackle the

nautical trend in stripy tees and navy blazers

For formal occasions both ladies love bandage dresses in jewel colours

Sweden's heiress opts for a more demure version of Kate's lace monochrome dress

The Middle Eastern beauty shares Letizia's penchant for prints

Kate and Victoria are two peas in a pod in green

Both Letizia and Kate often opt for form-fitting business like outfits

http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/201204207802/princess-same-style/

Queen Astrid was such a beautiful woman.

the Royal children are absolutely adorable and I love all of their names. Lovely Princess Elisabeth looks like she is going to be a perfect Queen one day.

If I went skiing on the same hill as them, I would have NEVER known they were royal people, they look so ordinary without their hair done and fancy clothing.

Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde attend the 10th European Business Summit Gala Dinner

at Palais des Beaux-Arts on April 25, 2012 in Brussels, Belgium

Belgian royals blend in on a summer trip to London
27 JULY 2012

With Olympic fever sweeping through the world, nobody wants to miss the Games.

Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium and his wife Mathilde are no exception.

Looking slightly more polished than your average tourists and accompanied by their four angelic children, they seemed thrilled to be posing in the capital for their family album.

The charming pictures taken at iconic locations like Hyde Park and the Royal Albert Hall have been released as their official summer images.

http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/201207278809/prince-philippe-princess-mathilde-london/

very nice family and pictures

At the gala dinner to celebrate Prince Guillaume and Stephanie's civil ceremony

Belgium's Princess Mathilde arrives for the religious wedding service of Luxembourg's Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Countess Stephanie de Lannoy at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg October 20, 2012. (REUTERS/Francois Lenoir)

Queen Fabiola's huge diamond brooch worn by  Princess Mathilde.

HRH Prince Baudouin Albert Charles Leopold Axel Marie Gustave of Belgium

Princess Astrid with Prince Baudouin of Belgium

Princess Elisabeth's a dead ringer for King Baudouin.

Belgian royals attend Christmas concert