On June 20, 2023, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium hosted a state banquet in honor of the state visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. The traditional banquet continued in the Royal Greenhouses at Laeken, with coffee served in the conservatory.
Also read: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde welcome King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima to the Royal Palace in Brussels
A majestic state banquet to close the first day of the Dutch rulers’ state visit to Belgium
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands are on a three-day state visit to Belgium. As is diplomatic tradition, King Philippe ended this first day of visit by inviting his guests to a state banquet organized at his home, the Castle of Laeken.
The Belgian royal couple and the Dutch royal couple pose at Laeken Castle before the state banquet in front of the open doors overlooking the gardens in the pouring rain (Photo: Remko De Waal/ANP/ABACAPRESS.COM)
King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, King Philip and Queen Mathilde wore the insignia and ribbons of neighboring orders. Queen Máxima wore a pink dress by Dutch designer Jan Taminiau and the Stuart tiara on her head. Queen Mathilde wore a blue Armani Privé dress, the tiara of the Nine Provinces on her head and the tiara of the Wolfers fastened as a necklace.
Queen Máxima and Queen Mathilde at Laeken Castle. The two queens walk towards the room where the banquet will take place (Photo: Remko De Waal/ANP/ABACAPRESS.COM)
After a photo shoot at Laeken Castle with the pouring rain in the background, the two royal couples took their seats at the table. On the menu: Zeebrugge tomato water and prawns, Mechelen coucou and foie gras with broad beans and morels. For dessert there was Grand Cru chocolate and local cherries.
The King and Queen of Belgium held a state banquet in honor of the state visit of their Dutch counterparts on June 20, 2023 (Photo: Remko De Waal/ANP/ABACAPRESS.COM)
The two heads of state gave a speech. “Your country’s history inspires the greatest respect. For centuries, the Netherlands literally had to fight “against the wind and the tide” to ensure their survival,” explained King Philippe, who also recalled the historical links, some of them warlike, that linked Belgium to the Netherlands. Low.
Also read: Philippe, Mathilde, Willem-Alexander and Máxima: Four rulers on the balcony and crowds on the Grand-Place in Brussels
Coffee is served in honor of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima in the subtropical atmosphere of the conservatory
King Philip also said in his speech: “Where you Dutch take a more strategic stance that requires your openness to distant horizons, we are more tactical.” Perhaps because of our diversity, we pay more attention to each other’s sensitivities. I feel that these two methods can be very useful and even complement each other. »
King Willem-Alexander gives a speech before the banquet in response to King Philip’s speech (Photo: Remko De Waal/ANP/ABACAPRESS.COM)
For his part, the King of the Netherlands said: “Mutual differences encourage us to look better and listen better.” And to defy all prejudices”, citing, for example, certain Dutch culinary specialties that are considered strange outside the borders and in Belgium, the complexity of its constitution and its political authorities, which are misunderstood abroad.
King Philippe of Belgium and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands toast at the start of the state banquet on June 20, 2023 at Laeken Castle (Photo: Albert Nieboer/DPA/ABACAPRESS.COM)
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After the banquet, guests were treated to coffee in the Royal Greenhouses, adjacent to Laeken Castle. Under the dome of the conservatory, tables were set with coffee and sweets, as well as desserts and Belgian specialties like waffles. The conservatory is a greenhouse built by the architect Alphonse Balat between 1874 and 1876 on behalf of Leopold II. It is even the first glass building to be erected on the royal estate.
Subtropical atmosphere under the conservatory dome for coffee after the state banquet (Photo: Remko De Waal/ANP/ABACAPRESS.COM)
Coffee is served in the Royal Greenhouses. Queen Mathilde and Queen Máxima were very close throughout the day (Photo: Remko De Waal/ANP/ABACAPRESS.COM)
Also read: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde’s first garden party: 600 guests celebrate 10 years of reign in the gardens of the Château de Laeken
The greenhouse is topped by a glass crown that is approximately 25 meters high and 57 meters in diameter. Its metal frame includes 36 visible arches resting on a Doric colonnade, explains the Régie des Bâtiments. The King and Queen of the Netherlands could admire the lush subtropical vegetation growing under the dome.
Nicholas Fontaine
editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a freelance web editor since 2014. After working as a copywriter and writer for numerous Belgian and French brands and media, he specialized in licensed news. Nicolas is now Editor-in-Chief of Histoires Royales. [email protected]