A sober affair for the royal family.
Today the annual Eucharist celebration of the Belgian royals was on the program. On this special day, the royal family gathers in Brussels to commemorate their deceased loved ones.
Eucharist
Normally the commemoration takes place on February 17, this is a tradition that has been maintained since 1935. The mass was then held to commemorate the late King Albert I, who had died the year before.
This year, however, things are different: royalty expert Wim Dehandschieter tells Blauw Bloed that the celebration has been postponed due to the spring holidays. That is why the Belgian royals only appeared today in the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, where the Royal Crypt is also located.
Commemoration
Although it is of course a solemn occasion, the royals present appear to be in great spirits when photographed outside the cathedral. It is also noticeable that this year there seems to be more room for light, colorful outfits. That’s a big contrast to the selection of dark rugs we’ve seen over the past two years.
The royal couple, Filip and Mathilde, pose cheerfully for the cameras in gray outfits. According to the experts at UFO No More, Queen Mathilde would be wearing a new coat from Natan with a striking balloon sleeve.
Prince Laurent and Princess Claire are also happy to smile friendly for the camera.
Sober affair
At the service itself the atmosphere is of course a lot more solemn. This becomes even more clear in the photos of King Albert and Queen Paola….
…And the images of Princess Delphine and her husband, Jim O’Hare.
While the other ladies showed up in relatively sober outfits, Delphine stood out with her colorful trench coat. This daughter of King Albert has only been officially recognized by her father since 2020, and was therefore not allowed to attend royal family events before then.
Fortunately, that has now changed for the artist slash princess.
Source: Blauw Bloed, Monarchie.be | Image: NL Image
