Mathilde and Philippe of Belgium
Royal couple enjoys German Christmas tradition
From left: Queen Mathilde, King Philippe, Elke Büdenbender and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Christmas market in Dresden.
© imago/Photo News
The Belgian royal couple, Mathilde and Philippe, visited a Christmas market in Dresden and enjoyed a special tradition there.
King Philippe (63) and Queen Mathilde of Belgium (50) also enjoyed the festive atmosphere during their visit to Germany. The The royal couple visited the Christmas market in front of the Frauenkirche in Dresden together with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (67) and his wife Elke Büdenbender (61) as well as Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (48).
Of course, some traditional German Christmas treats couldn’t be missed: photos show the group with mulled wine cups in their hands, and there is a Christmas stollen on the bar table in front of them.
Queen Mathilde seemed visibly in a good mood and can be seen in the photos with a broad smile. The Queen kept warm in a knee-length red coat dress, a matching hat and a camel fur-trimmed poncho, as well as cream leather gloves. The only thing she may have been cold on was her feet: Mathilde was wearing a pair of nude-colored pumps. Her husband opted for a black wool coat, a gold scarf and dark brown gloves.
Three days in Germany
The Belgian monarch and his wife have been in Germany since Tuesday (December 5th). First they were received by Federal President Steinmeier with military honors at Bellevue Palace in Berlin. In the evening, Steinmeier hosted a festive state banquet for the Belgians, followed on Wednesday by a meeting with, among others, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (65).
The three-day trip to Germany ended on Thursday with a visit to Dresden: there they visited the X-Fab Dresden factory in the morning and the Old Masters Picture Gallery in the afternoon. After a detour to the Christmas market, the Belgian delegation began its journey home to Brussels.