King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium began their three-day state visit to France, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. The Belgian royal couple chose to travel to Paris by taking a Eurostar TGV. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde arrived at Gare du Nord in the morning.
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State visit of the Belgian royal couple begins at Paris-Nord station
Regular commuters using the Brussels-Midi/Paris-Nord line took a Eurostar trip with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. Every day, thousands of Belgians and French people travel back and forth between the two capitals aboard a TGV. In 1 hour and 25 minutes, Brussels residents can reach Gare du Nord, in Paris, aboard a Eurostar (formerly Thalys). The Thalys brand disappeared a year ago, in favor of the single Eurostar brand, named after the holding company which operates the high-speed trains.
King Philippe, 64, and Queen Mathilde, 51, took the TGV at Brussels-Midi station this Monday, October 14. Queen Mathilde then wore a tartan ensemble from Natan, then she changed outfits during the quick journey to Paris.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde arrived at Gare du Nord, welcomed by the CEO of SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, and the Minister of Territorial Partnership and Decentralization of France, Catherine Vautrin. According to SNCF “is the busiest station in France and Europe with around 700,000 travelers per day”. It was inaugurated in 1846, serving as a station to accommodate trains connecting the north of France to Lille. On its facade are erected statues of women symbolizing the large cities, including Lille, Cambrai, Arras, Laon and Beauvais, which were served by the railways.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde chose to travel to Paris by train to promote this rapid means of transport. The sovereigns had already taken the Eurostar to Paris in July, when they visited the French capital as part of the Olympic Games. They also took the train to go to Luxembourg when they made a state visit there in 2019. During this stay in France, the sovereigns are accompanied by the Prime Minister of the Government for Current Affairs Alexander De Croo and the outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib. The minister-presidents of the federated entities are also present.
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King Philippe and Queen Mathilde arrive by Eurostar in Paris
Welcomed at Paris-Nord station, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde quickly headed to the center of the capital to join President Emmanuel Macron, who was waiting for them at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe. The French president has the habit of welcoming heads of state who make a state visit to France, under the Arc de Triomphe, before welcoming them to the Élysée Palace immediately. The king and queen of the Belgians will stay three days in France.
The state visit is already considered historic because it is only the fifth state visit by a Belgian sovereign to France, despite the cultural, historical and geographical proximity between the two countries. King Albert I was invited by President Armand Faillières in 1910, King Baudouin by President De Gaulle in 1961, King Baudouin was invited by President Mitterrand in 1992 and King Albert II by President Chirac in 2003. Neither Sarkozy nor Hollande organized a state visit for their Belgian counterpart. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde have a busy schedule in Paris, then they will visit Chantilly and Lille on Wednesday.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
