The King of the Belgians and Queen Mathilde are on a state visit to France. This Wednesday, they are expected in Lille. In the bonus info, we wonder why we talk about “king of the Belgians” and not “king of Belgium”?
The King of the Belgians and Queen Mathilde are on a state visit to France. This Wednesday, they are expected in Lille. In the bonus info, we wonder why we talk about “king of the Belgians” and not “king of Belgium”.
Speaking of “king of the Belgians” is a way of saying that the monarchy exists for the service of the Belgian people and not the other way around.. A ruler who does not own a kingdom in the sense that he does not own the land. He is a constitutional king who derives his power from the people. Besides, the king has no crown.
According to the “Monarchy Barometer” commissioned from Ipsos by several media, the popularity of the royal family is on the rise. Belgians’ confidence in the royal family is increasing and the future queen of the Belgians, Elisabeth, is the most popular. The Duchess of Brabant is the eldest daughter of Philippe and Mathilde and has just celebrated her 23rd birthday. She studies at Harvard and we saw her a few months ago in a military uniform since she is also a second lieutenant in the Belgian army.
The majority of people surveyed believe that Belgium should remain a monarchy. This trend is more marked among Belgians over 35 and in Wallonia. However, if 57% of Belgians want to keep it, 28% would like to see Belgium become a Republic and the trend is increasing.
The monarchy costs Belgium around 42 million euros, which represents a total cost of 3.6 euros per capita. 41% of respondents consider this amount reasonable while 21% consider it too high.
Sources : RTL info
