King Philippe of Belgium participated in the annual military ceremony, organized on this day to commemorate the Armistice. The ceremony is held every year, on November 11, in front of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, under the Congress column.
Read also: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde congratulate the Olympic medalists at Laeken Castle
Ceremony honoring the Unknown Soldier
On November 11, 1918, the ceasefire was respected on all fronts, at 11 a.m. precisely, respecting the signing of the armistice between the belligerents. The end of the First World War has been commemorated every year for over a century. After the Second World War, the commemoration of November 11 included soldiers who fell between 1940 and 1945. Since then, Armistice Day has been dedicated to the deceased of both wars and to all soldiers who fell during missions.
Also read: The Duchess of Edinburgh commemorates the Armistice at the National Arboretum
King Philippe of Belgium, 64 years old, participated as every year in the tribute ceremony organized at the Congress column. This column is a monument built from 1840, in honor of the National Congress, the first temporary legislative assembly which was formed after independence, and which is at the origin of the first constitutive texts of Belgium. In 1922, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was installed under the Congress Column, inspired by this type of tomb installed in other capitals.
The Unknown Soldier was chosen by the Ghent soldier Reinold Haesebrouck, who became blind after a fight, from among five coffins offered to him. The coffins each contained the body of an unidentified soldier, killed on one of the 5 main battlefields in Belgium. On November 11, 1922, King Albert I buried the coffin of the Unknown Soldier at the foot of the Congress column. King Albert I is the great-grandfather of King Philippe.
King Philippe, accompanied to the congressional column by the presidents of the House and the Senate, first reviewed the detachments. In the presence of representatives of the federal government and established bodies, the King of the Belgians placed a wreath of flowers on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier then he rekindled the Eternal Flame. Before leaving and signing the book of honor at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, King Philippe greeted the veterans and presidents of patriotic associations who were present.
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]
