This Thursday morning, a ceremony takes place at the Royal Palace during which ten people will be officially ennobled and fourteen others will receive an honorary title by the king. Among the decorated personalities, we include Stromae but also many other varied profiles. Psychologist, novelist, researcher, surgeon… How do you suddenly find yourself becoming a Baron or Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold? Are there any privileges? Is it hereditary? We take stock.
Can everyone be knighted/decorated?
Business owners, NGO founders, artists… each year, people with very different backgrounds see themselves ennobled or decorated by the king. Some are very well known to the general public, others not at all. But as Xavier Baert, the Media and Communication director at the Palais Royal, points out, they all have one thing in common: “an exceptional journey”. Thus, he says, all have “brought something to their field” or “contributed something to society in general”.
Among those decorated this year, Michelin-starred chef Peter Goossens, for example, becomes Commander of the Order of Leopold alongside gynecologist and researcher Marleen Temmerman. While Stromae and ten others receive the title of Commander of the Order of the Crown. Why different order names? “Basically each order had a tendency to unravel a certain type of profile,” explains Vincent Dujardin, professor of contemporary history at UCL, “for example, the Order of the Crown rather rewarded large industrialists.” But today, he emphasizes, “It really got mixed up.”
The professor of Contemporary History at UCL notes that the sociology of people ennobled or receiving honorary titles of high rank has evolved significantly. “We no longer find only diplomats, soldiers, political figures or people from the business world, but also journalists, writers, actors, athletes, singers”he explains. It is moreover, he specifies, “one of the consequences of the creation of the Advisory Commission created in 1978 under the reign of King Baudouin, and Albert II and Philippe continued and even amplified this movement.
Does the king still decide?
To what extent does the king have a say? Concretely, specifies Vincent Dujardin, “It is the Advisory Commission which evaluates the merits of the people. But the king has the last word and can complete the list. While the Minister of Foreign Affairs applies his countersignature.”
