10 random facts about the Belgian Royal Family

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium

The Belgian Royal family has some remarkable members. Ever wanted to know more about them than just their age or studies? Here are ten fun, random facts about the Belgian Royal family that you might not know yet. Enrich your knowledge about the Belgian royals with the following facts:

1. Princess Astrid of Belgium has a phone case with a picture of her family lined up doing the famous Polonaise dance.
2. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde have raised their children bilingual. The four children can fluently speak French and Dutch. At home, the family speaks French, and the children have been attending a Dutch speaking school ever since they began their education. When the Royal Family visits the northern part of Belgium (Flanders), the King and Queen expect their children to speak Dutch. Whenever they head to the southern part of Belgium (Wallonia), they ought to speak French.
3. Queen Mathilde is the first Belgian Queen ever to be born in Belgium. She is, thus, the first Belgian Queen. The former Queens of Belgium were born in Italy, Spain, Sweden, France, Hungary and Germany.
4. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde do not have a fulltime nanny. The nanny is only there when they are both not at home. King Philippe drops his children off at school every morning before heading to work at the Royal Palace of Brussels.
5. Prince Laurent definitely knows how to make a good entrance. When he and his wife, Princess Claire attended the wedding of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, he tripped and tumbled on the red carpet. A royal guard helped him back on his feet.
6. In Belgium, there is a tradition that the King or Queen becomes the godparent whenever a seventh child is born to a family. The family can then request the King (when it’s a boy) or Queen (when it’s a girl) to become their godparent. The godchild will then receive a gift when it’s born, and when the child turns 15, he or she is invited to the Christmas Concert at the Royal Palace of Brussels. Of course, this is not a typical situation, but so far, Queen Mathilde has become the godmother of two girls. King Philippe is the godfather of two boys.
7. When the children of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were small, they often took them to the Christmas show of the famous Samson & Gert. Samson & Gert are tv characters who also host various Christmas shows each year. A lot of Belgian children love the talking and singing dog Samson and his boss Gert. The family always arrived incognito with just one protection officer so their children could experience the show just like the other children.
8. Prince Laurent’s grandest wish is to talk with all animals. He thinks there is so much to learn from a squid, a bird or a whale. It would be an intellectual enrichment.
9. King Philippe’s aunt Queen Fabiola wrote a fairy tale book. One of those fairy tale stories has been brought to life by the Efteling amusement park in the Netherlands, close to the Belgian border. The Indian Water Lilies can be found in the fairy tale forest and show and consist of a two-minute show in which elves dance to the sound of witches. The attraction was inaugurated by Queen Fabiola, Queen Paola and a little Prince Philippe in 1966.
10. The children of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde use the last name of “van België” or “de Belgique” (of Belgium). Even though the Royal family is part of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty, they use another last name. Princess Elisabeth, for example, uses the name Elisabeth van België when she has to write her name in school.