Peeters calls for regular contact with new king

“I think a mechanism has to be found whereby the king meets not only the prime minister every week, but also has regular contacts with the minister-presidents,” Peeters told VTM news. “I think that’s the way of the future”. While the king is sovereign of the whole country, he said, state reforms mean the regions are increasingly important, and Flanders is the largest, with the largest economy, and has become the country’s new “centre of gravity”.

“The king has to take account of reality. I think it’s only natural that the king should look after the regions, and want to have contact with them, to see what’s going on and keep up relations. It also strikes me as logical that the new king should give some thought to how those contacts can be worked out.” King Albert, Peeters said, had taken care to do that. “He always asked about Flanders and listened with great interest,” he said.

Albert II announced his abdication during a TV broadcast last Wednesday evening. His last official assignment before that had been in Flanders, when he and Queen Paola visited Oostduinkerke to see the shrimp fishermen there, who still work with draft horses trawling along the shoreline. Those present said the king appeared tired, and he cited his health – he is 79 and has been on the throne for 20 years this summer – as the main reason for his decision.

Prince Filip’s first official statement in reaction to the announcement was in Antwerp, where he was attending a conference on the use of Flemish space technology for global imaging.

Countdown to change

During the week before the enthronement, Albert and Paola will undertake a final tour of the country, taking in Ghent, Eupen, Brussels and Liège, culminating in the National Ball on 20 July in the capital’s Marollen district. Filip and Mathilde will also be present.

Because the king chose to hand over on 21 July – the anniversary of the oath-taking of his ancestor Leopold I – the enthronement will fall on a Sunday, providing Belgians with an “extra” day off on Monday. The two houses of parliament, the Chamber and the Senate, will meet to hear Filip take his oath, in which he swears to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the land, to ensure the country’s independence and to secure its territorial integrity. The timetable is as follows:

9.30 Traditional National Day Te Deum in the cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula in Brussels, attended by royal family, ministers and dignitaries
11.15 In a ceremony at the royal palace in Brussels, Albert will officially step down as reigning monarch
12.45 The new King Filip takes his oath before the joined houses of parliament and becomes Belgium’s seventh monarch. His official name, used for signing bills into law, will be Philippe. However, it is expected that the media and others will continue to use both versions of his name
13.15 The new king makes his way to the Congress column for a salute to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, then to Paleizenplein for the traditional military parade, where for the first time he will dress in the uniform of a four-star general, to which he was promoted this week
23.00 The day closes with a fireworks display around the palace and the Warandepark

Future role

Unlike in other countries, the accession of a new monarch in Belgium is not accompanied by an actual coronation. It is also, prime minister Elio Di Rupo pointed out last week, not a tradition here to invite heads of state to the occasion.

While no one is expecting a repetition of the scenes of mass celebration at the recent coronation in Amsterdam of Willem Alexander of the Netherlands, it cannot be said there is much support for republican thought in Belgium. While most are in favour of the monarchy as a unifying institution, there is a strong current of public opinion – in particular in Flanders – in favour of restricting the monarch’s role to ceremonial duties.

That question was always going to be put to one side until after the elections next June, when the new king seems likely to be called on in the creation of a new government – a task that took more than 500 days last time and would, according to most observers, have taken even longer without the king’s efforts.

Reactions

“King Albert II: 20 years of reign with a profound sense of duty, modesty and a message of solidarity for all Belgians.” PS president Paul Magnette

“In years past, the king has often been an oasis of calm at difficult moments. Now he can enjoy his own well-deserved rest. Thank you for your efforts.” CD&V chairman Wouter Beke

“We certainly did not always see eye to eye, for example during the government negotiations of 2010, but I have every respect for the person of the king.” N-VA president and mayor of Antwerp Bart De Wever

“He carried out his important duties in an admirable manner for 20 years, and he did it in a way that matched the nature of the people. He always remained an ordinary man.” Former prime minister Guy Verhofstadt

“He has been a remarkable king. During 20 years he fulfilled his role perfectly. His considerable human qualities allowed him always to be perfectly in touch with the concerns, the needs and the expectations of the Belgians.” Prime minister Elio Di Rupo

“Monarchist or republican, you can have only respect for the way Albert fulfilled the duties of his reign.” Mechelen mayor Bart Somers

“I’m not a monarchist on principle, so nothing from me about Albert and Philip [sic]. Still, I have respect for other opinions. And for their choice.” Open VLD senator Bart Tommelein

Royal news in brief

The sister and brother of the new king, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent, now lose their seats in the Senate, which they held ex officio with Filip. Now they are no longer the offspring of the monarch, they must vacate their seats. The children of Filip and Mathilde will take up their own seats when they reach the age of 18.

As her father succeeds to the throne, Princess Elisabeth becomes Belgium’s first ever female heir apparent. Until the law was changed in 1991, only male heirs could succeed to the throne in Belgium.

Prince Amadeo, son of Princess Astrid and her husband, Prince Lorenz, is being tipped to take over from Prince Filip at the head of Belgium’s international trade missions. Amadeo is 27 and holds a degree in political science from the London School of Economics, and currently works as an analyst for Deloitte in New York. There are two missions planned for later this year, one to India and one to Angola and South Africa.

While the future King Philippe seems to have opted, at least officially, for the French version of his name, it was revealed that Princess Elisabeth is having trouble with written French and has been taking extra lessons. The Crown Princess-to-be attends a Dutch-speaking school and speaks French at home, but her written French is proving more difficult to master.