The Belgian royal palace shared two stunning new portraits of Queen Mathilde to celebrate her milestone birthday on Friday.
One photograph showed the Queen Consort, dressed in a white two-piece ensemble by Natan, as she stood in the doorway at Laeken Palace in Brussels.
Another image was a close-up of Queen Mathilde, which is being used on a new stamp for BPost (Belgian postal service). For the second shot, she wore a white blouse and a black and white striped A-line skirt by Natan, and accessorized with pearl earrings.
An Instagram post from the Belgian royal palace read: “Hurray, the Queen turns 50 today! We would like to share two new photos with you. The portrait of the Queen for the Winter Garden is awarded on the stamp of @bpost in honour of her birthday.”
Queen Mathilde and King Philippe were among the high-profile guests to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this week.
The couple were also among the European royals to pay their respects to the late former king of Greece, Constantine II, at his funeral in Athens on Monday.
The Princess Royal and Lady Gabriella Windsor represented the British royal family at the service.
Mathilde Marie Christine Ghislaine d’Udekem d’Acoz was born on 20 January 1973. Before marrying the then-Prince Philippe, she worked as a speech therapist and also part-time at a primary school.
Mathilde and Philippe were married on 4 December 1999 in Brussels, and the couple welcomed their first child, Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, in October 2001. Their three youngest children, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eleonore were born in 2003, 2005 and 2008 respectively.
Philippe became king after his father King Albert II’s abdication in July 2013. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde’s eldest child, Princess Elisabeth, is expected to become Belgium’s first queen regnant when she ascends the throne. The princess, 21, is currently studying history and politics at Lincoln College, University of Oxford.
