The Belgian royals will not be organising a Christmas concert this year, it has been confirmed.
Whilst King Philippe and Queen Mathilde traditionally hold an annual festive concert at the Palais Royal on Christmas Eve, this year the festivities will not be going ahead due to ongoing renovations at the Royal Palace.
A meeting with volunteers is expected to take place next Tuesday with Princess Elisabeth, 22, Prince Emmanuel, 18, and Princess Eléonore, 15, in attendance.
Each year, the Belgian royals typically host a carol concert as a way of thanking royal staff for their services.
During the joyous event, King Philippe delivers an annual Christmas speech which is recorded in French, Dutch and German to reflect Belgium’s three official languages.
Earlier this week, Queen Mathilde and King Philippe released their annual Christmas card which shows the family of six beaming outside looking dapper in formal attire.
In the snapshot, Queen Mathilde stands out in a punchy red dress while her husband and their sons, Prince Gabriel and Prince Emmanuel, match in navy suits. Belgian heir Princess Elisabeth matches with her younger sister, Princess Eleonore, in gold-hued ensembles.
Meanwhile, at the weekend, Princess Delphine, the half-sister of King Philippe of Belgium, released a statement to clarify her position following the leak of a controversial letter about her royal role.
The Princess, who was officially recognised as King Albert II’s daughter three years ago, following a ten-year paternity claim, wrote to the Belgian Prime Minister to “clarify an embarrassing situation,” highlighting that she is treated differently than her siblings.
The letter, which she says was sent in confidence by her adviser to Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, explained her feelings.
Her statement read: “HRH Princess Delphine of Saxe Coburg, through her advisor Marc Uyttendaele, intends to make the following clarification. “She noted that a confidential letter sent by her advisor to the Prime Minister was communicated without her knowledge to the press. She regrets it, her goal never having been to provoke any controversy.
“However, in a spirit of kindness and with the desire for discretion, she considers it necessary to clarify an embarrassing situation which is characterized by the fact that she is treated differently compared to her sister Astrid and her brother Laurent.
“She was told that this was justified by the fact that she does not receive – which she never requested – an allowance from the public treasury. It seems to her, on the other hand, that there is no reason why she should not be considered fully as a member of the royal family.”
