Belgium's King hosted a State banquet for the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Maria Teresa and Mathilde tiara

On the evening of April 16, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium hosted a state banquet at the Castle of Laeken in honor of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa are making a three-day State Visit to Belgium at the invitation of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Maria Teresa and Mathilde tiara

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Maria Teresa and Mathilde tiara

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Maria Teresa and Mathilde tiara

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Maria Teresa and Mathilde tiara

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Maria Teresa and Mathilde tiara

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Maria Teresa and Mathilde tiara

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Maria Teresa and Mathilde tiara

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Maria Teresa and Mathilde tiara

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Maria Teresa and Mathilde tiara

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Maria Teresa and Mathilde tiara

35 Comments

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  1. Anonymous16/4/24 22:20

    So nice to see such beautiful pieces of jewels. The gown is very nice. Sadly, MT gown one only sees from the back, very nice, the shawl nice color but way to long, or badly placed. Mathilde looks great. css

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  2. Anonymous16/4/24 22:24

    Mathilde looks lovely in her icy "Frozen" style gown. It fits her beautifully on the bodice and the skirt flows down so effectively.
    MT looks like she has a flattering gown except that we can't see most of it because of the wide shawl/wrap, which sadly rather ruins the look. Again, too much and too broad for one so petite.
    - Anon 9:13

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    1. Vibes of "Frozen" was my thought too as soon as I saw this gown It's very elegant and fits beautifully but the colour is a little too pale for Queen Mathilde, imo. Agree that the GD's dress looks elegant but not a fan of the huge shawl. Wonderful to have a tiara night again.

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    2. I agree that Qn Mathilde's gown is very elegant, but I think the big shawl is a good choice for GrD MT; it lengthens her body and hides what she wanted to hide. Not sure her jewelry is the best choice.

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    3. Anonymous17/4/24 10:53

      Haha, "Frozen" is exactly right! Beautiful gown on QM, but I agree the colour is too pale on her. Also: the best tiara-hair we´ve seen on QM, big thumbs up from me!

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  3. Anonymous16/4/24 22:29

    What a gorgeous necklace on Queen Mathilde. I don't recognize it?-Jacqueline

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  4. Anonymous16/4/24 22:35

    Is QM wearing the same ice blue gown (but without the overlay) that she wore for the Netherlands State visit? It’s a simple gown with enough sparkle coming from the tiara necklace and earrings!
    GD MT mix and match going on. I believe all the jewels are from the late Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte collection. Like I said,it’s a mix and match. Black gown pink pashmina.Then a diamond tiara and aquamarine accessories..Maybe if the pashmina was the same aquamarine color,that might have brought the look together. Lowri.

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    1. Anonymous17/4/24 07:38

      @ Lowri 22:35
      No it is not the same dress. The dress she wore for the Netherlands State visit was light blue (not ice blue) and covered with lace + a lace cape. Both dresses are designed by Armani Privé.

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    2. Anonymous17/4/24 10:14

      Thanks 👍.Lowri x

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  5. Les bijoux de sortie sont magnifiques. Pourquoi donc Marie Teresa s'est couverte de cette grande étole rose ? Cela cache trop sa tenue !

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  6. Sorry, but the rather chunky Aquamarine necklace does nothing for the Grandduchess here. Of course she would wear the Belgian Scroll Tiara for this visit, but she should have paired it with a different (diamonds only?) necklace instead. She has plenty to choose from in the Luxembourg vaults. Queen Mathilde's dress is lovely. As are her jewels.

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  7. Anonymous16/4/24 22:51

    Queen Mathilde looks exquisite in the sky blue color and design of her gown. Her jewels are perfect. Maria Theresa, as usual, has overdone a perfectly elegant gown with an oversized, overly shiny and showy accessory that drags down the entire outfit and makes her look even shorter and wider than necessary.

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    1. Anonymous17/4/24 03:48

      I agree! The necklace, although beautiful, doesn’t flow with the shinny, pink albatroz. The whole look is dowdy and aging. MR

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  8. Anonymous16/4/24 23:09

    In my opinion, not a good start in terms of clothing for QM during this state visit. The colour of the dress is too pale for the queen and the model with the transparent sleeves does not do her figure any favours. I don't think the low round neck is a good choice in this case either.

    GDMT, on the other hand, looks beautiful again: dress style and colour suit her well. The stole could have been a little less voluminous.

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  9. Anonymous16/4/24 23:37

    Good close up photo of Queen's jewelry.

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  10. Anonymous17/4/24 00:02

    I like the style and fit of Q. Mathilde’s gown but the colour is a bit too pale against her fair skin. Her jewels are perfectly coordinated though. I think GDMT’s look is a mismatch of chunky, angular aquamarines with the lighter, more flowing tiara. The brooch, while gorgeous, doesn’t seem to go well with anything. I agree that we can’t see much of the dress under the giant pink wrap. I wonder why she chose pink when the obvious choice would have been a soft turquoise to compliment the necklace? (V.M.)

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  11. Anonymous17/4/24 01:05

    Maria Teresa’s jewelry is beautiful, but I don’t think the angular aquamarine jewelry coordinates well with the curved shapes of her tiara, nor with the pink color of her wrap. Mathilde’s jewelry looks more harmonious together and with her icy blue gown, which is a good color on her.
    -Royal Watchee

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  12. Anonymous17/4/24 02:55

    Don’t know what impresses me more, the jewels or the dessert table?!

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    1. Anonymous17/4/24 14:49

      lol. Gotta admit that my eyes were all on that dessert table as well :)
      - Anon 9:13

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    2. Did I hear somebody say cake ..... where? ......where?

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  13. Anonymous17/4/24 06:56

    L étole de Maria Térésa fait couverture, dommage
    Les bijoux de Mathilde sont somptueux
    Froufrou

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  14. Anonymous17/4/24 06:58

    Beautifull Mathilde, à fairytale queen; MarieTherese: as if she would rather not be there, hiding behind her large pink something

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    1. Anonymous17/4/24 16:41

      @ Anonymous 06:58
      Why would she rather not be there ? They are with family. She always has been good friends with Queen Mathilde. They are laughing together with the same jokes. Her name is GD Maria Teresa. If you wish to write it in French, it is Marie Thérèse with the accents on the right spot. In the GD of Luxemburg they also call her Maria Teresa, although French is a current language in the "Grand-Duché". Their real language is Letzeburgs, not easy to understand.

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  15. Anonymous17/4/24 07:47

    Both ladies look beautiful. And the two cousins look handsome too. I only wish the Grand Duchess had worn different earrings and necklace to match her tiara and brooch. Also I wish her stole was either shorter of made of a softer material that could flow on her body and on her dress.

    T

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  16. Anonymous17/4/24 07:49

    Queen Mathilde looks beautiful. GD Maria Teresa's pink wrap is too big.
    King Philippe and GD Henri are looking handsome in their gala uniform.
    The flower arrangements on the table and against the wall are exquisite. The chocolates exposed in the Green House, where usually coffee is served after dinner, are beautifully arranged and surrounded by more flowers. The flower arrangements is something former Queen Paola brought to the palace and has been continued since then.

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  17. Anonymous17/4/24 08:50

    Completely wrong colour for Mathilde. The colour dissappear into her skin. MT stole is a bit to overwhelming, but a part fro.that they both look lovely.

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  18. Ladyofthemanor17/4/24 09:06

    Again GDMT looks very elegant in a simple black gown and the pink wrap adds some drama. I think those square aquamarines are just the right complement to the straight black top.
    Queen Mathilde´s pale blue gown is exquisite and reminds me of mermaids. Great jewellery. I love the tiara but I think it is placed too far back on her head. On the frontal views half of it is hidden by her hair and that is a shame. The tiara should be allowed to be seen.

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  19. Anonymous17/4/24 09:44

    I find Mathilde’s dress to be from the divine realm of fairy princess dresses. The colour and fall are divine. For MT if you look to photo 2, where the two ladies are chatting, I think her colour combination that others have disliked is actually quite delightful: the blue pink and black viewed close up is joyful and spring-like. Possibly she was only intending to wear the sleeveless dress, as last week Europe was warm, but with the sudden return to winter had to ask Mathilde “dear my husband’s cousin’s wife and friend, may I borrow a wrap?” … they giggled together as they chose one from the extensive wardrobe and found the Mathilde-appropriate length really very funny for MT. “This will get all the commenters worried”, says Mathilde as she drapes it around MT’s bare shoulders ;-). These photos are delightful, especially the one where all 4 are looking out to the garden, and the one where the Luxembourgers are checking out the flowers and chocolates.
    (Grace)

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    1. Anonymous17/4/24 12:19

      @Grace
      1. In Belgium there was one warm day last week : on last Saturday
      2. I don't think the wrap belongs to Queen Mathilde, I never saw her wearing a pink one like this.
      3. The picture where they all are looking before the open doors into the gardens was on demand of the photographers. King Philippe was not very pleased and made signs that he found it too cold. (there is a video of that).

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  20. Anonymous17/4/24 15:43

    I cannot help but adore pink heavy satin — sooo goegeous — but must reluctantly admit that that a stole that reaches the floor, no matter how beautiful, is too much of a good thing. _However_, the third photo makes MT’s outfit look almost like a ball gown — a ravishing black and pink ball gown that suits her wonderfully well. I say she should get her tailors to combine the dress and stole into a masterpiece. — Jane

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    1. Anonymous17/4/24 19:15

      After watching several videos of the event, and even more additional photos, and noting how the stole barely shifts at all from it's one position like a normal stole would (slipping off the shoulders from time to time, occasionally higher on the neck when the wearer adjusts it, etc.) I'm beginning to wonder whether the stole is in fact part of the dress, and may even be affixed to it. If so, I could see this full 'black and pink' outfit in a new, and possibly better, light.
      - Anon 9:13

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  21. Anonymous17/4/24 16:52

    The men look flawless in their uniforms.
    But Grand Duchess Maria Theresa's huge shawl-wrap looks bad in my opinion. It reminds me of satin bedspreads or blankets. In addition, it is impractical, because she still has to keep it and does not have free hands.
    Mathilde's dress is nice, but she could have chosen lower pumps. After all, she knew that she would be photographed with the Grand Duchess, who is short, so she could have been more considerate and take that into account. (the shoes are not visible in the photo, but I am basing them on the comparison with other photos)
    Stephanie

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    1. Anonymous19/4/24 12:42

      @ Stephanie.
      Even if Queen Mathilde wears flats under her long gala dress she would still be taller than GD Maria Teresa. GD Maria Teresa is used to be short, she married a man that is tall and there are enough pictures of these two where you can see they are still very much in love with each other. You see being petite does not mean you must feel unhappy or be jealous if you are surrounded by family or friends who are taller than you. They love you like you are.

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  22. Anonymous17/4/24 19:57

    I could be mistaken but I think MT is clutching so firm to the shawl because she is self-conscious about her bare upper arms (I honestly can't remember the last time we've seen them!). If so, I completely understand but, because the shawl is obviously too large for her smaller stature, and doesn't really color-coordinate with the rest of what she's wearing, its making the whole ensemble look off. If it had been a shade of blue that complimented the necklace - and proportioned to her size - it might have worked. But instead it just looks like a last minute panic grab as she was heading out the door. Hmm, makes me wonder if she actually borrowed it from Mathilde. That would certainly explain why it's too long on her. In any event, she has the money and the means to have had some sleeves sewn onto the dress, or a little jacket/cover-up made for the dress.

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  23. Anonymous18/4/24 15:08

    QM looked divine. MT must have turned around one too many times next to a mannequin that had that 'over the top/long' piece of pink fabric, and it got wound round her small frame.

    Edwina

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