King Philippe and Queen Mathilde undertook a state visit to Chile at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Chile, Gabriel Boric Font. On the second day of their visit, the King and Queen arrived in Antofagasta—a port city and regional capital located in a mining area of northern Chile’s Atacama Desert.
In Antofagasta, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visited several telescopes at ESO's Paranal Observatory, including the construction site of the Extremely Large Telescope (the world’s largest optical/infrared telescope), the Belgian SPECULOOS telescope, and the Very Large Telescope, one of the most powerful in the world.
The SPECULOOS project (Search for habitable Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars), also known as the “planet hunters,” aims to detect potentially habitable exoplanets. The observatory is equipped with several robotic telescopes dedicated to this type of research. Belgium, through the University of Liège, plays a central role in the project: it initiated the program, constructed several of the telescopes, and coordinates observations.
On the final day of the state visit, the King and Queen visited the Carmen Chemical Plant operated by Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM) and the Veldeman Project in Antofagasta. SQM is a major Chilean chemical company that invests heavily in Belgium, particularly in the Port of Antwerp-Zeebrugge, where it operates distribution centers and fertilizer mixing plants.
These are great photos. Love the striped pantsuit, and the gorgeous coat! She looks warm out in the field as does the King. This has been a great visit.
ReplyDeleteThe Queen wears pants suits very well for her frame. I like the cut, color might be a little off in photos, but it seems too stark. Would like a more muted color to coordinate better with coat.
ReplyDeleteClothes are in the same color range, no problem.
DeleteI agree Anon 15:15. The colors are in the same family. It goes.
DeleteThe reason I like this pant suit is because the jacket is longer. Being short waisted, she looks more in proportion than when she wears a shorter jacket or tucks her tops into her pants.
Very sweet to see the King and Queen holding hands during the official visit. The telescope project sounds fascinating. The brown striped suit is lovely, but of these photos, my favourite look for Mathilde is her black belted down jacket, which provides a beautiful silhouette for her high waist and very long legs. The 2nd last photo shows they have both changed to safety shoes for the factory visit, and shows me how lovely Mathilde looks in lower shoes - she has the lucky legs to look very good without stilettos. Looking glamourous in a safety vest, hard hat and safety shoes is no mean feat, and she absolutely pulls it off!
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point. High heels make the leg look more attractive. Mathilde does have good legs, with or without heels.
DeleteBeautiful pictures can be seen on
ReplyDeletehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/belgiummfa/albums/
She looks so young with the hair in a updo at first I thought it was a photo from years ago!
ReplyDeleteBien belles ces photos surtout celles où on voit le roi et la reine se tenir par la main peut-être pour se réchauffer !!
ReplyDeleteQu’est-ce que c’est beau, que de voir ce charmant couple se tenir par la main !
ReplyDeleteLa reine Mathilde est très bien vêtue. J’aime ses tenues.
-Astrid.
There is another beautiful picture of them where King Philippe is arranging something on Queen Mathilde's parka. They are the royal couple who are showing most frequently their affection for each other. I like that. It shows that they are just human beings like everybody else.
DeleteMany prominent couples who hold hands in public fake their true relationship and do so for political or other reasons. Here, we witness true feelings and obvious admiration for one another. This royal couple touches my heart.
ReplyDelete🌞 Virginia
Hi Virginia, I really don’t think “most prominent couples” fake their true relationship. A very big statement. There will be some!
DeleteLike the pics. Always duty first.
ReplyDeletecss
Dear Anonymous 19:09, I did not say „most“ couples but „many“, which is a big difference. I have done a lot of reading and I think I know what I am talking about, it was no light observation.
ReplyDelete🌞 Virginia
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