This year, the 21st informal meeting of the Heads of State of German-speaking countries took place in Switzerland, hosted by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Karin Keller-Sutter. Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri, Liechtenstein's Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Elke Büdenbender, and Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen and Doris Schmidauer attended the gathering.
The second and final day of the meeting was held in St. Gallen, a city renowned for its rich textile tradition. The Heads of State and their partners visited the ateliers of the Swiss fashion house Akris, as well as the abbey library and the cathedral.
Dries Van Noten double breasted wool blazer
I guess Queen Mathilde is not fluent or speaking german since she is listening through a headphone.
ReplyDeleteNice read suit. I like her.
You must not forget that German is the third language of Belgium. The German speaking community of Belgium is rather small, as well the territory as the number of habitants. Unless they need German for their job, most Belgians are understanding German especially the Dutch (Flemish) community, but to speak and write it fluently is not always easy. Business communication/correspondence between most European countries is in English. With France it is in French and with The Netherlands it is Dutch, but with all the other countries it is in English. Of course there are people who are speaking Spanish fluently because they are immigrants, the same for Italian people. In Belgium all kind of nationalities are living. Sometimes we are glad they understand English, which is not always the case.
DeleteQueen Mathilde from father's side she is descending from a Flemish family. From mother's side she is descending from Polish princes.
She speaks French because she has been educated in French as a child. She understood Flemish but had to take lessons when she became the wife of Prince (now king) Philippe. She is now reading and speaking it fluently. She is also fluent in the English language which she needs when working and travelling for the UN, when receiving the foreign diplomats, ambassadors, heads of state, military from NATO and SHAPE, etc....
Mathilde always regarded it as a duty to learn the national languages. In this particular case it should be noted that the Swiss German accent is rather specific.
Delete@ Well said, Mary T!
DeleteAnd not only the accent, often some words in Swiss German may be different.
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@ Anonymous 14:49
You noted that Q.Mathilde is probably not fluent in German because of the headphones?
I don't think so, otherwise why was she interacting so easily with the other guests in this set of pics?
My previous comment is from me, P.the original.
Delete@ MaryT. You are right about Queen Mathilde she regarded it as a duty to learn the national languages. French she didn't had to learn because she is educated in French and went to French speaking schools. She understood Flemish because the family of her father spoke Flemish, but she had to follow lessons because when you are not used to speak or read a language on a daily basis it takes too long before you can speak it correctly. Today she has no problems any more to speak or read Flemish (Dutch). Every year she is going to read fairy tales or stories to the young children at schools who are learning to read and to write. She does this alternatively in Dutch and French. She probably took lessons to understand German too. English she learned as a student I suppose like we all did. Queen Mathilde regarded it as a duty to learn many things when she became a princess. When she was pregnant of CP Elisabeth she went to the University of Louvain-la-Neuve to get a degree in Psychology. But like I said the majority of international communications nowadays is in English. If you live in a (little) country with so many nationalities and languages you cannot learn all these languages spoken by all these people. Some of them have studied themselves and work in one of the international institutions, mainly in Brussels but also in other cities of Belgium. Others didn't had the chance to study and came as fugitives/immigrants to Belgium. Sometimes they only speak their own language (or dialect) which nobody understand.
DeleteMathilde looks good in red, and this pantsuit seems just right. I didn't expect that a blazer at this on-trend length would work for her, but I have to say that the longer length is for her a very flattering style. Lyra
ReplyDeleteI beleive it is because she has such long legs and short waisted that this jacket shows different proportions, perfect combination
DeleteOn the 2nd and last day of the summit Queen Mathilde wears a red pantsuit which was new last year when she visited the Mapuche indians during a state visit to Chile. She wears one of her favourite Dior handbags (light pink) with this suit.
ReplyDeleteLa longueur de ce blazer à double boutonnage Dries Van Noten convient à ravir à la silhouette élancée de la reine !
ReplyDeleteHRH P Sophie looks stunning! Her grey trouser suit is so well tailored and fits her beautifully. The scarf she’s wearing around her neck is a very nice touch - on many this addition would swamp them, but she can carry it off with her height. The side view of her hairstyle in the last pic makes me a bit envious ))). I wish I could see her shoes better; I think I would probably like them, too, from what little I can see.
ReplyDeleteAnya
Something funny I noticed, King Philippe and Grand Duke Henri who are first cousins, have the same attitude (left hand on chin) when listening to the explanation of the man in the front. It seems to be a luxurious train with beautiful seats.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo of them in the fantastic train carriage at Bad Ragaz station and in the library with the special shoes. You have to take your shoes off and leave them in lockers before you go in - so these slippers suddenly equalise everyone, no matter your rank. It is a phenomenal library, magic, ancient, brilliant.
ReplyDeleteIf you click on the picture you will see that they wore the slippers without taking their shoes off.
DeleteThe longer length jacket looks fabulous, she looks terrific. This pantsuit is gorgeous. She looks beautiful, love her hair.
ReplyDeleteI think both ladies, QM and the Swiss president, look fantastic in their red pant suit. What brand is the Swiss president wearing?
ReplyDeleteI like the red jacket of the Swiss president, but i.m.o. the trousers are too short. I like almost all pantsuits worn by Queen Mathilde.
DeleteThat is on purpose, it is 3/4 length.
Delete@ Anony 06:33
DeleteI know, but I don't like it.
Lovely red suit from Mathilde, the other ladies look fine as well. Where is MT?
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