King’s Day in Belgium
BELGIUM celebrates King’s Day on November 15 to honor its monarch, King Philippe, who ascended to the throne on July 21, 2013, after his father, King Albert II, who had ruled for 29 years, abdicated the throne, the first in Belgian history. King’s Day, coinciding with feasts of St. Leopold of Babenburg and of St. Albert the Great, is a tradition first started by King Leopold I, and has been celebrated in Belgium since 1866 to also commemorate its liberation from Dutch rule in 1830 when the National Congress chose a constitutional monarchy as form of government.
There have been seven Belgian monarchs from House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, now the Royal House of Belgium, since independence in 1830. King Philippe is the seventh sovereign, who represents Belgium at home and abroad on state visits, trade missions, and at high- level international meetings, as well as fulfill his role in Belgian society, culture, and enterprise. His wife is Queen Consort Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz and they have four children: Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel, and Princess Eleonore.
Since 2001, the traditional celebration for King’s Day starts with morning church service at Brussels Cathedral, attended by the royal family and dignitaries, except the King and Queen. A Te Deum is sung, after which the royal family proceeds to attend a meeting at Parliament. The King does not attend the service as protocol decrees that it is inappropriate for him to honor himself. In the afternoon, the royal family goes to the Belgian Senate, along with government officials for a ceremony, at the end of which is sung the Brabanconne, Belgium’s national anthem. The King watches from the balcony as the military salutes him as a sign of loyalty.
The role of Belgium’s monarchy is governed by the Constitution; the King is guardian of national unity and independence. The Constitution entrusts him with executive powers. He is Commander-in- Chief of Belgian Armed Forces. He is one of three components of federal legislative power, along with the two chambers of the Federal Parliament – Chamber of Representatives and the Senate. He signs and promulgates all laws enacted by Parliament.
President Benigno S. Aquino III and King Philippe met during the former’s working visit to Europe on September 15, 2014. The President conveyed the Philippines’ gratitude for the Belgian people’s assistance for survivors of the super typhoon. King Philippe led an economic mission to the Philippines in 1996 in his capacity as Crown Prince.
The two countries are historically related. The National Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal published one of his two great novels in Ghent. The Philippines has an embassy in Brussels and consulate in Antwerp. There are 3,067 Filipinos registered in the Belgian National Institute of Statistics, mostly hotel workers or seafarers on Belgian-flagged ships.