Belgium’s Head of State, King Filip celebrates his 65th birthday today (15 April) and to mark the occasion the Royal Palace has released a new photograph of the King of the Belgians.
Royal Palace releases new photograph of King Filip to mark the 65th birthday of Belgium’s Head of State
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The 7th King of the Belgians was born on 15 april 1960 and given the name Filip Leopold Lodewijk Maria. He became King almost 12 years ago on 21 July 2013 when his father King Albert abdicated after almost 20 years as Head of State.
Despite initial doubts about his abilities, King Filip’s perform as monarch has been pretty much flawless. Since July 2013 he has received numerous world leaders and has been on many state visits, most recently to Vietnam. In June 2020 he wrote a letter to the Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi in which he expressed his regrets for the atrocities committed in his great-great grandfather Leopold II's Congo Free State. That year King Filip attended the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of DR Congo’s independence from Belgium.
During his time as King, King Filip’s has changed the image of the Belgian mornachy from a somewhat stuffy and aloof institution and introduced greater openness and a more modern way of communicating with the public.
Since 1999 King Filip has been married to Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz. King Filip and Queen Mathilde have 4 children: Crown Princess Elosabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eléonore.