Wednesday, January 3, 2018

King Philippe & Queen Mathilde of Belgium - Christmas (2017)

A reply arrived today from Belgium, for the Christmas letter I sent King Philippe & Queen Mathilde.

The envelope is the usual we see from them. It features the King & Queen's joint monogram, an F/P & M under a crown. The F/P represents King Philippe's name in Belgium's 3 official languages: French - Philippe, Dutch - Filip, & German - Philipp. 



Inside is the family's Christmas Card. It's the same as past years, except for the new photo and year.

The front of the card again features the King & Queen's joint monogram.


Inside is a message in Belgium's 3 official languages (Dutch, French & German) and English. The two signatures are printed on and are the same one used on their past card. The children's names are listed by order of age. 


The inside of the card also features a new family photo taken at the Royal Palace in Brussels. I'm not a huge fan of the black & white photo. I think the past Christmas cards were especially lovely with their bright bold colors. But I do like the more relaxed look, with Elisabeth & Mathilde in pants instead of dresses.

L-R: Princess Elenore (9), Princess Elisabeth (16), King Philippe, Prince Emmanuel (12), Queen Mathilde, & Prince Gabriel (14).

I believe the photo was taken in September, as photos from the same shoot were released for Princess Elisabeth & Prince Emmanuel's Birthdays in October.