The wedding of

Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant french: Philippe Léopold Louis Mariegerman: Philipp Leopold Ludwig Maria , house = Belgium , father = Albert II of Belgium , mother = Paola Ruffo di Calabria , birth_date = , birth_place = Belvédère Castle, Laeken, ...

, and

Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz Mathilde (born ''Jonkvrouw'' Mathilde Marie Christine Ghislaine d'Udekem d'Acoz ; 20 January 1973) is Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Philippe. She is the first native-born Belgian queen. She has founded and assisted charities to ...

took place on 4 December 1999 in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The civil proceedings were conducted at

Brussels Town Hall The Town Hall (french: Hôtel de Ville, Dutch: ) of the City of Brussels is a landmark building and the seat of the City of Brussels municipality of Brussels, Belgium. It is located on the south side of the famous Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brus ...

while the religious ceremony took place at the

Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula nl, Kathedraal van Sint-Michiel en Sint-Goedele , native_name_lang = , image = Saints-Michel-et-Gudule Luc Viatour.jpg , imagesize = 200px , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape ...

. The wedding has been described as the social event of the decade within Belgium and it was the last royal wedding of the second millennium.

The bride and groom

Philippe, then

Duke of Brabant The Duke of Brabant (, ) was the ruler of the Duchy of Brabant since 1183/1184. The title was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I of the House of Reginar, son of Godfrey III of Leuven (who was duke of Low ...

, is the eldest son of King Albert II and

Queen Paola Paola (born Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria;AlthougThe Belgian Monarchy websiteattributes the title of "Princess" to Queen Paola prior to marriage, Burke's Peerage 1973, The Descendants of Louis XIII 1999, ''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'' 200 ...

is a descendant of Belgian and Polish nobility. After the wedding, Mathilde became the duchess of Brabant and a princess of Belgium on 8 November 1999 (published on 13 November 1999 and effective from 4 December 1999). In 2013, Philippe and Mathilde became the king and queen of the Belgians. Mathilde is the first Belgian born queen in the country's history.

Wedding events

The first of the day's main events took place in the Gothic setting of

where Philippe and Mathilde contracted a

civil marriage A civil marriage is a marriage performed, recorded, and recognized by a government official. Such a marriage may be performed by a religion, religious body and recognized by the state, or it may be entirely secular. History Every country maintai ...

in the French, Dutch and German languages. Mathilde's bridal gown was designed by Edouard Vermeulen. Philippe wore the uniform of a

Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. Thereafter the couple traveled to the nearby

to marry according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church. An evening reception took place in the

Palace of Laeken The Palace of Laeken or Castle of Laeken (french: Château de Laeken, nl, Kasteel van Laken, german: Schloss zu Laeken) is the official residence of the King of the Belgians and the Monarchy of Belgium, Belgian Royal Family. It lies in the B ...

, a royal residence.

Popular reactions and effects

The run up to the wedding was said to have led to widespread feelings of positive sentiment in Belgium, with the potential for greater unity between the country's Dutch-speaking north and French-speaking south. Around 50,000 people lined the streets of Brussels on the occasion of Philippe and Mathilde's wedding. As many as 200,000 people had been expected but the lower numbers were perhaps on account of the bitterly cold weather on the day. After the wedding, some popular culture academics commented that the wedding had had a unifying effect on the Belgian people as well as marking a new phase of positivity in the country. The BBC, however, reported that academics and political commentators in Belgium deemed that the national rift was too great for the wedding to have much effect.

Guests

The groom's family

Belgian royal family

* The King and

Queen of the Belgians The wives of Belgian monarchs have all been titled Queen and styled Majesty, with the exception of Leopold III of Belgium's second wife Mary Lilian Baels, who was titled Princess of Belgium and Princess de Rethy, Princess of Réthy. All Belgian mo ...

, ''the groom's parents'' ** The Archduchess and

Archduke of Austria-Este The House of Habsburg-Este (), also known as the House of Austria-Este () and holder of the title of Archduke of Austria-Este (; ), is a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and also descends from the House of Este in the cognatic lin ...

, ''the groom's sister and brother-in-law'' ***

Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (Amedeo Marie Joseph Carl Pierre Philippe Paola Marcus d'Aviano; born 21 February 1986) is a grandson of King Albert II of Belgium, and thus a member of the Belgian royal family. He is also he ...

, ''the groom's nephew'' ***

Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 5 June 1962), is the second child and first daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and the younger sister to the current Belgian monarch, King Philippe. She is married to Pri ...

, ''the groom's niece'' ***

Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 5 June 1962), is the second child and first daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and the younger sister to the current Belgian monarch, King Philippe. She is married to Prin ...

, ''the groom's nephew'' ***

Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 5 June 1962), is the second child and first daughter of Albert II of the Belgians, King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, Queen Paola, and the younger sister to the current Belgi ...

, ''the groom's niece'' **

Prince Laurent of Belgium nl, Laurens Benedikt Boudewijn Maria ger, Laurentius Benedikt Balduin Maria , image = Prince Laurent of Belgium (2015 F).jpg , caption = Prince Laurent in 2015 , birth_date = , birth_place = Belvédère Castle, Laeken, Brussels, ...

, ''the groom's brother'' * The Princess of Réthy, ''the groom's paternal step-grandmother'' **

Queen Fabiola of Belgium Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...

, ''the groom's paternal aunt by marriage '' ** Prince Alexandre and

Princess Léa of Belgium Princess Léa of Belgium (born Léa Inga Dora Wolman; 2 December 1951, in Brussels, Belgium) is the widow of Prince Alexandre of Belgium. She is an aunt by marriage of King Philippe of Belgium. Early life and family Princess Léa was born on ...

, ''the groom's paternal half-uncle and aunt'' ** Princess Marie-Esméralda, Mrs Moncada and Dr

Salvador Moncada Sir Salvador Moncada, FRS, FRCP, FMedSci (born 3 December 1944) is a Honduran-British pharmacologist and professor. He is currently Research Domain Director for Cancer at the University of Manchester. In the past, he was the Research Directo ...

, ''the groom's paternal half-aunt and uncle''

Ruffo family

* Prince Fabrizio and Donna Luisa Ruffo di Calabria ** Prince Fulco and Princess Melba Ruffo di Calabria ** Prince Augusto Ruffo di Calabria ** Princess Irma Ruffo di Calabria ** Prince Alessandro Ruffo di Calabria * Don Antonello and Donna Rosa Maria Ruffo di Calabria ** Don Lucio Ruffo di Calabria ** Donna Claudia Ruffo di Calabria * Flavia Porcari Li Destri * Donna Marielli Ruffo di Calabria

The bride's family

* Count Patrick and Countess Anna Maria d’Udekem d’Acoz, ''the bride's parents'' ** Countess Elisabeth d’Udekem d’Acoz, ''the bride's sister'' ** Countess Hélène d’Udekem d’Acoz, ''the bride's sister'' ** Count Charles-Henri d’Udekem d’Acoz, ''the bride's brother'' * Count Henri d’Udekem d’Acoz * Count Raoul and Countess Francoise d’Udekem d’Acoz * Countess Gabrielle Komorowski * Countess Rose Komorowski and Jean-Michel Maus de Rolley * Count Michel and Countess Dominique Komorowski * Countess Christine Komorowski and Alain de Brabant * Countess Marie Komorowski and Gérard Braun * Prince Alexandre Sapieha * Prince Stefan Sapieha

Foreign royalty

Members of reigning families

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

and Prince Consort of Denmark, ''the groom's second cousin once removed, and her husband'' * The Crown Prince and

Crown Princess of Japan , born ; 11 September 1966), is the wife of Fumihito, Crown Prince Akishino. The Crown Prince is the younger brother and heir presumptive of Emperor Naruhito of Japan and the second son of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko. ...

(representing the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...

) * Princess Rahma bint el-Hassan of Jordan (representing the

King of Jordan The king of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is Jordan's head of state and monarch. He serves as the head of the Jordanian monarchy—the Hashemite dynasty. The king is addressed as His Majesty (). Jordan is a constitutional monarchy. However, ...

) *

The Prince ''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of ''The ...

and Princess Liechtenstein, ''the groom's third cousin once removed, and his wife'' * Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein, ''the groom's fourth cousin'' * Prince Nikolaus and

Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein (born Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg; 15 May 1957) is the fourth child and second and youngest daughter of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. As the sister of Grand ...

, ''the groom's first cousin and her husband'' ** Princess Marie-Astrid of Liechtenstein, ''the groom's first cousin once removed'' *

The Grand Duke ''The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel'', is the final Savoy Opera written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, their fourteenth and last opera together. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 March 1896, and ran for 12 ...

and

Grand Duchess of Luxembourg The territory of Luxembourg has been ruled successively by counts, dukes and grand dukes. It was part of the medieval Kingdom of Germany, and later the Holy Roman Empire until it became a sovereign state in 1815. Counts of Luxembourg House of A ...

, ''the groom's paternal uncle and aunt'' ** The Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, ''the groom's first cousin and his wife'' **

Prince Jean of Luxembourg Prince Jean of Luxembourg (given names: ''Jean Félix Marie Guillaume''; born 15 May 1957 at Betzdorf Castle), the second son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. He is the twin brother of Princess Ma ...

, ''the groom's first cousin'' **

Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg (''Guillaume Marie Louis Christian''; born 1 May 1963) is the third son and youngest child of Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg. Life Prince Guillaume was born in Betzdorf Cast ...

, ''the groom's first cousin'' * The Hereditary Prince of Monaco (representing the

Prince of Monaco The sovereign prince (french: prince de Monaco) is the monarch and head of state of the Principality of Monaco. All reigning princes have taken the name of the House of Grimaldi, although some have belonged to other families (Goyon de Matignon or ...

) * Princess Lalla Sumaya of Morocco (representing the

King of Morocco This is the list of rulers of Morocco, since the establishment of the state in 789. The common and formal titles of these rulers has varied, depending on the time period. Since 1957, the designation King has been used. The present King of Moroc ...

) *

Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco ( ar, الأميرة لالة حسناء, born 19 November 1967 in Rabat) is the youngest daughter of King Hassan II and his wife, Lalla Latifa Hammou. She is sister to the current king, Mohammed VI and Prince Mo ...

* The Crown Prince of Nepal (representing the

King of Nepal The King of Nepal (traditionally known as the Mahārājdhirāja i.e. Great King of Kings; it can also be translated as "Sovereign Emperor" ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजधिराज)) was Nepal's head of state and monarch from 1768 ...

) * The Queen of the Netherlands, ''the groom's fourth cousin twice removed'' ** The Prince of Orange, ''the groom's fifth cousin once removed'' **

Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands (''Constantijn Christof Frederik Aschwin''; born 11 October 1969) is the third and youngest son of the former Dutch queen, Beatrix, and her husband, Claus von Amsberg, and is the younger brother of the rei ...

, ''the groom's fifth cousin once removed'' * The King and

Queen of Norway The list of Norwegian monarchs ( no, kongerekken or ''kongerekka'') begins in 872: the traditional dating of the Battle of Hafrsfjord, after which victorious King Harald Fairhair merged several petty kingdoms into that of his father. Named after ...

, ''the groom's first cousin once removed, and his wife'' ** The Crown Prince of Norway, ''the groom's second cousin'' **

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 22 September 1971) is a member of the Norwegian royal family, a businesswoman and a self-described clairvoyant. The only daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja, she is fourth in the line of success ...

, ''the groom's second cousin'' *

The Queen of Spain ''The Queen of Spain'' ( es, La reina de España, links=no) is a 2016 Spanish comedy-drama film written and directed by Fernando Trueba. Starring Penélope Cruz, Antonio Resines, Neus Asensi, Ana Belén, Javier Cámara, Chino Darín, Loles León ...

, ''the groom's third cousin once removed'' (representing the

King of Spain , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

) ** The Prince of Asturias, ''the groom's fourth cousin'' * The King and

Queen of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument ...

, ''the groom's third cousin and his wife'' *

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...

, ''the groom's third cousin once removed'' (representing the

Queen of the United Kingdom The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...

)

Members of non-reigning families

* Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria, ''the groom's second cousin, twice removed'' ** Archduke Carl Christian and

Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria (born Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg on 17 February 1954) is the elder daughter and eldest child of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, and the wife of Archduke ...

, ''the groom's third cousin once removed and the groom's first cousin'' * Archduke Simeon and Archduchess María of Austria, ''the groom's third cousin once removed, and the groom's fourth cousin once removed'' * Archduke Karl Peter and Archduchess Alexandra of Austria, ''the groom's third cousin once removed, and his wife'' * The Dowager Archduchess of Austria-Este, ''the groom's fourth cousin once removed'' ** Archduke Gerhard of Austria-Este, ''the groom's fifth cousin'' ** Archduke Martin of Austria-Este, ''the groom's fifth cousin'' * The Duke of Bavaria, ''the groom's second cousin once removed'' * The Duke and Duchess in Bavaria, ''the groom's second cousin once removed, and his wife'' ** Duchess Helene in Bavaria, ''the groom's third cousin'' *

and Princess of Turnovo, ''the groom's fourth cousin once removed'' * The Duke of Vendôme, ''the groom's fourth cousin once removed'' * The Duke and Duchess of Angoulême, ''the groom's fourth cousin, once removed and his wife'' * The Princess Napoléon, ''widow of the groom's

second cousin twice removed Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

'' ** Prince Jérôme Napoléon, ''the groom's third cousin once removed'' *

King Constantine II Constantine II ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Βʹ, ''Konstantínos II''; 2 June 1940) reigned as the last King of Greece, from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973. Constantine is the only son of King Paul an ...

and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, ''the groom's third cousin once removed, and the groom's second cousin once removed'' *

and Princess of Naples, ''the groom's first cousin once removed, and his wife'' * Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy, ''the groom's first cousin once removed'' * The Duke of Braganza, ''the groom's second cousin twice removed'' *

King Michael I Michael I ( ro, Mihai I ; 25 October 1921 – 5 December 2017) was the last King of Romania, reigning from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940 until his forced abdication on 30 December 1947. Shortly after Michael's ...

and

Queen Anne of Romania Princess Anne Antoinette Françoise Charlotte Zita Marguerite of Bourbon-Parma (18 September 1923 – 1 August 2016) was the wife of King Michael I of Romania. Michael abdicated the throne in 1947, and he and Anne married the next year. Nonethel ...

, ''the groom's third cousin once removed, and the groom's second cousin twice removed'' * Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, ''the groom's second cousin''

Other notable guests

* The President of the Republic of Poland and Mrs Kwaśniewska

External links

YouTube - Belgium: Crown Prince Philippe Wedding

References

{{reflist

1999 in Belgium Events in Brussels Belgian monarchy December 1999 events in Europe

1990s in Brussels