The queen who changed modern royalty and no one noticed

They’re far from well known and considered dull by some and yet,
in a world that is suddenly questioning monarchy, they are the ones
who are weathering the storm. Ten years ago, they would have been
well down the list of sparkling royals and yet now, in 2026, there
are plenty of kings and queens who would happily trade places with
them. Their latest appearance proves just that point as their very
presence appears to shore up a once apparently unassailable crown.
Step forward the King and Queen of the Belgians.

Before we go any further, we probably need to do some
introductions because, truth be told, they’re not exactly household
names. Philippe, King of the Belgians is a somewhat shy man of 65.
His consort is Queen Mathilde who has just turned 53 and who likes
to wear clothes most often seen in a mother of the bride boutique
circa 1995. And yet this far from glamourous pair are now the stars
of European royalty.

It’s a role that neither would seek but which now seems
inevitable. For, from the very start of their partnership back in
the late 1990s, the two have had their eye on a shared goal.
Steadying the Belgian royal ship so that it remains a necessary
part of the country’s constitutional set up. Neither has ever
sought to be the most glitzy, the most fashionable, the most
stylish or the most talked about. Instead, they have looked to keep
their monarchy relevant and perhaps understood long before others
that being just a little bit ordinary is the way to go there.

There is a quiet confidence about the two of them that is
serving them really rather well right now. There’s no doubt that
much of that is down to Queen Mathilde. When she married the then
heir to the Belgian throne, Philippe, in 1999, he was seen as an
awkward man who was less than comfortable in his own skin and who
had inspired little confidence in some. All that changed within
months of their marriage. Mathilde brought out a calm in him that
allowed the real Philippe to be seen. And set against his rather
unusual family, that could only be a good thing.

Philippe’s father, King Albert, was seen as a good
constitutional monarch who navigated his role within Belgium’s
complex political situation well. However, he was far from an ideal
roayl. Rumours of infidelity swirled around his marriage to the
very beautiful Queen Paola who came across, more often than not, as
out of sorts. Albert and Paola’s younger son, Prince Laurent, was
the compulsory ”colourful” character that all royal dynasties seem
to require. They were the odd royals of Europe.

Their monarchy had also weathered recent storms. Albert had
succeeded his brother King Baudouin, who had been hugely popular.
But Baudouin’s reign had begun in turmoil, with the abdication of
his father, Leopold III, who had staggered from crisis to crisis.
Philippe’s transformation from awkward heir to calm king in waiting
was a turning point. Mathilde, meanwhile, soon became easily the
most popular member of the royal family. When Albert unexpectedly
decided to abdicate in favour of Philippe, handing over the throne
in July 2013, it was the new queen that everyone cheered for and
the response of the new king and queen sealed their royal fate.

For Queen Mathilde resolutely remained in the supporting role.
Rather than take the spotlight that everyone wanted her to have,
she steadied the sometimes obvious nerves of her husband and kept
him front and centre. Within a few years, Belgium had a Head of
State who was known, respected and who wasn’t going to cause an
controversy of his own. The king and queen were seen with their
young family and supported their first born, Princess Elisabeth, as
she began her own royal career with little speeches at big
events.

They were and are an oasis of calm, never too demanding and
always putting country first. Even when King Albert’s indiscretions
caught up with them again, they were ready to face down the
trouble. Albert’s admission that he had an illegitimate daughter
caused huge headlines but Philippe and Mathilde took it all on the
chin. The king welcomed his half sister to his home and made little
fuss over her decision to accept the title of Princess Delphine
which was hers by law. She’s now invited to big public events,
including National Day celebrations. It was another example of
Philippe and Mathilde’s ordinary approach to their extraordinary
lives.

And in March 2026, their own version of royalty is becoming the
one everyone wants a part of. A few years ago, a State Visit by the
King and Queen of the Belgians to Norway would have been a ‘so
what’ in the regal calendar. A minor flutter of excitement from
royal watchers over the tiaras and then back to other things. Now,
the very presence of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde in Oslo is
helping bolster the Norwegian crown which is beset by so many
problems that its once unshakeable popularity seems in permanent
danger.

The controversy around Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose
friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was laid bare in the papers
relating to the convicted sex offender, shows no signs of abating.
The wife of the heir to the throne gave a TV interview in which she
claimed she had been manipulated and in which she declined to
answer some questions.. All the while, her husband sat at her side
with little to say for himself. Mette-Marit’s son from a previous
relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, is now on trial for rape. Both
situations have had a negative impact on the Norwegian royals who,
just ten years ago, enjoyed popularity ratings of over 90% at
times.

Enter Philippe and Mathilde. A long planned State Visit saw the
Belgian royals arrive for an official welcome ceremony with King
Harald and Queen Sonja before heading inside for an almost
impossible job – the reintroduction of Mette-Marit to public life
after that interview. The Crown Princess of Norway appeared at
their sides for a photocall ahead of lunch. She kept to the
sidelines until Queen Mathilde brought her into conversation. There
was an official photo. And then, later, at a State Banquet, it was
Mathilde again who was sat with King Harald as he declared that the
Crown Princess was ”dear” to him and would have come to the gala
event if she hadn’t been unwell. It was a major endorsement and
having Europe’s steadiest royals along for the ride did more than
help.

Philippe and Mathilde are constructing a new form of monarchy in
some ways. There are still the usual engagements but they have long
sought to put community ventures at the heart of what they do.
Meanwhile, their own children are growing up and putting a new spin
on the age old tradition of the Crown. King Philippe’s heir,
Elisabeth, was the first princess of her generation to do military
service with every other female first in line following suit. It
was a real turning point for the Belgian crown and for European
royalty. Princesses were sidelined no more and Princess Elisabeth
showed that equality meant just that. The women who would inherit
are no different from the men.

Meanwhile, Philippe and Mathilde’s other children are building
their own lives away from the spotlight. Their elder son, Prince
Gabriel, continues his own military service while their younger
son, Prince Emmanuel, had a year’s football training before moving
on to further education. Their youngest child, Princess Eleonore,
is a talented musician.

Eleonore turns 18 in just a few weeks’ time and King Philippe
and Queen Mathilde will find themselves heads of a fully fledged,
grown up royal family. It will bring its own questions and
pressures but the seem more than ready for them. For this is a
royal couple who have proved that sure and steady really does win
the race. In an age when monarchy is under scrutiny like never
before and where it’s been sucked into a celebrity spiral that
doesn’t necessarily suit this ancient institution, Belgium’s king
and queen are offering a template that clearly works. Somehow, the
ones everyone forgot about have become an example for all
royals.