The traditional Te Deum began at 10 a.m. this morning in the Cathedral of Saints-Michel-et-Gudule, in the presence of King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, and their four children. Several members of the government also attended the ceremony, including Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. Other Te Deums in the presence of members of the royal family take place in the provinces, including one in Liège with Prince Laurent and another in Ghent with Princess Astrid.
The service began with an introductory prayer, as well as the reading of a passage from the Bible. Intentions are pronounced, before starting the song of the Te Deum, or praise to God. After the Te Deum, the service ends with a prayer, the European anthem and the Belgian national anthem.
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The rain does not stop the curious. The latter gathered in large numbers this morning to see the royal family.
At the end of the ceremony, the royal couple accompanied by their children: Elisabeth, Eléonore, Gabriel and Emmanuel took a walkabout. They were greeted with applause and cries of “Vive le Roi”, “Vive la Reine” and “Vive la Belgique”. The 6 members of the royal family have worse time to chat for a few minutes with the public.
Belgian
In the afternoon, the entire royal family will be present in front of the Palace to attend the military and civil parade. After the parade, the King and Queen will take part in the festivities taking place not far from the Royal Palace. To end the day, they will go in the evening to the Parc du Cinquantenaire to watch the fireworks.