This March 24, in the early afternoon, the Belgian King Philippe accompanied by his wife Queen Mathilde participated at the National Palace, seat of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the heart of Brussels, a ceremony with wreath laying and moment of silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks two days earlier in the Belgian capital. The royal couple, who were struggling to hold back tears, was surrounded by representatives of governments and parliaments of federal Belgium, which was an unusual symbol of unity for the country often torn between Flemings and francophones. Before the start of the ceremony of national tribute to the Palace of the Nation in Brussels in the presence of the King, the Queen, national and European authorities the Belgian National anthem the Brabançonne was performed .


This is the first time the head of state, who has mostly a symbolic function and represents the unity of the country, goes to parliament since his accession to the throne on 21 July 2013. Equally unusually, members of the federal government, Prime Minister Charles Michel in the lead, MPs and senators were joined by members of the Belgian regions governments (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels) and by the presidents of regional parliaments and Community.

Thursday morning, Mathilde and Philippe of Belgium visited the bedside of victims of the attacks at University Hospital Gasthuisberg in Leuven campus. Also injured people hospitalized, the king of the Belgians and his wife met with members of the emergency services and healthcare personnel.
The day already, Wednesday, March 23, Queen Matilda was with her royal husband to go to the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht and the Military Hospital Queen Astrid of Neder-over-Heembeek, as well as the two places brussels attacks that killed 31 people and 300 wounded, according to provisional estimates international -Florence and Metro station Maelbeek-, and to take part at the headquarters of the European Commission, the national minute of silence.
©  Royal Palace