Last Wednesday, February 15th 2017, Their Majesties King Philippe and his wife the Queen Mathilde went to Verviers, a commune in the province of Liège in the west of the country, not far from the German and Dutch borders. Three appointments were scheduled. The Royal Belgian couple first met with employees, volunteers and users of the Télé-Service association on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. It helps people in precarious situations.

Then Mathilde, dressed in a black and green Natan set with a Japanese motif, and Philippe visited the incubator for start-up The Faktory where young entrepreneurs expected them. They have completed their trip to ConstruForm, the new training center for construction trades of the IFAPME (Institute for Work and Leisure Studies) and the self-employed and SMEs.

This displacement, which was punctuated by crowd baths, resembled at first sight others whom King Philip and Queen Mathilde perform throughout the year in the four corners of their kingdom. At first sight only. For, as the Belgian journalist Julien Modave pointed out in a report on "RTL Info" , this visit was not insignificant. "It is even symbolically important because it is the first time in more than 21 years that a king sets foot here on the territory verviétois, is to say so obviously his passage was much awaited," he explained . "And it's also important, since since January 15, 2015, since the attacks were thwarted here in Verviers, well the city does not necessarily enjoy an excellent reputation. And yet entrepreneurs decided that Verviers was a breeding ground for economic development, "the reporter added. In other words, this royal visit was truly historic for the local population.
Photo Credits: Paris Match