Wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz

The wedding of Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant, and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz took place on 4 December 1999 in Brussels, Belgium. The civil proceedings were conducted at Brussels Town Hall while the religious ceremony took place at the Cathedral of Saint Michel. The wedding has been described as the social event of the decade within Belgium[1] and it was the last royal wedding of the second millennium.[2]

Wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz
Date4 December 1999 (4 December 1999)
VenueBrussels Town Hall and Cathedral of Saint Michel
LocationBrussels, Belgium
ParticipantsPrince Philippe, Duke of Brabant
Jonkvrouw Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz

The bride and groom

The groom, then Philippe, Duke of Brabant, is the eldest son of King Albert II and Queen Paola.[3] The bride, Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz is the daughter of Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz, a Belgian nobleman and Anna Maria Komorowska, a descendant of Polish noble families such as the Princes Sapieha and Counts Komorowski.[4] After the wedding, Mathilde became 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.[5]

Wedding events
External image
Philippe and Mathilde exiting the Cathedral of Saint Michel

The first of the day's main events took place in the Gothic setting of Brussels Town Hall where Philippe and Mathilde contracted a civil marriage in the French, Dutch and German languages.[6] Mathilde's bridal gown was designed by Edouard Vermeulen. Philippe wore the uniform of a Belgian Air Force colonel.[7][8] Thereafter the couple traveled to the nearby Cathedral of Saint Michel to marry according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church. An evening reception took place in the Chateau de Laeken, a royal residence.[6]

The run up to the wedding was said to have led to widespread feelings of positive sentiment in Belgium,[9] with the potential for greater unity between the country's Dutch-speaking north and French-speaking south.[10] Around 50,000 people lined the streets of Brussels on the occasion of Philippe and Mathilde's wedding.[11] 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.[6] 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.[12] 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.[6]

Guests

Belgian royal family

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
  • Count Michel and Countess Dominique Komorowski
  • Countess Marie Komorowski and Gérard Braun
  • Jean-Michel and Rose Maus de Rolley
  • Countess Gabrielle Komorowski
  • Alain and Christine de Brabant
  • Prince Alexandre Sapieha
  • Prince Stefan Sapieha

Members of reigning families

Members of non-reigning families

Other notable guests

References
  1. Langeneckert, Sandra. "Prince and Princess of Belgium Philippe and Mathilde". Encyclopædia Britannica. britannica.com. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  2. Collins, Glenn (7 September 2000). "For This Couple, The Royal Tour Starts Here; Belgian Prince and Princess Have New York in Sight". New York Times. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  3. "The King". The Belgian Monarchy. Federal Public Department for Information and Communication Technology. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  4. Rey y Cabieses, Amadeo-Martín (27 September 2008). "Fallece a los 72 años Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz, padre de la princesa Matilde de Bélgica" [Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz, father of Princess Mathilde of Belgium, dies at 72]. monarquiaconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  5. "Mathilde, queen of Belgium". Encyclopædia Britannica. britannica.com. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  6. "Royal wedding grips Belgium". BBC News. 4 December 1999. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  7. Leistra, Netty (3 December 2013). "The wedding of the Duke of Brabant and Jonkvrouw Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz". nettyroyal.nl. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  8. Prince Philippe gets married in his uniform of Colonel of the Belgian Air Force
  9. "Belgium's Prenuptial Glow". Business Week. No. 3658–3661. New York: McGraw-Hill. 6 December 1999. pp. 7, 8.
  10. James, Barry (25 October 1999). "A Boon for Unity?/ Smiles Almost All Around : For Belgium, Crown Prince's Wedding Comes at Opportune Time". New York Times. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  11. Political Risk Yearbook: West Europe. 6. Political Risk Services Group. 2001. p. 53.
  12. Blain, Neil; O'Donnell, Hugh (2003). Media, Monarchy and Power. Intellect Books. ISBN 9781841500430.
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