Her Majesty Queen Mathilde
Her Majesty the Queen ascended to the throne in 2013. She is the honorary President of both Child Focus, a foundation for missing and sexually exploited children, and UNICEF Belgium. In 2001, Queen Mathilde established the Princess Mathilde Fund (now the Queen Mathilde Fund) to promote the care of vulnerable people. As an SDG Advocate, she is particularly focused on mental health.
“Agenda 2030 requires citizens, civil society, academia, scientists, philanthropic organizations, and the private sector to work together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Ownership and participation are key. ”
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Her Majesty the Queen was born in Uccle on 20 January 1973. She is the daughter of Count and Countess Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz.
She studied speech therapy at the Haute École Léonard de Vinci, earned a Master's degree in Psychology at the Université Catholique de Louvain in 2002, and worked as a speech therapist from 1995 to 1999.
On 4 December 1999, She married His Royal Highness Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant, now the King of the Belgians. They have four children: Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant (born in 2001), Gabriel (born in 2003), Emmanuel (born in 2005), and Eléonore (born in 2008).
The Queen assists His Majesty the King in His duties as Head of State, making frequent visits to institutions and organisations, meeting regularly with members of the public, and attending ceremonies at home and abroad. She takes part in state visits, receives representatives of various civil society groups, and makes numerous field visits.
In addition to the activities She engages in alongside His Majesty, the Queen is active in issues close to Her heart, such as parenting and education, child poverty, intergenerational poverty, the position of women in society, financial literacy, and mental health.
The Queen is Honorary Chair of the King Baudouin Foundation and regularly takes part in public debates on issues of concern. Her main focus is always on the most vulnerable.
As Honorary Chair of the Queen Mathilde Fund, Her Majesty supports initiatives taken by young people for young people. The Queen is Honorary Chair of Child Focus, a foundation that works to prevent the disappearance and sexual exploitation of children and She is also Honorary Chair of UNICEF Belgium.
The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition has enjoyed Her Majesty’s Royal Patronage since 2014. It was founded in 1937 on the initiative of Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth and the well-known Belgian violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe.
In 2016, the United Nations Secretary-General invited the Queen to become one of the Advocates for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In the same context, Her Majesty agreed in 2018 to act as Honorary Chair of the Belgian Federal Council for Sustainable Development.
Cooperation on development is an important area for the Queen. She has participated in several humanitarian missions (especially in Africa), with an emphasis on issues such as children's rights, health, alleviation of poverty, quality education, good governance, women's economic empowerment, and non-communicable diseases.
The Queen was also Special Envoy of the World Health Organization/Europe for the promotion of vaccinations.
On 30 May 2023, the Queen received an honorary doctorate from Hasselt University for Her strong social commitment.
Besides Dutch and French, the Queen speaks English and Italian, and has a good basic knowledge of Spanish.
Her Majesty has a broad interest in culture, art, and dance. She loves modern and classical music, plays the piano, and is a keen reader. In her free time She enjoys hiking, cycling, playing tennis, swimming, nature and being outdoors.