State Visit from Switzerland to Belgium Begins

The President of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis and the First Lady, Paola Rodoni Cassis, arrived yesterday in Belgium for a three-day state visit. Today, Thursday November 24, they were officially welcomed by Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde.
The Royal Couple officially welcomed the President and First Lady with a ceremony held in the courtyard in front of the Royal Palace in Brussels. During the welcoming ceremony the President and the King inspected a guard of honour and the national anthems were played.
Inside the Palace the King and the Queen and the Presidential couple posed for the official photos and the guest book was signed by the President and the First Lady.
Afterwards the President and his wife laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Congress Column, in Brussels.
Then the Presidential couple had several institutional meetings with the President of the Senate, the President of the Chamber, the Mayor of Brussels and the Prime Minister.
In the afternoon the King, the Queen and the Presidential couple paid a visit to the Musical Instruments Museum, a music museum which has a collections of “the 1200 most interesting instruments”.
The Royal Couple and the Presidential Couple toured the museum and attended a musical performance held by Rutger Mathys, a jazz artist and Elias D’Hooghe, a pianist.
In the evening the King and the Queen hosted a state dinner for the President Cassis and the First Lady at the Royal castle in Laeken.

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Filed under Belgium
Tagged King Philippe of the Belgians, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, State Visit, Switzerland.