The sun shone brightly on Chile’s presidential palace, La Moneda, on Tuesday, as King Philippe and Queen Mathilde arrived there during their State visit to the Latin American country, greeted by a ceremonial fanfare and national troops.
Ahead of the official ceremony, the Belgian King and Queen visited the monument to Bernardo O’Higgins, where they laid a wreath. Bernardo O’Higgins (1778-1842) declared Chile’s independence from Spanish rule and served as the 'Supreme Director,' its first head of state, from 1817 to 1823.
Following this tribute to the Chilean national hero, the Belgian royals proceeded to La Moneda, an iconic site in Chilean history after being bombed by General Augusto Pinochet during his 1973 coup. Its restoration is seen in Chile as a symbol of national recovery and democratic transition.
Chilean and Belgian anthems echoed across the square in front of the palace, where a modest crowd, including children waving Belgian flags, gathered eagerly, cheering “Long live Belgium! Long live the King! Long live the Queen!”
After reviewing the troops, King Philippe had a private meeting with Chilean President Gabriel Boric. Members of the Belgian ministerial delegation, including Maxime Prévot, Vanessa Matz, Rudi Vervoort, Elisabeth Degryse, Adrien Dolimont, and Annick de Ridder, joined subsequent discussions with President Boric.
Meanwhile, Queen Mathilde visited the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, which houses a collection of approximately 3,000 artefacts from the pre-Columbian era, prior to Christopher Columbus’s arrival in 1492.
Earlier, while King Philippe spoke with Chileans who had fled General Pinochet’s dictatorship and found refuge at the Belgian embassy in Santiago, Queen Mathilde visited Coaniquem. This non-profit organisation, whose name stands for “Corporación de Ayuda al Niño Quemado” (Burnt Child Assistance Corporation), has provided free care for severely burned children since 1979. It also trains health professionals in burn care and conducts burn prevention campaigns.
Coaniquem collaborates with the Antwerp-based organisation Oscare, which specialises in burn and scar treatment.
Since 2022, Coaniquem, Oscare, and the University of Antwerp have been linked by an agreement for professional exchanges, collaborative research, and training initiatives.
