This year, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa are hosting the 20th informal summit of heads of state of German-speaking countries. On the evening of September 16, the Grand Ducal couple hosted dinner and concert at Berg Castle in honor of the participants of the summit of German-speaking countries. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Prince Alois and Princess Sophie, Swiss President Viola Amherd, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and his wife, Elke Buedenbender, attended the dinner.
What a nice occasion! No one from Austria and Namibia present?
ردحذفAustria's president could not attend because of the massive floodings in his country at the moment. Namibia never attended, as fas as I know, but perhaps could do so if somebody in the Summit Organisation would get reminded that there are states outside of Europe as well where German might still be spoken in some parts of the country. But I guess this is about official languages, and in that case Namibia unfortunately falls through the cracks.
حذفAustria is currently affected by severe flooding. The president therefore canceled bis appearance.
حذفWhy should Namibia be there???
حذفThough we speak German in Namibia, it is actually not an official language. Also we have a complicated relationship with Germany.
حذفI wonder if Mathilde and Phillippe actually speak German. Only a tiny minority in Belgium does.
ردحذفYes, they do. So do the children, Princess Elisabeth and her siblings. French is their first language, but they speak all three languages in Belgium french, flamish and german fluently. You are right, the german speaking part is the smallest in Belgium. Children in Belgium are expected to speak at least two of the three languages fluently. Plus they start with English early. Belgium is a very multilingual, multicultural place. One third of the population has foreign roots.
حذف@ Vanessa
حذفIt is not because the the German Community in Belgian is not big that the Belgians cannot speak their language. In Belgium children can study other languages than their own at school. Before a student is ready to do superior education in general he/she can speak at least 3 languages. French, Dutch, English are the languages which are preferred. German is a language that is studied by students who are choosing to go to a commercial, business, economic, etc... education.
Nowadays because of the immigration of other cultures in our country, young students sometimes choose to study Spanish, Italian, ... too.
@ Beth
حذفIn general I agree with you. But as a Belgian I must draw your attention that Princess Elisabeth and her siblings went to a Dutch speaking college from their young age on. French is the language they speak at home with their family. Prince Gabriel still studies at the Royal Military School in Dutch. (Flamish is the name for Dutch in the South Netherlands which is Belgium). Of course they learned English very early first at school in Belgium and later on when they went to the U.K. to do more specialized studies. The youngest daughter is still at the European School in Brussels to continue/or finish secondary school. I think the lessons are given there in several languages. It is true that young people are starting with English very early, but depending what studies they will do when they are older they learn more or less other languages too.
Unser Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier hockt auf seinem Stuhl als wäre es eine Gartenbank und die sitzende Frau zeigt sehr großzügig für mich zu viel Bein. Dafür sind aber alle anderen Personen dem feierlichen Anlass entsprechend sehr elegant und angemessen gekleidet. Sehr natürlich und stets so einen wirklich schönen Sinn für Mode hat für mich Prinzessin Sophie.
ردحذفIst mir auch aufgefallen. Unser Bundespräsident sitzt da wie ein Proll. Völlig unangemessen. Frau Büdenbender allerdings präsentiert sich sehr gut und ist wie immer gut und modisch gekleidet.
حذفOmg the woman sitting with her thighs crossed in that skirt... so unflattering. It might have been an unconscious move, but not very ladylike considering the environment and the people present.
ردحذفOne would need much longer skirt to sit like that.
Jane
Terrible look. As a woman - as a man actually too - you should never cross your legs up on the thigh, but down at the ankles. This is common sense. Even more so when you wear a short skirt. Etuiqette classes are very much needed for politicians these days.
حذفYes I agree on the bad sitting of the "woman", who is she ?
حذفLa présidente de la Confédération Suisse n'a pas de tenue de soirée, mais les autres sont élégantes, j'aime leurs tenues chics et sobres, toutes assorties. Je ne sais pas si c'est le hasard ou s'il y avait une obligation noir & blanc. Paloma.
ردحذفPresident Van der Bellen from Austria and his wife couldn't be present this time because of the very dangerous weather in Austria. There are heavy floods.
ردحذفThe posture of Viola Amherd with all private alleys visible should have been corrected, I cannot believe what I am seeing.
ردحذف🌞 Virginia
Viola : ) das haben Sie sehr schön formuliert : ) -Dorothe-
حذفsorry ich meinte: " liebe Virginia", das haben Sie wundervoll formuliert : )
حذفOn picture 5 and 6, I think there is a picture of former Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians (wife of King Albert I) on the side table in the left corner. She is the great grandmother of both King Philippe and Grand Duc Henri.
ردحذفSo much black - is this a funeral? Stephanie
ردحذفAgree !! I thought the same.
حذفBlack, or black and white, is considered a festive colour in central Europe, especially when going to a classic concert.
حذفI said it before and I will repeat it once again. This is an informal gathering of people. There is no dress code. The fact that they are wearing black and white is a coincidence. G.D. of Luxemburg is not exactly central Europe but is part of Western Europe like Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, etc... The president of a country like Switzerland should know how to dress and how to sit on a chair, maybe she is not used to be in the company of royalty and president of a big country. Next time she will remember when she looks at the photo's herself.
حذفTo Anon 8:04: If they give some photos of the meeting to the public, they can't wear whatever they want. (What if the Queen said: " Oh, it's hot, I'll wear shorts" ? I can wear what I want.)
حذفAn informal meeting of heads of state does not mean that they should not follow a certain protocol. It's not as informality as when you meet your cousin at the cabin by the lake.
Stephanie
What nice combination white and black, always looks elegant and in style. css
ردحذفGD MT looks exceptionally lovely in this outfit. Queen Mathilde, looks beautiful, I love this ensemble.
ردحذفOh, le noir est de sortie à part quelques touches de blanc !
ردحذفQueen Mathilde stands out in a good way here and is the best dressed. Do we know if its a Natan again?
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