{
    "title": "King Philippe and Queen Mathilde open Florali\u00ebn in Ghent",
    "modified_at": "2026-04-30 12:07:33",
    "published_at": "2026-04-30 12:07:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/king-philippe-and-queen-mathilde-open-floralien-in-ghent",
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    "culture": "en_BE",
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    "slug": "king-philippe-and-queen-mathilde-open-floralien-in-ghent",
    "body": "<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>King Philippe and Queen Mathilde officially opened the 37th edition of the Florali&euml;n Gent in Ghent on Thursday. The international flower and plant festival, themed around &ldquo;Connecting&rdquo;, is taking place at the ICC, the Florali&euml;nhal and Het Kuipke.</strong></p><p style=\"text-align: left\">During their visit, the royal couple toured several exhibitions and spoke with growers and participants. This year&rsquo;s edition focuses on the connecting power of flowers and plants: between people and nature, between urban life and greenery, and between art and the experience of nature.</p><div id=\"video-c00241a6-67ab-4aaf-9684-beadfe28cba7\" class=\"release-content-video release-content-video--embed release-content-video--contained\">\n    <div><div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"><iframe data-iframely-url=\"https://cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F23dd8603-e478-4176-9c7c-36cbb2b20510%2FBelgaimage-172449420.mp4%23_cb1777546172&key=8fe6cdec03482ac31f27a6ae8ea2fb3f\" style=\"top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;\" allowfullscreen allow=\"encrypted-media *;\"></iframe></div></div><script async src=\"https://cdn.iframe.ly/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n</div><h4 id=\"the-queens-azalea\" style=\"text-align: left\">The Queen&#039;s azalea</h4><p style=\"text-align: left\">A special moment of the visit was reserved for Queen Mathilde, who officially christened a new Ghent azalea variety named after her. The white-pink flower, developed by family business Drieghe Azalea, is the result of more than ten years of selection and crossbreeding work. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\">According to organisers, the variety was not originally created for the Queen, but was later named after her at the request of the Florali&euml;n board. The azalea has since received plant breeders&rsquo; rights, comparable to a patent. While test specimens are already on display at the festival, the first plants will only go on sale in February.</p><div id=\"bookmark-6ad2c046-68a6-4208-b384-21f5d031010e\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/queen-mathilde-to-receive-her-own-ghent-azalea-at-floralien\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F5157e387-d923-4d5b-97c3-a509827e0a90%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=3bab098e91ad2b0a0a11dcbd5c627812)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/queen-mathilde-to-receive-her-own-ghent-azalea-at-floralien\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"6ad2c046-68a6-4208-b384-21f5d031010e\"\n           >\n                Queen Mathilde to receive her own Ghent azalea at Florali\u00ebn            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                Queen Mathilde will receive her own Ghent azalea at the Ghent Florali\u00ebn 2026. On Thursday, the monarch will officially lend her name to a new...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fqueen-mathilde-to-receive-her-own-ghent-azalea-at-floralien&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">The royal couple also stopped to view a monumental green heart installation illustrating the festival&rsquo;s theme of &ldquo;Connecting&rdquo;. The artwork, made from more than 4,200 moss balls, stands over five metres high and weighs around 1.75 tonnes. Organisers said it symbolises collective effort and connectedness, having been created with the help of hundreds of participants and volunteers.</p>\n    <figure\n        class=\"release-content-image release-content-image--contained release-content-image--align-center\"\n        data-component=\"image-zoom-popup\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-selector=\".release-content-image__image\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-i18n=\"data:application/json;base64,eyJEb3dubG9hZCI6IkRvd25sb2FkIn0=\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-tracking-views-event=\"Story Image View\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-tracking-download-event=\"Story Image Download\"\n        data-image-zoom-popup-placement=\"content\"\n    >\n        <div class=\"image-thumbnail-rollover\" style=\"width: 100%\">\n            <img\n                src=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/e810e004-420d-43e0-ba2f-b2a65d0891ba/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/\"\n                                    srcset=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/e810e004-420d-43e0-ba2f-b2a65d0891ba/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/ 1x, https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/e810e004-420d-43e0-ba2f-b2a65d0891ba/-/resize/2400x/-/format/auto/ 2x\"\n                                class=\"release-content-image__image image-thumbnail-rollover__image\"\n                data-description=\"&amp;copy; BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS\"\n                id=\"image-e810e004-420d-43e0-ba2f-b2a65d0891ba\"\n                data-id=\"e810e004-420d-43e0-ba2f-b2a65d0891ba\"\n                data-original=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/e810e004-420d-43e0-ba2f-b2a65d0891ba/-/inline/no/Belgaimage-172446903.jpg\"\n                data-mfp-src=\"https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/e810e004-420d-43e0-ba2f-b2a65d0891ba/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/\"\n                alt=\"\u00a9 BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS\"\n            />\n            <div class=\"image-thumbnail-rollover__caption\">\n                <svg class=\"icon icon-expand image-thumbnail-rollover__caption-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-expand\"></use>\n            </svg>            </div>\n        </div>\n\n        <figcaption class=\"release-content-image__caption\">&copy; BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS</figcaption>\n    </figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Held every four years, the Florali&euml;n transforms several venues in Ghent into a large-scale floral exhibition featuring hundreds of thousands of flowers and plants. Around 240 growers are participating in this year&rsquo;s edition, including Flemish and Walloon ornamental growers and international design teams from the United States, Romania, the Netherlands and Japan, among others.</p><p><sub><br>\u200b#FlandersNewsService | King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium are pictured during a royal visit to the Florali&euml;n flower festival in Ghent, Thursday 30 April 2026. \u200b &copy; BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS</sub></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-7d792191-e937-47ac-94e1-5046380c4372\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/kmska-combines-floral-art-with-museum-collection\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F1fea5b35-3470-4823-8be8-4b51c93b9a4e%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=d0aa1c8e86d5c7b6a6adea666c90d343)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/kmska-combines-floral-art-with-museum-collection\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"7d792191-e937-47ac-94e1-5046380c4372\"\n           >\n                KMSKA combines floral art with museum collection            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                A new exhibition at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp features a dialogue between contemporary floral art and works from the museum\u2019s...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fkmska-combines-floral-art-with-museum-collection&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<div id=\"bookmark-81d45869-03cf-4aa4-87ea-bbe09a51a489\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/ticket-sales-begin-for-public-opening-of-royal-greenhouses-at-laeken\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Fbdb5da30-f35e-477b-b499-cecefda27f79%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=a6d2771beb187681dbcc7d0fb7b589ed)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/ticket-sales-begin-for-public-opening-of-royal-greenhouses-at-laeken\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"81d45869-03cf-4aa4-87ea-bbe09a51a489\"\n           >\n                Ticket sales begin for public opening of Royal Greenhouses at Laeken            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                The annual public opening of the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken will take place from 17 April to 10 May. 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            "description": "Queen Mathilde to receive her own Ghent azalea at Florali\u00ebn",
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