Queen Mathilde marks 50th birthday with campaign for mental well-being

Belgian queen Mathilde is celebrating her 50th birthday on Friday without special events or celebrations. She chose to use the occasion to highlight the importance of mental well-being. She did so by taking walks and bike rides with people and organisations concerned with mental well-being, in all Belgian provinces and Brussels, between July and December. On Friday, she will give a television interview to commercial television channels VTM (Flemish, Dutch language) and RTL (Walloon, French language).

On the occasion of her birthday, the queen wants to promote a positive message around mental well-being under the motto 'In motion together for mental well-being'. She kicked off the initiative on July 13th in West Flanders, where she cycled with visually impaired and blind people and people with disabilities. She organised such an outing in every province.

Mental well-being is a theme on which the queen has been working for some time. "I want to use the momentum of my 50th birthday to emphasise how important it is to take care of your mental well-being. After all, is there any human being who is not vulnerable?" the queen declared earlier.

Furthermore, Mathilde will give a rare television interview to both VTM and RTL, the largest commercial television channels on either side of Belgium's language border. She will, among other things, talk about her life inside and outside the palace walls and how her life has changed since marrying king Philippe (prince Philippe at the time of the wedding).

The queen's interview can be seen on Friday at 20h35 on VTM and VTM Go.

(BRV)

Queen Mathilde during a bike ride ​ in Varsenare, West Flanders © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK