Royal couple back in Belgium after more than a day and a half delay
King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and the rest of the Belgian delegation landed in Brussels on Sunday morning at around 5.45, returning from their state visit to Chile. Due to a technical issue with the plane, they arrived 42 hours later than planned.
The visit to Chile, the first Belgian state visit to a South American country in 65 years, faced setbacks from the start. Departure last week was delayed by 24 hours due to an earlier technical problem with the aircraft. As a result, the schedule was revised, and the delegation spent only one day instead of two in the capital, Santiago.
On Wednesday, the group travelled to Antofagasta for a visit to the Atacama mountains and the European Southern Observatory, where they viewed the site of the future Extremely Large Telescope, set to become the world’s largest.
The delegation had been scheduled to depart on Thursday afternoon and return to Belgium by Friday. Instead, they spent two extra nights in Antofagasta.
After the King, Queen, ministers and other delegates had boarded the plane, it became evident that a tow truck incident had damaged both tyres on the landing gear. With only one replacement tyre on hand, a second had to be transported from Santiago, arriving Friday evening. The plane finally took off on Saturday morning.
The King and Queen opted to remain with the delegation. “The Titanic has not yet sunk, the captain will remain on board,” the King said in a rare speech. “We are all together, whatever happens.”
Belgian ambassador to Chile Christian De Lannoy, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde pictured at departure after an official Belgian state visit to Chile, 26 June 2025 © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM
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