Royal family on scooter, bicycle, and motorbike through the city

Several tens of thousands of Belgians took part on Sunday in the activities organized in Brussels to honor the tenth anniversary of the reign of Albert II. Members of the royal family either participated in the public festivities or gave the starting signal. The highlight of the day was the motorcycle gathering, which drew 20,000 people. A visibly cheerful King Albert made his appearance shortly after noon at the foot of the Atomium to kick off the 20-kilometer motorcycle tour through the capital. There, King Albert, himself a well-known motorcycle enthusiast, was presented with a parchment by the organizing MotorCycle Council, "for the First Belgian Biker." Before the monarch decided to put his motorcycle away for good, he had accumulated quite a few kilometers on his odometer. In a motorcycle accident last year, he broke his ankle. Shortly afterward, the monarch stole the show himself when he put on a light blue motorcycle jacket specially made for him by the 'Blue Knights'. This is an international association of motorcycling police officers, rooted in the United States, which has around 400 members in our country. Although he did not go for a ride himself, the monarch sat on the Harley-Davidson of Brussels Mayor Freddy Thielemans to start the vehicle. Other attendees included Brussels Minister Guy Vanhengel, MP Hans Bonte, former Minister Theo Kelchtermans, Jean-Marie Pfaff, and TV actor Jef De Smedt. Other members of the royal family preferred other vehicles. King Albert stole the show when he put on a motorcycle jacket from the 'Blue Knights' Shortly after noon, Prince Laurent and Princess Claire gave the starting signal for a Roller Parade at the Jubelpark, in which 600 people took part according to the police. King Albert's youngest son ventured a few hundred meters on a scooter. Laurent's brother, Crown Prince Philippe, participated alongside 1,100 people in a bicycle ride of about 8.5 kilometers through Brussels.