The programme for the 21 July festivities

The King will be given special pride of place BRUSSELS ∇ The 21 July festivities will have a special splendour this year, as King Albert II's 10-year reign will also be celebrated. Among the highlights of the day will be the famous parade, organized by Minister of Defence André Flahaut. A parade that will particularly highlight youth and the operational capabilities of Defence, at a time when a good thousand of our soldiers are deployed abroad. At 1:30 p.m., the King will review the troops, before arriving at the Place des Palais at 1:50 p.m. At 2:00 p.m., the parade will begin, for 45 minutes of a remarkable spectacle. In the air, spectators will be able to admire no fewer than 59 aircraft, Belgian (of all types) but also, in a first, 3 French Mirages, 3 German Tornados, 3 Italian Tornados, and 3 Dutch F-16s. On the ground, the public will see the best of the land component: wheeled or tracked armoured vehicles, troop carriers, Leopard tanks, towed cannons, howitzers, anti-aircraft firing posts... After the parade, the royal family will head to the royal party "Is dit Belgisch ? C'est du belge!" organized at various points across the capital, notably Place des Palais, Rue de la Régence, Place du Grand-Sablon, and up to Place Poelaert at the foot of the Law Courts. We will detail this mega-party in upcoming editions. The King and Queen will inaugurate the festivities in the park at 4:00 p.m., but will also visit Place Royale and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. Prince Philippe will specifically visit the stands of the zonal and federal police at the Sablon. Princess Astrid will be invited to the Red Cross stand on Rue de la Régence and Rue Bodenbroeck (descent towards the Sablon). Prince Laurent will visit the military vehicle exhibition and the Sainte-Mère-Église village reconstructed by the 101st Airborne at Place de la Chapelle. He will also go to the Sablon to visit the stand of the Brussels Institute for Management of the Environment. Queen Fabiola will visit the Musical Instruments Museum, the Court of Audit, and will take an interest in the artisans at Place Royale. Royal or princely presence in the evening from 7:45 p.m. at the "De A à Z" concert at Place Poelaert. And finally, the entire royal family will be at Place des Palais at 11:30 p.m. for fireworks combined with a sound and light / 10-year reign projection onto the Palais des Académies, announced to be more spectacular than ever. All information on the website www.albert2.be Three truly royal parades Motorbikes for the King, the bicycle for Prince Philippe and... roller skates for Prince Laurent! BRUSSELS ∇ The royal family is going to demonstrate alternative mobility this weekend. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Albert II's reign (early next August) and the National Day (this Monday, July 21st), a royal mega-party "Is dit belgisch? C'est du belge!" is organized at Place des Palais, in the park, and in various locations around the city of Brussels on Monday, alongside the military parade (read the programme above). To give a foretaste of the festivities, this Sunday, July 20th, alternative mobility will celebrate our Sovereign and the royal family in its own way, in the form of three very different parades. Who doesn't know our Sovereign's love for big bikes? Throughout his life, the King has ridden powerful motorcycles, mostly BMWs and Hondas. Even if, at 69, he has given up practicing his passion for health reasons (serious falls, including one last year during his holidays in Châteauneuf-de-Grasse). ► The King will give the start of the Motorbike Parade at the foot of the Atomium at 2:00 p.m. The Blue Knights, the global police club, will take the opportunity to present him with a leather vest. The all-tricolour column of motorcyclists will head to Place des Palais via the main thoroughfares of Central Brussels. It will disperse on Rue Belliard. ► At the same time, 2:00 p.m., at Place des Palais, the heir to the Throne, Prince Philippe, will personally give the start of the Royal Veloparade, alongside Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. The procession, organized by ProVelo, will also be dressed in black, yellow, and red. Very loud, it will complete a circuit through Brussels passing by Central Station, Rue Blaes, Place du Jeu de Balle, Rue Haute, the Central Boulevards, Boulevard Roi Albert II, North Station, and the Cathedral, before returning to Brussels Park at 3:30 p.m. ► Finally, will the youngest of the royal family, Prince Laurent, put on roller skates? Perhaps. In any case, he will be present at the family Rollerparade starting at 12:30 p.m. from Parc du Cinquantenaire (Schuman-Joyeuse entrance side). Passing via Rue de la Loi and returning to the park at 2:30 p.m. Black, Yellow, and Red will of course be, if not required, at least warmly recommended.