Tenth anniversary of Albert II's reign 100,000 Belgians celebrate

The festivities exceptionally organized for the tenth anniversary of Albert II's reign delighted some 100,000 Belgians on Sunday in Brussels. Nearly 100,000 Belgians took part on Sunday in the various activities organized for the tenth anniversary of Albert II's reign. The king himself kicked off the Motorbike Parade, a motorcycle ride starting at the foot of the Atomium to roam through the streets of the capital. On the occasion of this impressive parade organized by the Motor Cycle Council, the sovereign was awarded the title of "First Biker of the Country". He also received a custom-tailored leather vest from the "Blue Knights", an international group of police-affiliated bikers with over 300 members in Belgium. Shortly before launching this brilliant and noisy ride, the king had walked among the bikes gathered under the Atomium. Although he sat on the Harley Davidson of the Mayor of Brussels, Freddy Thielemans—dressed as a rocker for the occasion—the king was not to take to the road alongside the other riders. He indeed announced his decision to give up this sport following an accident last year that left him with a broken ankle. On Sunday morning, an aperitif concert took place at the Egmont Palace. Shortly after noon, Prince Laurent and Princess Claire kicked off the Roller Parade starting from the Cinquantenaire, in which around 600 people participated. For his part, Prince Philippe joined a cycle ride of several kilometers—8.5 km for some, 20 km for others. This family and sporting event brought together 1,100 people. Meanwhile, Princess Astrid, Prince Lorenz, and their children attended a performance of the "Cirque des Enfants". The royal family then gathered at the Castle of Laeken for a Garden Party to which were invited not only essential political and civil figures, but also some 800 guests from our provinces for whom it was, obviously, a memorable day. A cheeky... cow of a gift! On this occasion, the king received an original gift from the federal government: a life-sized cow decorated by two artists as part of the "Art on cows" exhibition taking place in the capital. With this gift, the government wished to highlight the king's sense of humor. Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt specified that he had initially considered entrusting the decoration of the ruminant to Mark Eyskens and Rik Daems, two former minister-artists... "But Mark Eyskens paints only gloomy still lifes, which did not suit the party. As for Rik Daems, he is so excessive and daring in painting that I feared the cow would succumb," joked the Prime Minister. Jan Hoet, the "pope" of contemporary art in Belgium, who was invited to the garden party, nevertheless described the gift as "ridiculous", when so many Belgian artists create "truly" interesting works. After a musical interlude, ten-year-old children brought out the sovereign's birthday cake. And to complete the picture, a typical Belgian rain made an appearance, forcing guests to seek shelter under the trees of the estate. Finally, while Prince Laurent and Princess Claire ended the day at the Place du Jeu de Balle for a popular dance with the participation of our inimitable Annie Cordy, other members of the royal family went to the Palais des Beaux-Arts to attend a concert organized by the organizers of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition.