Ten years of reign A royally festive weekend

On Sunday and Monday, tens of thousands of Belgians celebrated the ten years of reign of Albert II, with the event being coupled with National Day. Memorable. THE Belgians celebrated on Sunday and Monday the ten years of reign of their king, Albert II, and the country's national day. The entire royal family took part in a series of several popular events. Albert II himself gave the start signal for the "Motorcycle Parade", a few hours after paying a strong broadcast tribute to his brother, King Baudouin, whom he succeeded in 1993. "King Baudouin was the symbol, but also a vigorous advocate of the unity and cohesion of the country, in respect for its diversity," declared Albert II (full text on page 4). The Sunday afternoon "Garden Party" delighted 880 "ordinary citizens", while the Marolles ball was packed in the evening. Philippe, Laurent and Astrid were everywhere at once during the roller and cyclist "parades". Monday was more official: Te Deums in the morning, the traditional parade in the afternoon and the fireworks in the evening.