The King

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Kingdom of Belgium (right), Austrian President Van der Bellen and his wife (left) (Photo: WAJ)

Friendships between gentlemen...

On October 1, 2018, King Philippe Léopold Louis Marie and Queen Mathilde of Belgium made a state visit to the Republic of Austria. The relationship between Austria and
Belgium is also known to be a cordial one. Although both are small countries, it is undoubtedly true that they both have important geographical positions and play significant roles in the international political arena. Both countries are home to several headquarters of international agencies such as the United Nations, European Union, OPEC...

In the courtyard of the Hofburg palace, the military honor band of Austria had already settled. There’s a huge number of people gathering around the restricted area. Shortly after, the President of Austria and his First Lady entered the courtyard, preparing to welcome King Philippe Léopold Louis Marie and Queen Mathilde of the Kingdom of Belgium.

While waiting, the Austrian President and his wife shook hands and warmly greeted the people. A moment later, the motorcade escorting the King and Queen headed towards the palace. The car carrying them slowly stopped in front of the red carpet. A bodyguard stepped out and opened the car door. The King gently got out, followed by the queen.

They shook hands with the host President and his wife, then turned to wave to the people. The atmosphere was extremely quiet and solemn. After the ceremony of the military honor guard, the two monarchs jointly entered the palace - the office of the President of Austria. They just casually walked, chatted, and stopped to admire the architecture of the Hofburg Palace. This was probably a cultural diplomatic visit, so the atmosphere was gentle and peaceful.

The press officer of the Austrian President’s Office asked us the journalists to wait a few more minutes, so that the President, the King, and his wives could settle. We were
silently waiting, nearly ten minutes passed but everyone’s faces still looked cheerful, without a sight of impatience or rush like at many other political meetings.

A moment later, the door to the President’s office was opened, and we were invited inside, and to our surprise, King Philippe and the Queen of Belgium were sitting in the host position, while the President of Austria and his wife were sitting in the guest seats. On the table nearby were three books. One is called “Women - Art and power”.  Two plates of traditional cakes, each has 6 small pieces on it. Three cups of tea. A bouquet of yellow and red roses. The queen’s tea cup was nowhere to be seen. They were talking and smiling gently. 

The room of the former Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa is now the President’s press conference room. There was no usual press conference today. There were only two flags, a bouquet of yellow and red roses, velvet tables and chairs with gold trim, and a pleasant and respectful atmosphere.

King Philippe
King Philippe was born on April 15, 1960, at the Château de Belvédère, on the outskirts of Laeken, Brussels, Belgium. In July 2013, he inherited the throne from his father King Albert II. Since the Belgian economy was facing many difficulties, his succession ceremony took place very simply.

Furthermore, the country’s politics also just experienced a period of severe crisis due to disagreements between the Dutch-speaking region and the French-speaking region. Therefore, during the Oath Ceremony, the new King also called for solidarity between these two communities.

King Philippe attended the Royal Military Academy of Belgium from 1978 to 1981. In September 1980, he was appointed as Second Lieutenant in the Royal Belgian Army.
After that, he continued his studies at Trinity College, Oxford, UK. In 1985, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University, California, USA. In 1989, he was promoted to Colonel.

In 2001, he was appointed to the rank of major-general in the Land Component and the Air Component and to the rank of rear-admiral in the Naval Component. In addition, he also received many certificates as a paratrooper and a ranger, and he continuously attended a series of special sessions at the Royal Higher Defence Institute.

In August 1993, he was named the Honorary Chairman of the Foreign Trade Board. In 2003, he was appointed Honorary Chairman of the board of the Foreign Trade Agency. In this position, he participated in solving many significant economic issues in more than 60 countries and territories. On December 4, 1999, he married Countess Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz (Polish noblewoman). They gave birth to four children: Princess Elisabeth (2001), Prince Gabriel (2003), Prince Emmanuel (2005), Princess Eléonore (2008) (1)(2)(3)(4)

President Alexander Van der Bellen

In September 2015, I met Professor Alexander Van der Bellen for the first time at a protest in support of refugees. It was one of the major protests to pressure the government to open the border to accept refugees. In the protest crowd, I saw two older women slowly walking on the side of the street, so I walked over and asked for an interview. The two
ladies smiled, then pointed their fingers and said: “Thank you so much for asking, but we think you should interview that man”. I looked in the direction of their hands, then walked up to meet the man.

He nodded in agreement and we stood on the sidewalk, out of the way of the protesters. I remember just asking him a few questions while raising the camera to film. On the third question, I suddenly realized that he was the author of the memoir that my husband brought home a few days ago. He is a professor of Economics at the University of Vienna and one of the key leaders of the Green Party.

Then I decided to ask questions about the book: “It seems like you are going to run for President of Austria shortly, is that right?”. He smiled, neither nodded nor shook his head, but said: “I will talk about this later...”. At that time, information about this seemed to have only been discussed in the Green Party’s internal strategy.

Since that interview, I’ve been thinking a lot about him. Besides, I feel truly touched by the dedication many Austrian people, including him and the Green Party have shown to refugees. Once, I was lucky enough to visit a special room in the Hofburg Palace - where portraits of all Austrian Presidents are displayed, and I remember not seeing a professor become President.

That’s why there was indeed a time when I prayed for him, hoping that Austria would have the first professor to become President. I even had absolute faith that it would come true! Not because he is my husband’s teacher, nor because he is the head of the Party that my husband is participating in, but simply because I feel something unforgettably genuine from his kind heart! Just like how I felt when I first talked to and interviewed a state secretary who later became the world’s youngest head of state!

In the media world, we often share our “professional feelings”. My teacher Wolfgang also repeatedly emphasized the “professional feelings” of journalists. Therefore, some of
my friends often joke with me: “Whoever this Asian journalist interviews will get promoted and become famous”. Professor Alexander Van der Bellen, born on January 18, 1944, is an Austrian politician and economist. He was born in Vienna, Austria. His father was born in Russia and belonged to the nobility of Dutch origin. His mother was born in Estonia. His family belonged to the wealthy aristocracy in Russia but then had to flee as refugees from Stalinism to Estonia (1919), Germany, Vienna - Tyrol - Vienna, Austria.

He often describes himself as a “refugee child”.  Van der Bellen served as a member of the National Council (1994-2012), Parliamentary leader, and Federal Spokesperson of the Green Party (1997-2008). In 2016, he ran for President of Austria. He ranked second out of 6 candidates in the first round. In the second round, he entered the race with Norbert Hofer (Freedom Party).

In the context of the refugee crisis in Austria and Europe, he and the Green Party had to go through many challenges. For the first time since World War II, Austrian intellectuals were afraid of the return of “Hitler ideology” to their homeland. Despite his win by a narrow margin in the first election, the Freedom Party sought every loophole to demand that the court reconsider the form of voting in rural areas, which has already become a traditional cultural feature of the Austrian people’s elections for such a long period of time. Therefore, the Constitutional Court had to re-elect (July 1, 2016). Then, on December 4, 2016, the election was repeated, once again he won with 53.8% of the votes and became the 12th President of Austria (January 26, 2017)(1)(2)(3).

However, at that time, a few Green Party politicians shared with me: “We won but now is the most worrisome time...”. Indeed, after the win, the Green Party, the President, and the Austrian people had to face numerous difficulties... The President strongly supports social liberal policies, green policies, refugees as well as the European Union. The
Austrian and European public often see him speaking out strongly and frankly in support of the refugees, they do believe that he will always be loved by the people! 

The two Kings always show great kindness to the people. The two Kings Philippe and Van der Bellen have different backgrounds, one is of royal origin, and the other is a child of a refugee family (once of noble origin) but now, in the eyes of the European public, both of them are giving off a sense of courtesy, virtue and erudition.

P/S: At the end of 2018, King Philippe delivered a speech in Brussels marking the 100th anniversary of World War I Armistice Day, calling on youngsters to become true heroes and establish a world of peace. I wish to convey to the youth that there will come a day when we will be deprived of the reassuring presence of the veterans who have defended
our territory. Thus, in keeping the memories of those who sacrificed themselves for us and the values of peace they fought for alive, I pledge to stand with you.

(Photo: WAJ)

Hofburg Palace, October 1, 2018