Philippe and Mathilde as king and queen

We've had the accession, the memorial mass for a former monarch and the pictures taking the kids to school.  But today the reign of King Philippe of the Belgians got into full swing and he and his queen consort, Mathilde, began their tour of the country.  Known as 'Joyful Entries', their visits to towns and cities across Belgium will be their first chance to introduce themselves as monarchs.  It all started this morning in Louvain.

 

King Philippe and his queen, Mathilde, in Louvain as they start their official tour introducing themselves as monarchs of the Belgians

 

The royal couple got a bit of modern performance art as part of their tour as well as a formal greeting from local officials.  Several thousand people turned out to see the couple including a small group demanding an end to the monarchy.  Early reports indicate Mathilde was more in demand than her husband with the crowds but everyone got a good chance to see both king and queen with a balcony appearance.

 

 

Philippe and Mathilde greet the crowds in Louvain on September 6th 2013

 

And there was another new arrival - a brand new tweet from the Royal Palace at the start of the visit.  There's a new Twitter account to follow Belgium's royals on.  New king, new technology, new times.  The reign of the new king of the Belgians is well and truly under way.

 

 

The photo tweeted by Belgium's Royal Household to kick off the visit of Philippe and Mathilde to Louvain turned out to be a nice shot of the building with a couple of royals just making it into view