Belgium-Chile State Visit 2025

VIEW THE OFFICIAL PROGRAMME HERE: https://belgianstatevisit.be/

(c) Belgian MFA
Philippe and Mathilde

JUNE 23: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians left today at 9 AM from Melsbroek, Belgium, for a 3-day-long State Visit to Chile. They originally were supposed to depart the day before at the same time, but there was a delay due to technical issues with their plane. It is the first State Visit paid by a Belgian monarch to a country in South America in 60 years.

(c) 2025 Philip Reynaers/Photonews
Philippe and Mathilde, June 23

They arrived at 9 PM in Santiago, Chile, greeted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto van Klaveren.

(c) Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Twitter
Philippe and Mathilde arrive in Chile

JUNE 24: They were later greeted by President Gabriel Boric at the Palace de la Moneda shortly after Queen Mathilde visited Coaniquem, a children's hospital, and King Philippe visited a Chilean who took refuge in Belgium after the coup that occured in 1973.

(c) Belgian MFA/Twitter
Mathilde at Coaniquem

(c) Belgian MFA/Twitter
Philippe with the Chilean refugee

(c) Belgian MFA/Twitter
Mathilde, President Boric, and Philippe
Palace de la Moneda

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde then visited Monument for Liberator General Bernardo O'Higgins accompanied by Chilean Defense Minister Adriana Delpiano. They laid a floral wreath at the monument.

(c) Chilean Defense Ministry/Twitter
Mathilde, Philippe, and Minister Delpiano

(c) Chilean Defense Ministry/Twitter
King Philippe lays a wreath at the monument

Philippe met with the President of the Senate, Manuel Ossandon, and President of the Chamber of Deputies, Jose Castro in the Palace of the Former National Congress of Chile. Mathilde met with members of the native Mapuche tribe. 

(c) Belgian MFA/Twitter
King Philippe signs the guestbook

(c) Belgian MFA/Twitter
King Philippe with President of the Chamber of Deputies,
Jose Castro.

(c) Belgian MFA/Twitter
Mathilde plays hockey with the Mapuche

(c) Belgian MFA/Twitter
Mathilde meets with Mapuche elders in
a tribal dwelling

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde then attended a reception in their honor at the end of the day. This was notably NOT a State Dinner/Banquet.

(c) Dirk Waem/Getty Images
Their Majesties at the reception

JUNE 25: The King and Queen land in Antofagasta for the second part of their tour. They visited the Extremely Large Telescope at an altitude of 3100m at ESO's Paranal Observatory.

(c) Belgian MFA
Their Majesties land at Andres Sabella Galvez
International Airport, Antofagasta

(c) Belgian MFA
The King and Queen at the observatory/telescope site

(c) Belgian MFA
The surrounding desert

JUNE 26: This is Philippe and Mathilde's final day in Chile. They will visit the Planta Quimica Carmen factory, the world's largest lithium refinery that makes chargers for mobile phones, electric cars, etc. They will then go onto visit Molymet-Molynor, a processor factory of molybdenum and rhenium. It is a supplier of critical raw materials to aid in a low-carbon future. They will then visit the Enaex fertilizer factory.

(c) Belgian MFA
Touring the lithium refinery

(Times are in EST) Their visit ended with an official good-bye at Antofagasta's airport, but their plane had yet another technical difficulty while taxiing, and will depart "in the next few hours" according to press member Wim Dehandschutter as of ~6:15pm EST 26 June 2025. The plane is a leased Hi Fly plane to the Belgian royals. Usually, Philippe takes a government plane to ensure that no issues arise. Presumably, a tow truck hit the plane's breaks and damaged a tire. Mathilde, Philippe, the Belgian delegation, and VIPs were escorted to another part of the airport. Academics, journalists, and businesspeople are still aboard. At 6:50pm EST it was reported by Dehandschutter that the plane was being repaired at the airport. All passengers deboarded and were taken away by bus.

JUNE 27 It was reported by Dehandshutter again yesterday evening that if the tire was repaired and approved by the next day, the royals would be able to leave at 4pm today. The wheel was not repaired and it was reported at ~1pm that the tire had not been approved and it would take another day for the Belgian delegation to leave. K. Philippe and Q. Mathilde were offered a separate flight home but refused. Following this, it was reported ~5:30pm that they would fly back tomorrow at 10am. They took off around that time on June 28 and landed in the early hours of June 29. 

(c) Photo News
Philippe, Mathilde walking down the red carpet
for their official good-bye

(c) Wim Dehandschutter
The Hi Fly Airline plane in Melsbroek before takeoff, June 23

(c) Pierre Nizet/Studinfo
Cars pick up Philippe, Mathilde, VIPs on the tarmac 

(c) Wim Dehandschutter/X
Deboarding in Belgium, June 29