Over 500 foreign royal family members and dignitaries were in attendance at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, including the King and Queen of Belgium. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde attended as representatives for their country but also as relations of the Queen.
The Belgian royal family is distantly related to the Queen through her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria. Belgium is one of the few countries which still has a monarchical system.
King Philippe ascended the throne in 2013 after his father abdicated due to health reasons. He was sworn in approximately an hour after the abdication, which also made his daughter Princess Elisabeth his heir apparent and the assumed first queen regnant for Belgium.
