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Queen Mathilde of Belgium

Born Uccle, 20 Jan 1973

5 facts1 source

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 20 Jan 1973

    Born in Uccle

  2. 2001–2008

    4 children are born

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 4

During her lifetime

She has lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Uccle.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1970s · Queen is born in Uccle

In the news1974

Ban on non-EEC labour immigration imposed

Following the oil crisis, the Belgian government imposed a ban on unskilled labour immigration from non-EEC countries.

Getting around

Transition from trams to buses in Brussels

During the 1950s, public transport in Brussels and other regions relied heavily on trams, but many lines were rapidly replaced by bus services, causing service frequencies to drop; for instance, waiting times increased from six or seven minutes to about twelve minutes.

Around the world1973–1974

The oil crisis

Arab oil producers cut supplies and the price of oil quadrupled; petrol queues and inflation followed around the world.

Daily life

Weekly bathing and public shower houses

Bathing was a weekly ritual, often taking place on Saturdays in an oval tub that narrowed at the feet, with the same water frequently used for the entire family. In some communities, public shower houses existed, such as one in Zaventem where a shower cost 1.50 BEF.

What people wore

Belgian boys' clothing in the 1950s-1960s

In the 1950s and early 1960s, Belgian boys frequently wore short pants until they were 12 or 13 years old, sometimes even until age 16 for school uniforms. By the 1960s, American-style casual wear like T-shirts began to gain popularity among the youth.

Music

Traditional Flemish Instruments and Community Music

Traditional Flemish folk music featured instruments such as the doedelzak (bagpipe), the hommel (stringed zither), and the diatonic accordion. These instruments were often hand-crafted and played at local community gatherings and festivals.

At the table

Exotic food as luxury decoration

Fresh pineapple was extremely exclusive; families would sometimes rent one from a delicatessen just to place it on a fruit bowl as a decorative piece for parties. Many vegetables common today, such as broccoli, pumpkin, bell peppers, and zucchini, were not available in the 1950s.