Reine Mathilde: how do the inhabitants of her native village remember her?

Even though she has since traveled around the world, the Sovereign has remained very attached to her native Ardennes. She grew up at Chateau Losange in Bastogne… And in the town, everyone remembers her well.

Bastogne, a city in the province of Luxembourg, is steeped in a painful history, that of the Second World War. But the inhabitants of Bastogne prefer to keep positive memories of it, like that of Queen Mathilde’s childhood. “It must be said that we are proud that she is from here“.”She came from the village next door and then we learned that she was marrying Prince Philippe“.”We had a queen in our house!“, exclaim some inhabitants of Bastogne.

In the footsteps of Queen Mathilde

Although Queen Mathilde came from Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, she came regularly to Bastogne. Especially in a haberdashery, where she dressed to go to school. “It was a small deal with the Notre-Dame school so that everyone had the same style of dress.“. A few meters further, the Notre-Dame primary school, where she was educated as a child. Her classmate, Ingrid Michel, who became a teacher, remembers a calm and studious girl. “I remember her big dog at the entrance to the castle where she livedHer friend now happily talks about the queen to her class.