RoyaltyWeekly, our royalty expert Wim Dehandschieter answers pressing questions about our Belgian royal family in the section ‘Do they drink fizz in the royal family?’ at Qmusic. This week the question was: “Does the king ever fly with Ryanair?”
Editorial Jan 17 2024 Last update: 17-01-24, 20:46
No, you will not easily encounter King Philip while boarding a commercial flight. Wim Dehandschieter explains: “He will be provided with a government plane. But it’s not like the US president’s Air Force One. They are always different devices.”
Which plane he takes exactly depends on the occasion. For example, for a state visit with a large delegation, a large airbus is rented from Air Belgium. But what if he goes on holiday privately, Vincent Fierens wonders. “He also flies a government plane that provides defense. That is at the expense of the taxpayer.” And it does cost some money, the royal flights. “In 2022, King Philippe’s flights cost a total of 1,225,000 euros. It involved 16 trips: 8 official and 8 private trips.” The most expensive trip that year was to Congo, with a price tag of half a million euros.
Wim reveals another fact: Filip will never board a plane with Princess Elisabeth, to avoid them getting into a plane crash together. This is to guarantee the succession to the throne and protect the survival of the monarchy.
WATCH ALSO. “Prince Laurent had his dog frozen and thawed with hairdryers”: do our royals have pets?
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2024-01-17 19:18:21
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