Princess Astrid had announced some time ago that she would no longer lead Belgium's economic missions due to some health issues, and, awaiting Elisabeth, who will take them on in the future, Queen Mathilde has taken her place.

Her first economic mission was to Turkey, 5 days between Istanbul and Ankara, covering five key sectors: green energy; aerospace, space and defense industry; ports, logistics and transport; pharmaceutical industry and biotechnology; and digital technologies. Great topics!

The Belgian Royal House published images of Mathilde preparing for the mission in recent weeks through meetings with experts and consultants. A good choice to show her preparation: a mission is not improvised, and behind the outfits and glamour are actually weeks of study, to acquire the necessary tools and skills.

In Istanbul, the Queen also dedicated herself to the inevitable sightseeing tours, accompanied by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his wife Emine; among the stops, the magnificent Dolmabahçe Palace, residence of the Ottoman sultans. Then, the mission began, with the first meetings.

Mathilde chose to start by trusting her go-to brand, Natan. The coral-colored suit is beautiful, the showy white lace dress is a bit more 'meh'.

PS I love Emine Erdoğan, who dresses in a super traditional way, as few people do in Turkey, especially in big cities, and who, however, always wears really crazy wedges.

PS2, I see certain photos of Mathilde on the Bosphorus and I'm practically at home, thanks to years of dizi 😂