King's Day

King's Day is celebrated in Belgium on 15th November every year. Since 1866, Belgium has celebrated a "Royal Holiday" each year on 15th November. This annual holiday is not an official or national holiday. It is a holiday for civil servants only.

Belgian embassies around the world often host a celebration for local government leaders and other foreign diplomats to honour the King of the Belgians.

According to the Christian calendar, 15th November is the feast day of both Saint Albert and Saint Leopold. In Belgian history, three Kings of the Belgians have been named Leopold and two have been named Albert.

The first "Royal Holiday" was on 15th November 1866, in the first year of the reign of King Leopold II. It was renamed "Dynasty Holiday" during the regency of Prince Karol (Charles), from 1944 to 1950. In 1953, following a request from the Belgian Prime Minister Jean Van Houette, "Dynasty Day" was re-named "King's Day".

Since 1993, the King of the Belgians has been Albert II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, whose reign has not been without controversy, with some extremely unsavoury stories emerging about his past life. For these reasons, there are civil servants who refuse invitations to celebrate and honour the current King of the Belgians.

At the extreme of public opinion, one journalist and commentator said of the holiday and its association with the King. "many others [civil servants] do not hesitate to toast and salute this monster. The press should know better than to publicize such parties in the society pages."

If you're looking for a way to commemorate this event, you might be interested in this article: Commemorations with Cross Stitch

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