What Really Happened on Queen Mathilde of Belgium's Flight amid Reports of an 'Emergency Landing'
Queen Mathilde of Belgium's trip to Costa Rica started with a slight scare.
The royal flew to Costa Rica on Feb. 9 for a solo three-day visit organized through UNICEF. According to aviation news X account @FL360aero, a plane traveling from Amsterdam was given "priority landing" at San José Juan Santamaria International Airport due to a cracked windshield, sharing a photo of the damage. The plane made a safe landing at its intended destination about 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
Later, reporter Wim Dehandschutter revealed he was on that plane along with Queen Mathilde. Although there were reports about the Queen's emergency landing, Dehandschutter said he wasn't aware of anything amiss until seeing the reports later.
"I was on that flight. As passengers, we didn't notice anything, and we didn't receive any notification during the flight or upon landing," he wrote on X.
Dehandschutter said in a piece published by HLN, "I was a bit surprised when I read reports in the local media and on X about the 'emergency landing.' " He added that there was turbulence on the flight and the landing was "quite hard" but "nothing alarming."
It's unclear if Queen Mathilde, 52, was informed of the incident, but the royal was all smiles when she was photographed upon arrival.
Queen Mathilde traveled on a commercial flight by FLM and sat in business class, according to HLN.
The outlet reported that while King Philippe always travels on a military plane for security reasons, his wife was able to take the more traditional route during her solo trip.
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
The Queen traveled to Costa Rica in her role as Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium.
According to the Belgian Royal Palace, her visit "is dedicated to 'Leave No Child Behind' and focuses on UNICEF's efforts to eliminate inequalities among children and young people based on gender, place of residence, ethnic or social origin. It also highlights its humanitarian aid to families and children on the move."
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