What Really Happened on Queen Mathilde of Belgium's Flight amid Reports of an 'Emergency Landing'
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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NBC Sports
27-07-2025
- NBC Sports
Tadej Pogacar wins fourth Tour de France, conquers ghosts to chase all-time record
As Tadej Pogacar relaxed on the sands of Seychelles, the 2025 Tour de France route was revealed last October. So was, it turned out, a theme of the Slovenian's pursuit of a fourth Tour title: the ghosts of Pogi's past. Pogacar vanquished all of them en route to becoming the sixth — and youngest — man to win cycling's holy grail for a fourth time. He crossed the Champs-Elysees finish line on Sunday, cementing a result of little doubt since he first took the yellow jersey after the fifth of 21 stages. The margin of victory: 4 minutes, 24 seconds over Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard, a two-time Tour winner who has finished runner-up in Pogacar's last three wins (2021, 2024 and 2025). 'It's the peak of my career,' Pogacar said earlier in the Tour. 'The last two, three years is where I try to hold it, as long as I enjoy it.' Pogacar nears Tour de France record with fourth title Around age 8, Pogacar yearned to follow older brother Tilen into the sport, but the club didn't have a bike small enough. They found one the next year. He has grown into cycling royalty. He is tied with Brit Chris Froome at four Tour de France titles. Next year, he can tie the record of five shared by Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil. All of them won their fifth at age 29 or older. Pogacar is 26 and says he is enjoying the 'suffer fest' that is 2,000 miles of riding (including 32 miles of climbing) over three weeks. If Pogacar does suffer on the bike, he does it better than anyone else, perhaps ever. In 2024, he became the third man to win the sport's Triple Crown (Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championship road race titles in one year) after Merckx (1974) and Irishman Stephen Roche (1987). Mary Omatiga, How Tadej Pogacar won the 2025 Tour de France If there was any doubt going into the 2025 Tour, it's that the route included three climbs on which Pogacar struggled to varying degrees in past Tours. 'I'm almost confident to say that it (the route) was designed to give me a bit of scaredness,' he said. Plus Pogacar finished eighth in the time trial at this June's Criterium du Dauphine, the primary Tour prep event (though he still won the Dauphine overall). Yet Pogacar never struggled at this Tour. He dominated even without key teammate Joao Almeida, who was fourth at the 2024 Tour but withdrew during stage 9 this year due to a fractured rib. Stage 5: Pogacar is second in a 21-mile time trial. Most importantly, he gains 65 seconds on Vingegaard. He later wins another shorter (but uphill) time trial in stage 13. Stage 12: After crashing near the end of the previous day, Pogacar wins by 2:10 over Vingegaard on the Tour's first beyond-category summit finish at Hautacam. In 2022, it was Vingegaard who won at Hautacam by 64 seconds over Pogacar. Stage 16: On the legendary Mont Ventoux, Pogacar is fifth on the day, but fastest of all the general classification contenders. He rides with Vingegaard up the climb nicknamed the Giant of Provence, then gaps the Dane by two seconds in the final leg-burning meters, sending a subtle message. In 2021, Pogacar was briefly gapped by Vingegaard on Ventoux before rejoining him on a downhill finish. Stage 18: On a day with three beyond-category ascents, the finale is the Col de la Loze. Pogacar cracked on that climb in 2023, memorably telling his team radio, 'I'm gone. I'm dead.' Vingegaard beat him by 5:47 on that day. In the 2025 Tour, Pogacar is second at the Col de la Loze finish, gaining another nine seconds on Vingegaard. In all, Vingegaard followed his 2022 and 2023 Tour titles over Pogacar by never gaining time on Pogacar on any of the 42 stages in the 2024 and 2025 Tours (aside from time bonuses). 'I've had two bad days,' Vingegaard said on the last rest day, referencing stages 5 and 12, which accounted for 3:19 of his 4:24 deficit. 'Normally I don't have any bad days.' What is next for Tadej Pogacar? Pogacar's post-Tour plans aren't set, but there are two major events left in 2025: the Vuelta a Espana, the year's third and final Grand Tour, from Aug. 23-Sept. 14, and the World Championships in Rwanda with a time trial (Sept. 21) and road race (Sept. 28). Pogacar has raced the Vuelta once. He was third in 2019 in his Grand Tour debut at age 20, at the time the youngest man to make a Grand Tour podium in 45 years. The Vuelta is the biggest missing title from his resume. If he races it, and wins it, he will become the eighth man to win all three Grand Tours in a career. Pogacar won his first world title in 2024 in the road race. His best finish in three world championships time trials is sixth, but this year's route suits him. It has four climbs, plus an uphill finish. Only two men have won world titles in both the road race and time trial (Spain's Abraham Olano and Belgium's Remco Evenepoel). Next year will be all about Pogacar's pursuit: to tie the record of five Tour de France titles. For now, he has earned a rest. But it sounds like Seychelles must wait. 'Monday I travel home. Tuesday, maybe I'm on the bike, you never know,' he said Saturday. 'If I feel good, I go a bit riding, stop for coffee, and enjoy summer at home.' Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar reflects on his lieutenant Joao Almeida withdrawing from Stage 9 of the 2025 Tour de France, lamenting how painful it must have been and shifting his focus to winning the race "for Joao." Tejay Van Garderen and Brent Bookwalter break down Jonas Vingegaard's strategy against Tadej Pogacar in Stage 19, discussing why they expected more out of the Danish climber.
Associated Press
24-07-2025
- Associated Press
Tour de France 2025: 5 most recognized and difficult stages of the race
The twisty road map of the Tour de France - often described as the world's most prestigious and challenging cycling race - features a mix of flat, hilly, and mountainous stages. The race is not just a test of individual strength but also team strategy, endurance, and resilience. Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar climbs towards Hautacom to win the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180.6 kilometers (112.2 miles) with start in Auch and finish in Hautacam, France, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) The Tour de France began with the Grand Départ in Lille, a northern French city near the Belgian border. It marked the official start of the race with a festive celebration. Stage 2: This stage was the longest trek of this year's race with about 4 kilometers of climbing. It favors strong climbers and aggressive breakaway riders. The stretch from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-Sur-Mer is a marathon, not a sprint. It was the longest stretch of the race at 209.1 kilometers, or 129.93 miles. Stage 12: This stage featured several challenging climbs. Auch to Hautacam was the first mountain stage of the race, with 3,850 meters in elevation over the course, or 12,631 feet. The stage introduced the Pyrenees. Stage 16: This stage is notable for its race to the top of the famed barren mountain known as the 'Beast of Provence.' The 16th stage may seem straightforward at the start, but riders had to ascend to their highest point in elevation of the race. Mont Ventoux returned to the route after four years. Stage 21: The final stage features a cobbled climb before riders enter Paris to complete 3 laps of the iconic landmark. The final stage of the Tour de France concludes at the iconic Champs-Elysees in Paris. But before riders cross the finish line, they'll need to face the cobbled streets of Côte de la Butte Montmartre. Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides in the pack during the tenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 165.3 kilometers (102.7 miles) with start in Ennezat and finish in Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy, France, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) The pack rides during the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 172.2 kilometers (107 miles) with start in Amiens and finish in Rouen, France, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) The pack rides past a field of sunflowers during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 156.8 kilometers (97.4 miles) with start and finish in Toulouse, France, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy) Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, and Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard sprint towards the finish line of the sixteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 171.5 kilometers (106.6 miles) with start in Montpellier and finish on the Mont Ventoux, France, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) The pack rides during the second stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 209.1 kilometers (129.9 miles) with start in Lauwin-Planque and finish in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Fans watch the riders during the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 184.9 kilometers (114.9 miles) with start and finish in Lille, France, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy) Spectators take photos of the riders during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 156.8 kilometers (97.4 miles) with start and finish in Toulouse, France, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy) Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard crosses the finish line of the thirteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race, an individual time-trial over 10.5 kilometers (6.5 miles) in the Pyrenees mountains with start in Loudenvielle and finish in Peyragudes, France, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, right, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 172.2 kilometers (107 miles) with start in Amiens and finish in Rouen, France, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy) Italy's Vincenzo Albanese rides past a field of sunflowers during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 156.8 kilometers (97.4 miles) with start and finish in Toulouse, France, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy) Stage winner France's Valentin Paret Peintre leads in the breakaway with Ireland's Ben Healy, in pink, and Colombia's Santiago Buitrago, in white, in the sixteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 171.5 kilometers (106.6 miles) with start in Montpellier and finish on the Mont Ventoux, France, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
Tomorrowland music festival main stage 'severely damaged' by massive fire
Ticketholders for the 2025 Tomorrowland music festival can breathe a sigh of relief. Not only was no one harmed in the massive blaze which recently engulfed and eventually destroyed the fest's main stage, but the event will officially go on as previously planned. "We can announce that, DreamVille (campsite) will open tomorrow (Thursday, July 17) as planned and will be ready for all DreamVille visitors. All Global Journey activities in Brussels and Antwerp will take place as planned," read a post shared Wednesday on the Instagram page of the annual electronic music festival held in Boom, Belgium. "We are focused on finding solutions for the festival weekend (Friday – Saturday – Sunday), the post continued. "More updates and detailed information will be communicated as soon as possible." Belgian news broadcaster VRT reported that the fire broke out around 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday, or 12 p.m. ET. Within hours, the flames completely engulfed the festival's massive main stage, which has been totally leveled. It is unclear whether a cause has been determined, as no cause has been announced to the public. Though no ticket-holders had entered the festival when the fire broke out, around 1,000 employees were on site. Firefighters were still on the scene late Wednesday evening, and some neighboring residents have been is set to run two consecutive weekends, from July 18-20, and again from July 25-27. The festival began humbly in 2005 and has since grown into a sprawling, multi-stage, multimedia experience, featuring music, food, art installations, light shows, and other immersive components. This year's lineup features musical acts including David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, AFROJACK, Steve Aoki, and Armin van Buuren. The theme for the festival this year is "Orbyz." According to the Tomorrowland website, the 2025 edition is, "Set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice, [and] will reveal a hidden community that has been existing under a gigantic ice cap for many years. Once the mass of ice and glaciers starts melting, the indigenous community rises to the surface, consisting of a unique source of light, energy, and power that originates from powerful, red-colored crystals and rocks." 400,000 people are expected to attend over the course of two weekends, Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly Solve the daily Crossword
