King and Queen stranded in Chile due to faulty plane
Following a three-day state visit to the country at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Chile, Gabriel Boric Font, the Belgian royals were due to depart from Antofagasta Airport on Thursday.
However, the Airbus A340-300 carrying Philippe, 65, and Mathilde, 52, along with government officials, business leaders, academics, and media representatives, 'rattled' and fell 'silent' while being taxied to the runway, HLN reported.
Shortly after, passengers were informed that the aircraft was damaged and take-off would be delayed 'by several hours', but the flight was later cancelled with sources saying 'a tire was destroyed.'
The plane now needs a replacement wheel before it can attempt another take off, meaning it's unclear when the return flight will depart.
During the first Belgian state visit to Latin America in 60 years, the couple enjoyed a welcome ceremony at La Moneda Presidential Palace in Santiago.
But their short trip to Chile has been marred by travel issues because the outbound flight was also delayed by 24 hours due to technical difficulties.
Philippe and Mathilde were due to depart from Melsbroek Airport at 9am last Sunday, but were told the night before that their plane was suffering technical issues.
They eventually took off 24 hours later on Monday morning in the 24-year-old Airbus, which had been grounded since May 18.
The mishap comes after Queen Mathilde experienced another terrifying start to a royal visit after her plane was forced to make an emergency landing in February.
The Belgian royal was on her way to Costa Rica when her plane was forced to carry out a priority landing after it suffered a crack to the windshield during the flight.
Mathilde was headed to the country for a three-day solo trip organised by UNICEF Belgium and UNICEF Costa Rica when the aircraft suffered the frightening crack.
Luckily, staff onboard steered the royal to safety, with the aircraft landing at San José Juan Santamaria International airport just 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
While the incident likely sparked concern for the crew onboard, it appeared the incident was unbeknownst to their royal passengers who arrived unscathed and none-the-wiser of the stressful ordeal.
Writing on X, royal commentator, Wim Dehandschutter, wrote: 'The airplane with Belgian Queen Mathilde landed in Costa Rica with a cracked windshield, according to this account and local media.'
'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 added: 'Our KLM flight did leave Schiphol 20 minutes late, there was turbulence - as on many flights - and the landing was quite hard, but nothing seemed to be alarming. So I was a bit surprised when I read reports in the local media and on X about the 'emergency landing'.
It comes after King Philippe of Belgium discussed whether he has plans to abdicate the throne in favour of his eldest child in an interview.
The 65-year-old Belgian king answered 30 questions put forward by the public in a video shared by the Belgian Royal Palace.
One question asked Philippe, who is married to Queen Mathilde of Belgium, 52, about his plans for abdication, if any.
'A King steps back, but is not retired,' Philippe answered when translated to English via Hola.
Should Philippe one day choose to abdicate, his eldest daughter, Crown Princess Elisabeth, 23, will ascend the throne.
In his answer, Philippe continued, 'I will continue to work for Belgium and I must give my daughter time to enjoy her youth, develop herself and see the world and I support her 100 percent in that and I will do everything I can to give her all the time she needs to do.'
Philippe's father, King Albert of Belgium, abdicated in 2013 after a 20-year reign, clearing the way for his son, Philippe, to take over as the nation's king.
Aged 53 at the time, then-Prince Philippe took the oath before the nation's legislators at the Parliament building, a short walk across the Royal Park in the heart of the city.
The future Belgian queen has certainly made the most of her youth, and is currently studying at Harvard University after finishing her undergraduate degree at Oxford University.
In photos shared on the Belgian royal family's official Instagram page last September, Elisabeth appeared excited to settle into her all-American life amid reports she was already a highly sought-after companion among her peers.
The Princess is currently enrolled in a two-year Master's program in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Away from her royal duties, Elisabeth has embraced life as a student as she was pictured on the first day of term wearing an understated, yet chic, ensemble - complete with sneakers - in portraits shared by the Palace.
The royal enrolled at the institution under the name 'Elisabeth de Saxe-Coburg' at Harvard Kennedy School.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Eva Longoria, 50, wows wearing sheer romper for family beach day in Spain
Eva Longoria turned heads as she enjoyed a day out in Marbella, Spain with her family. The star, 50, caught the eye wearing a see-through white romper as she was joined by her husband Jose Baston and their son Santiago, seven, for an outing in the warm sunshine. Underneath, the star showed off a white bikini, completing her summer outfit with a raffia hat, sunglasses and statement feather earrings. The star has been spending her time abroad at homes in both Mexico and Spain following Trump's U.S. presidential win late last year. 'I had my whole adult life here,' Eva told Marie Claire about living in California, before opening up about how it has changed over the years. 'Whether it's the homelessness or the taxes, not that I want to s*** on California - it just feels like this chapter in my life is done now. 'I'm privileged. I get to escape and go somewhere. Most Americans aren't so lucky. They're going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them.' Net gains: She stopped to buy some fun beach kit for her son Santiago from nearby vendors
Time Out
31-07-2025
- Time Out
A study just named this European nation the world's funniest country
Are you a quick wit or a master of irony? Have you got good craic or enough comedic timing to get a laugh even out of the cringiest dad jokes? Chances are that you're a funny person. Humour is both universal and incredibly local. It varies enormously between generations, communities and across cultures, but you can bet every nation has its own comedic identity – even if that means not really having one at all. But, which nation is the funniest? Well, Remitly asked more than 6,000 people from 30 different countries to fill out the Humour Styles Questionnaire, which is a study developed back in 2003 by a guy called Rod Martin. It essentially helps researchers and psychologists understand how humour is used by different people in their day-to-day, not just if they're funny but also how they're funny. Recommended: The best comedy movies of all time, according to Time Out. So, was it the Brits, with their dry use of irony, or the Irish, famous for their good craic, who claimed the crown? The answer is neither – the title of the funniest country in the world was actually awarded to (slapstick drum roll, please) ... Czechia (aka the Czech Republic). Scoring 72.33 out of 100, Czechs apparently excel at self-defeating humour and also, according to the study, rank well for aggressive humour (this includes jokes that come at another person's expense, such as sarcasm or ridicule). Portugal came second with a score of 71.42. The Portuguese are characterised by affiliative humour – that's the kind of funny which is warm and helps people bond – and in a close third place was Ireland, which scored 71.18. These are the world's 20 funniest countries, according to Remitly Czech Republic Portugal Ireland Belgium Chile Greece Australia Poland Denmark Hungary Switzerland Netherlands France Mexico Austria Estonia Canada UK South Africa Norway Did you see that these are officially the best islands in the world to visit in 2025? Plus: The Italian city was crowned Europe's best by thousands of travellers.
The Independent
31-07-2025
- The Independent
Tsunami warnings remain in place for South America after volcano eruption and major earthquake off Russian coast: Live
Tsunami warnings remain in place across parts of South America after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Russian far east in the early hours. Fears of a devastating tsunami in the US and Japan faded over Wednesday after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia's sparsely populated Kamchatka peninsula. But as the region breathed a sigh of relief - with authorities in Hawaii and parts of Japan, Russia and California downgrading their warnings - new evacuation warnings were issued along South America's Pacific coast. Colombia, Chile and Ecuador's Galapagos Islands all saw restrictions and evacuations issued, including beach and school closures. "Remember that the first wave is usually not the strongest," Chilean president Gabriel Boric warned on social media. Several people were injured during the earthquake, but none seriously and no major damage was reported. Hours later, lava was seen coming from the Klyuchevskoy volcano on the peninsula as it began to erupt. On Kamchatka, near the quake's epicentre, residents fled inland as ports flooded, while cars jammed streets in Honolulu. Tsunamis are triggered by underwater earthquakes, which cause the seafloor to rise and drop, pushing huge volumes of sea water into waves. Evacuations ordered in South America Chile, a place highly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, raised its warning to the highest level yesterday for most of its lengthy Pacific coast and began evacuating hundreds of people. "Remember that the first wave is usually not the strongest," Chilean president Gabriel Boric warned on social media. Colombian officials ordered the complete closure and evacuation of beaches and low-tide areas while maritime traffic was being restricted. Ecuador canceled classes at schools in the Galapagos Islands as well as communities along the coast. Coastlines of New Zealand — about 9,600km from the quake's epicenter — were experiencing strong currents and wave surges. There were no evacuations, but people throughout the South Pacific island nation were warned to stay out of the water and away from beaches, shorelines and harbours. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar31 July 2025 04:02 Watch the moment Hawaii beachgoers evacuated amid tsunami warnings on Wednesday Alex Croft31 July 2025 04:00 Russian surgeons keep steady hands during massive Kamchatka quake A team of medics was in the middle of surgery in the Far Eastern Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky when Wednesday's very powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake shook their equipment and the floor beneath them. The medics used their hands to try to steady both the patient and their equipment, CCTV footage released by the Kamchatka region's Health Ministry showed. "Despite the danger, the doctors remained calm and stayed with the patient until the very end," Oleg Melnikov, the minister, wrote on Telegram. He gave no details of the surgery but added that the patient was currently out of danger. Alex Croft31 July 2025 03:00 Is it safe to travel to Japan? Is it safe to travel to Japan? Latest advice after tsunami warning Japan still has some tsunami warnings in place along its coastline Alex Croft31 July 2025 01:30 Damage and tsunami waves in Russia after huge earthquake Alex Croft30 July 2025 23:59 Among the world's strongest recorded quakes The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan in 2011 caused a massive tsunami and meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said initial reports showed Japan's nuclear plants were not affected this time. Wednesday's quake occurred along the "Ring of Fire," a series of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean. It was centred offshore, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka's regional capital. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed. Russia's Oceanology Institute said tsunami waves of less than 6 meters (20 feet) were recorded near populated areas of the peninsula. Alex Croft30 July 2025 23:59 Dozens in Japan find refuge on hilltops and on rooftops A tsunami of 2 feet (60 centimeters) was recorded in Hamanaka town in Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Several areas reported smaller waves, and at least one person was injured. In Iwaki, a city in Fukushima prefecture, which was the epicenter of the 2011 tsunami and quake, dozens of residents gathered at a hilltop park after a community siren sounded and breakwater gates were closed. Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, severely damaged in 2011, took shelter on higher ground while remotely monitoring operations, the operator said. Hours later, Japan downgraded its tsunami alert but left an advisory in place along the Pacific coast. Alex Croft30 July 2025 23:14 Evacuations ordered in South America Chile, a place highly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, raised its warning to the highest level early Wednesday for most of its lengthy Pacific coast and began evacuating hundreds of people. "Remember that the first wave is usually not the strongest," Chilean president Gabriel Boric warned on social media. Colombian officials ordered the complete closure and evacuation of beaches and low-tide areas while maritime traffic was being restricted. Ecuador canceled classes at schools in the Galapagos Islands as well as communities along the coast. Alex Croft30 July 2025 22:27 French Polynesia lifts alert after tsunami waves smaller than feared Local authorities lifted the tsunami alert in the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia on Wednesday and said people could return to their homes, but said residents should remain cautious. The High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia said wave heights had reached 1.50 metres, down from a previous forecast of up to 4 metres. Additional smaller waves were expected in the coming hours, officials said. Daniel Keane30 July 2025 21:03 Tsunami advisory for Hawaii has now ended A tsunami advisory for the stateof Hawaii has now ended, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement. Daniel Keane30 July 2025 20:35
