Rideau Hall welcomes Belgian royalty with a German flag
A flag mix-up caused Canada a bit of embarrassment today — day one of a state visit by the king and queen of Belgium, the first such visit in over 40 years.
Oeps, foutje. Canadezen signaleren boom die koningin Fabiola in 1977 heeft geplant in Ottawa tijdens eerste Belgisch staatsbezoek met Duits(!) vlagje. Nadat Belgische media hen daar attent op maken, grijpen ze in. #BelCan2018 pic.twitter.com/pSPIqZMzaJ
Both flags feature black, yellow and red bands, but Belgian’s stripes are vertical while Germany’s are horizontal.
“While we were preparing for the tree planting ceremony on the grounds of Rideau Hall, it was brought to our attention that there was a mix up with a small flag,” said Marie-Ève Létourneau, a spokesperson for Rideau Hall.
“We rectified the situation immediately, prior to their majesties’ arrival at the tree planting.”
Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders was unfazed by the flag faux-pas.
“They are the same colours so maybe that’s the reason why, and we have very close relations with Germany so it’s not a real problem,” he told the CBC’s Terry Milewski on Power & Politics.
But Dehandschutter said the Belgians are taking the trip to Canada very seriously. King Philippe and his wife, Queen Mathilde, are being accompanied by seven ministers, 100 business leaders and representatives from Belgium’s universities, he said.