Need to know
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King Philippe and Queen Mathilde are trapped in Chile
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The Belgian king and queen will fly home on Thursday, June 26, but the “tire incident” involving their flights has delayed plans
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65-year-old King Philip and Queen Mathilde
King Philip and Queen Mathilde, who officially traveled to Chile, extends longer than expected.
As of June 27, Belgian royals were reportedly staying in Chile after their flight home issues. King Philip, 65, and Queen Mathilde, 52, will visit South American countries on Thursday, June 26.
HLN It is reported that the king and queen should take off from Antofagasta Airport at 5 pm local time, but the plane never got off the runway.
Belgian newspapers said the royal family was the last person to board the plane before being on the runway, but the Airbus rang when the crew gave safety instructions. Tires were reportedly damaged when the trailer moved the plane to its takeoff position.
Dirk Waem/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty
Queen Mathilde and King Philippe after a state visit to the Republic of Chile on June 26, 2025.
Belga New Agency said the king, queen and minister joined them to revoke the plane after the “tire incident” and that departure is expected to be delayed for several hours. Other members of the delegation were initially asked to board Debark.
After the tire replacement, the flight requires official approval and is moved to the hotel while waiting.
The socket identified the aircraft as the Airbus A340-300 operated by Portuguese airline Hi Fly. Belga News Agency added that the earliest departure time was 12:00 pm local time on June 27 – but the ic continued,
Dirk Waem/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty
In the official state of Belgium, the official visit to the Republic of Chile, engineers worked on the plane.
About that hour, Queen journalist Wim Dehandschutter wrote on X that the king and queen “cannot fly back today” and 16 hours later, the repaired tires have not been officially approved. The update comes with a video of King Philip speaking to the delegation.
Transit trouble is the second problem the Belgian king and queen encountered during their trip to Chile.
The state-owned visit was originally expected to begin on Monday, June 23, but the schedule was shortened by one day due to the difficulty of flying outward, which is also the Airbus A340-300.
The Royals were scheduled to fly out of the military airport in Melsbrook on Sunday, June 22 at 9 a.m. local time, but the plane’s “technical issues” delayed their departure.
Philip Reynaers/Photonews by Getty
Queen Matilde, King Philip and President Gabriel Boric at a welcome ceremony in Santiago, Chile on June 24, 2025.
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King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were later able to fly out of Belgium at 9 a.m. for the whole day.
They attended a welcome ceremony in the San Diego capital on Tuesday, June 24, with President Gabriel Boric, and conducted a program for diplomatic, economic, scientific, scientific and social cessation and activities while abroad.
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