Belgium’s Queen Mathilde wears mask on visit to the supermarket - and leaves with wine

Belgium has been on lockdown since March 18 due to the  COVID-19 pandemic , which has hit the small country hard. On May 6  Queen Mathilde  headed out to Carrefour supermarket and distribution centers in Gerpinnes, a south-westerly town in the European country, to thank staff for all their hard work. Sporting a protective face mask and an elegant red pant suit, the monarch expressed her sympathy and gratitude to all the workers she met.

She initially met with an employee who had lost her own father to the pandemic, Mathilde sat with the worker for several minutes, checking on on how she was holding up after her tragic loss. She then toured the facilities, taking an interest in the measures to ensure the safety not only of the customers but also of the staff themselves. One of the cashiers told the Queen: “Today, I feel protected and I don’t feel too bad about the situation.”

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Not one to miss out on a shopping opportunity, the monarch left her visit with bags of packages including strawberries, wine, local products and yeast. She’ll no doubt be getting her four children to help her out in the kitchen as they home school. The baby of the family, Princess Eléonore, turned 12 back in April and the Palace released an adorable photo of the pretty girl with the family’s dog held in her arms.