Queen Mathilde talks suicide prevention

Queen Mathilde of the Belgians visited the Suicide Prevention Centre to speak to those who help people with suicidal thoughts.

The Queen travelled to Ixelles on 3 November to discuss suicide prevention with experts, management, and telephone operators.

Her Majesty met with the board of directors and the management team before listening to a telephone operator speak to someone in need.

Queen Mathilde heard from the operators about their daily challenges of helping those in crisis and their loved ones.

The Belgian Royal Palace stressed ahead of the event, “Belgium still has high suicide rates, including among young people. Making suicidal thoughts a topic of conversation remains an important step in suicide prevention.”

While she was visiting the Suicide Prevention Centre, King Philippe was in Doha, Qatar, to meet the Emir ahead of the Second United Nations World Summit for Social Development.