Princess Astrid to head future trade missions

Future Belgian trade missions will be headed by princess Astrid, De Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg report today – a role expected to be confirmed at the next Council of Ministers. According to two Dutch newspapers, prince Philip, who becomes king on Sunday, personally insisted that his sister Astrid take over from him. Official trade missions are normally conducted by the heir to the throne but Elisabeth, 11, is too young. Belgium’s diamond industry, in partucular, has several major economic missions coming up: Angola and South Africa in October, India a month later and Russia in early 2014. Princess Astrid is expected to be at the head of all of them.