Pope Francis (C) exchanges gifts with King Philippe - Filip of Belgium (L) and Queen Mathilde of Belgium (on crutches) during a private audience on March 9, 2015 at the Vatican. - AFP
VATICAN CITY, March 9, 2015 (AFP) - Belgium’s King Philippe and his wife Mathilde met Pope Francis on Monday, with the queen hopping into the Vatican on crutches and in a knee brace after a recent fall.
The royal couple, both devout Catholics, had a 20-minute private audience with the pontiff. None of their four children were with them.
Mathilde, sporting an all-white outfit topped off by a lace veil, arrived for the meeting in a wheelchair but switched to crutches before being greeted by the pope.
Royal officials have not divulged how the queen injured her left leg but she is thought to have had a fall during a recent ski holiday.
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