World leaders, royalty gather in Belgium to mark WWI anniversary

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde this morning welcomed a gathering of world leaders and royal figures in Liège to mark the anniversary of the start of the First World War. Today is the 100th anniversary of the invasion of Belgium by German forces, and the start of the First World War, triggered by the Germans’ breach of the Treaty of London of 1839, which committed Britain to protecting Belgium.

The ceremony is taking place at the Allied Memorial, a monument raised in 1928 because of the city’s role in offering the most serious resistance the invader had faced. The construction was financed by public and private funds from Allied countries and was designed by the Antwerp architect Joseph Smolderen. Each Allied country (France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom) has its own national monument in the crypt of the tower.

The ceremony is being attended by representatives of the federal and regional governments. Also attending are the presidents of Germany, France, Ireland and Austria, and EU Commission president José Manuel Barroso. A delegation will attend representing US president Barack Obama.

Britain’s Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton have travelled to Belgium for the event, as have King Felipe VI of Spain. Members of the public will not be admitted, but the event will be broadcast on giant TV screens on Place Saint-Lambert in the centre of the city, as well as on national TV.

The ceremony is the first of three commemorations planned at the federal level; the others are in Ypres and Nieuwpoort on October 28 to mark the First Battle of Ypres, and in Brussels on November 11, 2018, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice.

Following the ceremony in Liège, German president Joachim Gauck will travel to Leuven and visit the university library, which was burned down by invading German forces in 1914.