German fans of the royal could be happy: the Belgian royal couple spent two days in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Around 100 onlookers waited up to two hours in front of the Mainz State Chancellery on Wednesday to catch a glimpse of King Philippe and his wife Mathilde.
"We are very proud that you are here," said Prime Minister Malu Dreyer.
The SPD politician accompanied the couple on their tour, which focused on business visits.
On Wednesday, the royal couple began their journey through the state bordering Belgium with a visit to the pharmaceutical company Biontech in Mainz.
Together with Dreyer, Philippe and Mathilde visited a laboratory for the development and production of individualized mRNA-based immune therapies against cancer.
They met the Biontech founders Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci at dinner on Tuesday.
During the subsequent tour of the Gutenberg Museum, the king had to lend a hand himself.
After the demonstration of the historic printing press, he tried a print himself.
The end product after some teething troubles: a copy of the first page of the Gospel of John in Latin.
In a speech in the State Chancellery, the 62-year-old Philippe then showed solidarity with those affected by the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley:
With their visit, the royal couple are setting an example for living European neighborhood, said Dreyer.
"In the current difficult situation of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and the energy crisis, this is more important than before." On Thursday, the royal couple continued their tour in the Middle Rhine Valley - after all, the river is the best connection between Belgium and Germany, said Dreyer.
At the end of their trip, they took the cable car from the Deutsches Eck to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in Koblenz.
Philippe and Mathilde last visited Germany in 2019.