A local speech therapy centre got a royal nod of approval yesterday when Belgium's Queen Mathilde took part in training sessions at Benji's Centre in Nam Cheong.
The 40-year-old mother of four studied speech therapy at Institut Libre Marie Haps in Brussels before marrying King Philippe, who was crowned on July 21 this year following the abdication of his father, King Albert.
The 45-minute visit came on the last day of her three-day stay in the city. Benji's Centre also acts as the sole distributor in Hong Kong for a brand of Belgian chocolates, profits from which go to helping the centre.
On arrival, the queen was welcomed by 12 of the centre's children singing songs. She then took part in training sessions for a three-year-old.
"Her Majesty is so nice and professional. She likes children a lot. She talked to everyone and managed to help our therapist train one of our kids," said co-founder Viola Ho Suk-ying.
"It is a very great pleasure to have her here. We run a small centre, but the queen gives us a lot of recognition and encouragement to keep up our work."