Belgium's seventh monarch takes oath after father's abdication and faces task of uniting country riven by political division
King Philippe I has become Belgium's seventh monarch after the abdication of his father, Albert II, amid uncertainty about the power of the monarchy to heal the fractured country.
Philippe, 53, took his oath in Belgium's three official languages – Dutch, French and German – two-and-a-half weeks after King Albert, 79, announced he would abdicate after 20 years on the throne.
Albert could be seen mouthing "vive le roi" (long live the king) at the swearing-in ceremony in parliament.
Before signing a legislative act in the royal palace to step down, Albert thanked his wife, who wiped away tears, and said his son had all the qualities to serve the country well.
"My final recommendation to all those gathered here is to work without rest in keeping Belgium together," he said.
Philippe returned to the subject in his address to parliament, saying Belgium's richness lay in its diversity.
Philippe is the seventh king of the 183-year-old country, which is split across the middle. Many Dutch speakers seek greater autonomy for Flanders, in the north, and are wary of a monarchy seen to be rooted in the once-powerful but now poorer French-speaking Wallonia, in the south.
Outside the palace, the scorching heat caused some in the crowd to faint. Many shouted "Vive le roi!" and waved flags when Philippe and his wife Mathilde arrived on the balcony.
"The new king is a bit of history. That doesn't happen very often so we wanted to be here," said flag-waving Xavier de Graef from French-speaking Liege, wearing a Belgian football shirt and wig in the red, yellow and black of the Belgian tricolour.
There were a few dissenting voices, including the N-VA party, which favours a republic in Dutch-speaking Flanders.
"It leaves me cold," said Jan Jambon, the party's parliamentary chief. "It doesn't make the hairs on my arm stand up. This is part of my job as a lawmaker. Otherwise it just passes me by."
The party has been particularly vocal in recent weeks about the need to reform the monarchy but said it would not disturb Sunday's pageantry.
Fewer than half of people in Flanders believe Philippe will be a good king, compared with two-thirds in Wallonia, according to an opinion poll.
Belgian kings do plenty of handshaking and ribbon-cutting, but also appoint mediators and potential government heads to steer coalition talks after elections – no small task in Belgium.
Neighbouring Netherlands stripped its monarchs of involvement in politics last year. Queen Beatrix also stepped aside to allow her popular son Willem-Alexander to become king amid wild celebrations.
Philippe's investiture was tagged on to festivities already planned for 21 July, which is Belgium's national day and also marked 20 years of Albert's reign.