Saturday June 11, 2022 around 6 p.m., the team of the restaurant Group Number One (alias Bush Camp) is preparing to welcome King Philippe Léopold Louis Marie of Belgium and Queen Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz. The royal couple has been on an official visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo for 3 days and ends their visit to Lubumbashi with a stop at the Bush Camp restaurant.
Guests start arriving at 6:30 p.m. The royal couple makes their appearance at 7 p.m. sharp. At the entrance, they are welcomed by Madame Hilde Van Inthoudt, Consul General of Belgium in Lubumbashi. Then, it is the turn of Frank and Zena Demaeght, owners of the place, to welcome the sovereigns.
In the meantime, all the guests of the Belgian and Congolese delegations are seated at tables which all bear the name of a town or village in Katanga.
The king and queen then join their respective tables set up for them. At the King’s table were the following personalities: Mrs. Hilde Van Inthoudt, Consul General of Belgium in Lubumbashi, Mrs. Laurianne Kalombo Mwewa, Mayor a.i. of the city of Lubumbashi, Mrs. Dominique Gilson, Head of Establishment of the Private School Belgian from Lubumbashi, Professor Kishiba Fitula, Rector of the University of Lubumbashi, Mr Jacques Kyabula Katwe, Governor of the province of Haut-Katanga
and Mr. Gaétan Van Belle, General Manager of Brasimba. At the Queen’s table: Mr. Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge, Prime Minister of the DRC, Mr. Patrick Muland Kabey, President of FEC Lubumbashi and Mr. Spyros Giourgas, Chief Executive Officer at Congo Energy.
The Consul General of Belgium in Lubumbashi makes a brief speech before the welcome glass of champagne is served to the guests. At 7:30 p.m. (accurate) King Philippe goes to the buffet, followed by the table of the queen and the guests. The king’s choice is sombé vegetables, Moambe chicken, a piece of captain’s fish and the homemade Tiramisu dessert. The queen chooses vegetables, peanuts, cassava and a small chocolate puff as dessert.
The delegations and the invited journalists were delighted by our chef Mushiri who prepared them grilled rare T-Bone and tenderloin cooked to order.
After signing the restaurant’s guest book, the sovereigns thanked their hosts Frank and Zena Demaeght as well as the restaurant manager, Mrs. Christelle Demaeght. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde leave the Bush Camp at 9 p.m. sharp.
Christelle Demaeght thanks her team in the kitchen and in the dining room for the service carried out to perfection while respecting the strict protocol deadlines.
