Reporters based in Europe keep talking about how urgent everything feels there with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and millions of displaced Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country. Ukraine’s closest neighbors will likely take on the brunt of the immediate refugee crisis, although countries like Poland and Romania are not doing it alone – they’re getting an influx of international support from other nations, from the UN and from charities. Other European countries are now trying to figure out some medium-to-long-term solutions for Ukrainian refugees because, clearly, no one wants 2 million-plus displaced Ukrainians living in tents on the Polish border indefinitely. Which means countries like Belgium are now stepping up, and that includes the Belgian royal family.

The Belgian royal family will make three properties available for Ukrainian refugee families, the palace confirmed Thursday. Three Ukrainian families will be hosted by the Royal Trust, an entity managing the Belgian royal family’s assets, at two properties in Brussels and Wallonia. Families will move to those properties in early April.

An additional property in Tervuren, on the outskirts of Brussels, which formerly served as a vaccination center, will also be made available to the municipality for the collective accommodation of Ukrainian refugees. Belgium’s King Philippe visited the Heysel refugee center in Brussels on Wednesday and the Royal Trust formalized the decision on Thursday. The Royal Trust is an autonomous public institution that manages Belgian assets dating to the rule of Leopold II, in the early 1900s.

About 200,000 Ukrainian refugees are expected to arrive in Belgium, and 10,000 have already been registered in the country for temporary protection.

[From Politico]

Personally, I believe that a lot of people – in Europe, in North America, in South America and elsewhere – have the compassion and welcoming spirit to offer their homes to refugees. I envy the fact that people have governments which actually make it easier for those compassionate enough to welcome refugees. It would take years for the American government to cut through the red tape to help hundreds of thousands of refugees to freely seek protection within the US. And here’s Belgium, organizing it in a matter of weeks.

Of course, it’s also notable that the Belgian royal family is getting involved and actually freeing up some of their unused royal-owned properties to house refugees. Gee, I wonder if the British royal family would ever do the same?

Senior officials in the Royal Household are looking into what extra practical measures they can take to provide support to what is expected to be an influx to Britain of people fleeing the war in eastern Europe. Palace officials have begun looking at the question after the Belgian royal family announced plans to open up three of its properties to house Ukrainian refugee families.

Britain’s Royal Family has stopped short of making a similar commitment so far but a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “The Royal Household is looking at a number of ways to offer practical help and support.”

Aides declined to expand on what type of practical help the Firm might be able to provide.

The Queen and her family own dozens of properties at various private estates across the country in addition to official residences such as Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Royal commentator Joe Little said there would be security concerns at some locations but he thought there would be available properties at others that could house refugees.

“You’d think there would be some properties available at Sandringham and Balmoral that are not necessarily needed at this time of year,” he said. Both are privately owned by the Queen but the Royal Household does also rent out properties on the estates of official residences and it is possible some of those might be vacant at the moment. Mr Little suggested that another practical way the Royal Household might be able to help was by allowing staff time off to volunteer and help at reception centres or charities greeting Ukrainian refugees arriving in Britain.

[From The Daily Express]

My guess is that no refugees will ever be welcome on royal or duchy property. But I love that Belgium is making everybody look bad. And it’s particularly rich to argue “oh, maybe there are one or two properties which are not particularly seasonable right now” as if the Queen and the Duchy of Cornwall are not the two biggest landholders in the entire UK. The Duchy of Cornwall owns SO MUCH property, you guys. It’s not even “royal land.” Charles could easily make accommodations for dozens (if not hundreds) of Ukrainian families on Duchy farms, estates and homes. Places like Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral also have all of these smaller homes and cottages as part of the larger estates, many of which are not currently being used. Even the Sandringham main house could house refugees – the Queen probably won’t return to Sandringham until December, for the love of God.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.