Ottoman Diplomats

Synopsis

Etienne Carathéodory Effendi reports about the celebration of the name day of King Leopold II, on November 15th. The King was always absent at a religious service in his honour. The Te Deum was attended by Queen Marie-Henriette, Prince Philippe of Belgium (Count of Flanders and brother of Leopold II), Prince Baudouin of Belgium (nephew of Leopold II), the complete diplomatic corps, the government, many MPs, and civil and military authorities (like members of the bar). The traditional dinner, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by the mission heads and other dignitaries. (The enclosed list of people present, published in the Belgian Official Journal – the Moniteur Belge – is not photographed.) The papal nuncio proposed a toast to King Leopold II, to which prince Joseph de Caraman replied by proposing a toast to the leaders of Belgium’s befriended and allied countries. After the dinner, a splendid reception was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his report, Carathéodory notes that he conveyed the wishes and felicitations of the Sultan and the Ottoman government. Prince de Caraman thanked him and promised him to convey this message as soon as possible to the King, who would be – like the Belgian government – thankful for this mark of attention.

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