Royal breaks silence on abdication rumours in rare interview about his future

King Philippe of Belgium has opened up about whether he will abdicate or not in a rare new interview. The Belgian monarch, 65, appeared in a new video posted by the country's royal palace on social media and answered various questions from members of the public.

One of the questions he received was whether he would carry on working or whether he would step down, so his daughter, 23-year-old Princess Elisabeth, could take on his role. Philippe ascended to the Belgian throne in 2013, aged 53, when his own father, King Albert II, abdicated due to health reasons.

But dismissed any chances of stepping down from the Belgian throne, saying that he wants to give Elisabeth "time to enjoy her youth".

He said, according to a translation by Hola magazine: "A King steps back, but is not retired.

"I will continue to work for Belgium and I must give my daughter time to enjoy her youth, develop herself and see the world.

"I support her 100% in that and I will do everything I can to give her all the time she needs to do."

The royal answered a total of 38 questions asked by Belgians in a 40-minute video, ranging from his morning routine, his favourite books, his hobbies and more.

According to Belga, the country's national news agency, the questions were drawn out of a pool of 2,614 videos sent by the public, after he invited them to do so on his 65th birthday back in April, in what was thought to be an initiative to enable him to "establish direct contact with the Belgian people and engage with them in an accessible way".

The royal palace said it had received questions from all ages asking about the King's personal life, royal duties and social challenges.

Elsewhere in the video, the Belgian king revealed his morning routine, which includes 15 minutes of meditation and music by his favourite rock band - Dire Straits.