Biker king Albert II gives Belgians something to smile about after 10 years

BRUSSELS, July 18 (AFP) - Millions of Belgians are this weekend preparing to mark the 10th annniversary of the coronation of their king, Albert II, who is widely credited with putting a smile back on his people's faces after a troubled period.

"Long live the King!" "To his health and to ours!": the official jubilee slogan and the raft of activities in which Belgians will be taking part on Sunday and Monday illustrate the impression the monarchy has made in such a short period.

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Once considered as one of the dullest monarchies in Europe, Albert has "given the (Belgian) monarchy a different feel, more laid-back and more transparent," the newspaper La Libre Belgique said in a report on the anniversary.

Now 10 million people are expected on the streets for the celebrations in which all the members of the royal family should take part.

It will not be all beer and mussels -- the country's two culinary delicacies.

Albert, a sprightly 69, will don his bikers garb and rev up his favourite machine at the spectacular World's Fair Atomium attraction on Sunday, officially starting a vast bikers rally covering 20 kilometres (12 miles) to the centre of Brussels.

Meanwhile the heir to the throne, Albert's and Queen Paola's son Philippe, will be taking part in a mass bike ride, also in the streets of the capital, while Prince Laurent, Philippe's younger brother, will tie on his rollers for a spin through Brussels with a huge crowd of young and old.

There will be a military parade, a carnival, circus acts, and music and cultural events, as well as a fireworks display.

According to the tone of a deluge of reports, features and interviews that have flooded the Belgian press in the run-up to the event, this more casual approach has helped change Belgians' outlook on life.

Albert took over from his brother Baudouin in 1993, who had remained childless. King Baudouin was respected but shy and never really fired Belgians' imagination.

Albert's reign began as the country faced serious economic problems. Then in 1996 a notorious paedophile case shook Belgium almost to the core.

Belgians were horrified by the savagery of a series of child rapes and murders allegedly committed by Marc Dutroux. Some in Belgium believe Dutroux received protection from senior politicians and judges implicated in a wider paedophile ring.

The ensuing uncertainty gave many outside the country the impression that the fabric of Belgian life was being torn apart.

And separately the tension and rivalry between the two main population groups in the country, the French- and Flemish-speaking areas, did nothing to help.

Many feel Albert has done much to help heal those wounds, and Belgians have rediscovered "the ability to create, to think, and to innovate...and to laugh at themsleves," said La Libre Belgique.

"A patch of blue sky can be seen at the end of the tunnel."

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