Belgium's royal family will host Ukrainian families in their royal estates

The Belgian royals are opening their own homes to Ukrainian families fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion.

Three royal properties are being repurposed to house refugee families, the Belgian royal palace confirmed Thursday.

The move comes after an emotional visit by King Philippe, the second in a week, where he met with the wave of Ukrainian refugees that arrived in Belgium.

Current estimates anticipate that more than 200,000 Ukrainians will seek refuge in Belgium. According to recent estimates, approximately 10,000 Ukrainians, mainly women and children, have already arrived in Belgium and formally registered for assistance.

According to the Royal Trust, the charity created in 1900 to manage the royal family's assets, properties in Brussels, and another in the Walloon region will be repurposed. The accommodations will be ready to house refugees in early April.

A third royal property in Tervuren, in the outskirts of Brussels, will also be used to accommodate Ukrainian refugees. Previously, the property was previously used as a vaccination center, 

"These are accommodations whose original purpose was to make them available to social agencies to accommodate low-income people," said Jan Smets, president of Royal Trust. "That mission corresponds well with what we want to accomplish with the Royal Trust."

Smets added that families "can stay here as long as they need to," Smets added.

The king visited a newly opened refugee center in the capital on Wednesday. A week earlier, the King and Queen Mathilde met at an emergency shelter in the Brussels district of Heysel. The shelter is run by a government agency that houses 100 newly arrived families for two nights and helps them register before moving them to more permanent housing.

The British royal family has also shown their support for Ukraine in recent weeks. Prince William and Kate Middleton visited the Ukrainian Cultural Center in London to learn about the efforts being made to support Ukrainians in the UK and across Europe. Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, had an emotional meeting with Ukrainians in London.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the British royal family for expressing support for the country on March 1.