Royal Insight Forum

QuoteStrong Dutch presence at next week's Davos meeting

There will be a strong Dutch presence at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017 which opens next Tuesday in Davos, Switzerland. More than 3,000 government leaders, business chiefs and scientists from around the world will settle in the mountaintop town for the meeting which is noted for its secrecy. The theme this year is responsive and responsible leadership. Prime minister Mark Rutte will head the Dutch government delegation, the Telegraaf reported on Friday. Rutte will be accompanied by finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, foreign trade and development aid minister Lilianne Ploumen, defence minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and health minister Edith Schippers.

QuotePrince Constantijn did Monday night in the talk show of Eva Jinek at the right moments to keep his mouth when there were asked his politics adjacent statements. So wanted to just from America returned prince say to find good humor of the satirical program Saturday Night Live, but statements and the qualities of forthcoming presidential Donald Trump said nothing.

Constantine was invited to talk about the previous week concluded a trade mission with Minister Henk Kamp (Economic Affairs) which was aimed in Las Vegas and Silicon Valley to focus attention on Dutch start-ups.

He could take a ride in a self-driving car and had given as a suggestion to adjust the steering mechanism on the nationality and their driving style of the occupant. So a more expressive style of driving for an Italian, complete with lots of hooting and so portrayed the prince, a window rolled down and a certain hand gesture to show displeasure. The designer who him had shown quietly rolling copy according to US standards, would think about it, so Constantine said laughing.

Quote07-02-2017 Germany Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander visiting the castle of Wartburg in Thuringen on the 1st day of the 4 day visit to Germany.

Quote07-02-2017 Maastricht German President Joachim Gauck, with Princess Beatrix and Daniela Schadt, during the dies of the eredoctoraat ( honorary doctorate) to German president Joachim Gauck at the theater aan het Vrijthof in Maastricht.
The university of Maastricht has given the honorary doctorate to the president for his distinctive role in contemporary German history.

Quote06-02-2017 The Hague Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander during an audience with German President Joachim Gauck and his partner Daniela Schadt at palace Noordeinde in The Hague.

Quote03-02-2017 Vlissingen King Willem-Alexander during the opening of the renovated Martiem and Logistics College De Ruyter and Multraship Toage & Salvage in Vlissingen.

Quote14-02-2017 Amsterdam Queen Maxima during her visit to the Emma at Work foundation in the Emma Childen's hospital/AMC in Amsterdam.
The foundation supports young people woth a chronic illness or physical disability to work to be independent.

QuoteQueen Maxima visits Emma Childrens Hospital

QuoteKing Willem-Alexander opens exhibition Mondriaan and Van der Leck

Quote10-02-2017 Germany Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander visiting Schloss Oranienbaum on the last day of the 4 day visit to Germany.

Quote11-02-2017 The Hague King Willem-Alexander during the opening of the exhibition ''Piet Mondriaan and Bart van der Leck – The invention of new art'' at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague.
The exhibition shows the work of the 2 major artists of De Stijl, part of the national '''Mondriaan to Dutch Design, 100 years of De Stijl exhibtion.

QuoteKing Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima visit Germany day 3King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima visit Germany day 3

Quote27-02-2017 Lech Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander and Princess Amalia and Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane pose during a photocall during their ski holidays, in Lech am Arlberg, Austria.

Quote22-02-2017 Tussenverziening Queen Maxima during her visit to the foundation Tussenvoorziening and Poverty coalition in Utrecht.
The foundation provides care, living and financial support to people who are, for various reasons, in a vulnerable situation.

Quote22-02-2017 Utrecht Queen Maxima during the visit at the Buzinezz Forum at the Social Impact Factory in Utrecht.
The forum is a platform for local authorities, civil society organizations and social entrepreneurs to provide young people job prospects.

Quote21-02-2017 Streekbezoek Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander, with a painting of his daughters Amalia, Alexia and Ariane, during the visit to the Krimpenerwaard.
Visiting Krimpen aan den IJssel and Gouderak ( De Appelgaard) and Berkenwoude ( De Zwaan) and Bergambacht (Otolift Trapliften/Stairlifts)

QuoteHandbag of Queen Maxima of The Netherlands who opens the exhibition Royal Paradise - Aert Schulman and the imagination of nature in the Dordrechts Museum on February 18, 2017 in Dordrecht, Netherlands.

Quote18-02-2017 Dordrecht Queen Maxima during the opening of the exhibition '' A royal paradise – Aert Schouman and the imagination of nature'' at the Dordrechts museum.

Quote11-03-2017 IJsselstein Princess Beatrix voluntering for NLDoet at the Foundation Playground Monastery, Speeltuin kloosterplantsoen (SSK) in IJselstein.
NL Doet is a National Volunteer day organized by the Oranje Fonds.

Quote10-03-2017 Leiden Princess Margriet and Pieter van Vollenhoven during the opening of the exhibition ''Canadian Inuit art'' at the Museum of Volkenkunde (Ethnology) in Leiden.
The exhibition, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of canada, includes pieces from the private collection of the Princess and collector Hans van Berkel.
The Princess was born in Canada.

Quote10-03-2017 Breda King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima voluntering for NLDoet at the Buurttuin Breda.
NL Doet is a National Volunteer day organized by the Oranje Fonds.

QuoteThe Royal family consists of the members of the Royal House, plus: Princess Mabel, the three children of Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, Prince Maurits, Princess Maril?ne, Prince Bernhard, Princess Annette, Prince Pieter-Christiaan, Princess Anita, Prince Floris, Princess Aim?e and their children, and Princess Irene and Princess Christina (1947-2019), their children, daughters- and sons-in-law, and grandchildren.

QuotePrincess Catharina-Amalia, the heir to the Dutch throne, turns 17 years old today. Unlike last year, the Dutch Royal Family did not release a new photo of the Princess.

The Princess of Orange ? as she is known officially as the heir to the throne ? was born on 7 December 2003. When Willem-Alexander succeeded his mother on 30 April 2013, his eldest child automatically became Princess of Orange as the title no longer differentiated between a male or female heir. Catharina-Amalia is the first woman to hold the title in her own right, despite the Netherlands having had three Queens regnant before her.

She was baptised on 12 June 2004 with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Baroness Rengers-Deane, Prince Constantijn, Martin Zorreguieta, Herman Tjeenk Willink and Marc ter Haar as godparents. Her full name is Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria. Catharina-Amalia and her sisters attend mayor functions, such as King?s Day and the press moments.

QuoteThe public?s trust in King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has plummeted from 76% in April of this year to just 47% in December, according to research bureau Ipsos.

There were several moments during 2020 when the King was heavily criticised. During his holiday to Greece in August, the King and Queen were pictured with the owner of a restaurant without taking social distancing into account. Shortly before this, King Willem-Alexander had purchased a new speedboat, costing two million euros. By doing this in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was accused of not showing solidarity with the Dutch people.

Another incident occurred in October when the Royal Family travelled to Greece on the government jet ? shortly after the government had called on the Dutch people to stop travelling abroad. The situation got so out of hand that the King decided to return home. However, it soon became clear that two of their daughters had remained behind, leading to even more criticism. A few days later, King Willem-Alexander and Queen M?xima recorded a video in which they apologised for the breach of trust.

Around 75% of the interviewees called it ?unwise? that the family went on holiday in October, even though it had not been forbidden by the government as Greece was only code yellow at the time. Around 70% said that the image of the Royal Family had been damaged by their actions.

Quote! How did you like driving on the left in Britain, or did you leave it to your husband?

QuoteYou're probably right, Amalia's allowance plus an expensive yacht would get many citizens offside. W-A is going to have to budget himself for a year or two. It's a historical anomaly isn't it that the Belg RF are traditionally less popular in the Flemish parts of Belgium, so Phillipe should be proud of himself. Even so, didn't he and Mathilde get into trouble for going to a French spa for a few days when there was a national crisis a few years ago?

QuoteA shirt and tie or a smart blouse on top, but trackies or shorts on your bottom half? we've all been there when working from home!

So who could blame Queen M?xima of the Netherlands when she opted to take a work video call barefoot on Thursday? The royal was spotted ditching her heels as she paid a virtual visit to Senegal in her role as a UN special advocate.

QuoteKing Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands have sent a message of support to first responders after riots broke out in several cities in the Netherlands.

?Our thanks go out to all those police officers, first responders and municipal employees who are there for our safety. You do fantastic work under the most difficult of circumstances! We feel for all the shop owners and others who were affected by the violence. And we are impressed by the heartwarming response of those people who came to help. We will get through this together.?

The riots began as a protest against the newly implemented nighttime curfew (from 9 PM until 4.30 AM) to curb the spread of the coronavirus. However, these quickly spiralled into violent riots in several cities over several nights. In Eindhoven, rioters targetted the central station. Windows were smashed, several shops were looted and a car belonging to the national railway services was tipped over and set on fire.

The following day, several inhabitants of Eindhoven showed up with their own brooms to help clean up the mess and crowdfunding for a woman who saw her shop completely destroyed has so far raised over ?100.000. After three nights, the most intense riots seem to be contained, but unrest remains in several cities.

QuoteQueen M?xima paid a virtual visit to the Elance Academy on International Women?s Day to learn more about the projects from the Dutch coaching academy.

At Elance, an organisation first supported by King Willem-Alexander?s and Queen M?xima?s Oranje Fonds Growth Program, girls and young women are mentored and trained to ?become strong, ambitious women and role models for the next generation.?

During her visit, Queen M?xima spoke with the staff, coaches and young women who use the mentoring tools to become more independent and confident women.

QuoteQueen M?xima of the Netherlands spoke to researchers, psychiatrists, general practitioners and the organisation MIND on Tuesday regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted mental health.

Quote from: PrincessOfPeace on April 15, 2021, 12:25:15 PM
Queen Maxima paid a working visit to the International Theatre Amsterdam today. 

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands visits the International Theater Amsterdam  | Daily Mail Online (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9474929/Queen-Maxima-Netherlands-visits-International-Theater-Amsterdam.html)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EzA1aUvWYAEoZKg?format=jpg&name=large

Quote from: Macrobug67 on April 27, 2021, 12:49:02 PM
They have posted a virtual Kingsday agenda for ideas on how to celebrate at home. 
In Dutch but I ran it threw a translater - fun stuff.

And the girls are looking so grown up.  The youngest may be the tallest of them all in the end.  Wat doen op Koningsdag 2021? Hier je programma - ZoKiesJe.nl (https://www.zokiesje.nl/nieuws/?item=45&nieuws=Wat_doen_op_Koningsdag_2021)

https://twitter.com/koninklijkhuis/status/1386942496924708865/photo/1

QuoteKing Willem-Alexander, Queen M?xima and their daughters, the Princess of Orange, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane, have left Paleis Huis ten Bosch to travel to Eindhoven to celebrate a scaled-down King?s Day. A photo was released in which the royals posed in front of the Palace.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the celebrations have been scaled down for the second year in a row. In 2019, Royal Central was able to report directly from the celebrations in Amersfoort. The King and his family will travel to the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, where they will take part in a special TV show, which will also be live-streamed, with the theme of ?getting to know each other.?

The public has been asked to stay at home and to keep all celebrations local. The lines in front of bakeries stretched around the block in some cases as people lined up to buy orange tompouce pastries.

Prime Minister Rutte congratulated King Willem-Alexander on his 54th birthday on Twitter. ?I wish him a beautiful and festive day with his family in Eindhoven. And I wish everyone in the Netherlands a subdued, safe but above all a happy #KingsDay!?

QuoteKing Willem-Alexander may celebrate his 54th birthday today, but his approval rating is still recovering from his ill-timed holiday to Greece.

A survey held by Ipsos late last year showed a steep decline from 76% in April 2020 to just 47%. This figure has now risen slightly to 57%. This is still significantly lower than in previous years. Queen M?xima?s approval rating also suffered as a result of the holiday to Greece, and she has an approval rating of just 68%. Around 75% of those questioned also felt that the allowance for his eldest daughter Princess Amalia, which she will receive upon her 18th birthday in December, is much too high at 1,6 million euro.

The overall support for the monarchy is still greater than any support for a republic, but that too fell from 75% to 58%. Around 25% said that the Netherlands should become a republic, most of which were young people. The Dutch people are also critical of the role of the King and Queen during the pandemic. Almost 50% believed they were visible enough last year, but this has now gone down to 26%. Just 23% felt they were being supported by the King and Queen, and 40% believed that the King and Queen have no idea what is going in the society right now.

Quote from: Macrobug67 on April 27, 2021, 03:50:01 PM
Why on earth would an 18 year old, still at home, need 1.8 mill euros???   If she was setting up her own household and foundation, paying for staff etc, I could see it, sort of.  But if this is personal allowance, jeez.

Quote from: Macrobug67 on May 11, 2021, 11:37:34 AM
Is that her daughter playing the clarinet?

(http://www.ppe-agency.com/500px/May2021/PPE21051117.jpg)

Quote from: Curryong on May 14, 2021, 09:33:21 AM
My goodness, look at this from an IG today. The three ?A?s have certainly grown up! A tall family. Princess Beatrix looks weeny beside them all!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E1NABxwXEAMA7-e?format=jpg&name=large

QuoteThe Dutch king has revealed that for more than two decades he has, alongside his royal duties, held down a part-time second job.

In a newspaper interview published on Wednesday, King Willem-Alexander said that he recently ended his role as a regular ?guest pilot? after 21 years on KLM?s fleet of Fokker 70 planes and before that on Dutch carrier Martinair.

As a guest flier, the king worked about twice a month, always as co-pilot. He will now retrain to fly Boeing 737s as the Fokkers are being phased out of service. The 50-year-old father of three and monarch to 17 million Dutch citizens calls flying a ?hobby? that lets him leave his royal duties on the ground and fully focus on something else.

QuoteAnd even when he makes announcements to passengers, Willem-Alexander says that as a co-pilot he doesn?t have to give his name. So while some people recognise his voice, it does not happen often. ?Most people don?t listen anyway,? he added.

Quote from: Curryong on July 06, 2021, 02:55:10 PM
I am glad too. No meaningless chit chat, just solid points discussed between two intelligent and interesting women.

I don?t think I?ve ever seen Angela in a hat. Has she ever worn one on any public occasion? On the other hand Maxi is made for hats, the bigger and more flamboyant the better! 

Quote from: Curryong on July 06, 2021, 09:19:36 PM
It would indeed have meant a lot of ingenuity on Maxi?s part. Perhaps she would have borrowed from Brussels jewellers. I do love the aquamarines and gown though!

I?ve never really understood why the Belgians have so few pieces. I always understood that Fabiola had several magnificent parures. Where are they?  Astrid was given many gifts of jewellery when she married. Did Leopold?s second wife, alias the Wicked Witch of the West, snaffle most of them and then sell them?

QuoteYesterday, October 14, Prince Constantijn as Special Envoy for Techleap.nl participated in the CES Unveiled event in Amsterdam:

QuoteAt the invitation of King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, King Willem-Alexander and Queen M?xima of the Netherlands will pay a state visit to Norway in early November. The visit marks the close relationship between Norway and the Netherlands and the two royal houses. More details on the upcoming visit have now been published.

The visit will begin with an official welcome ceremony at the royal palace in Oslo on Tuesday 9 November, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at Akershus Fortress. Then King Willem-Alexander and Queen M?xima will visit the Norwegian parliament, the Storting. On Tuesday afternoon, the royal couple will visit the Fram Museum. There they will meet young people and students from Norway and the Netherlands for a conversation about development and future prospects in the Arctic region. Tuesday ends with a gala dinner at the Royal Palace.

On Wednesday 10 November, King Willem-Alexander and Queen M?xima will participate in an event about youth, freedom of expression and hate speech in the Deichman library in downtown Oslo. The royal couple will then meet the new Norwegian prime minister, followed by lunch with the government at Akershus Castle. In the afternoon, there will be talks about Norwegian-Dutch defence cooperation on board the Dutch naval vessel ?HMS Rotterdam?, which will be at the quay in Oslo during the visit. On Wednesday night, the Dutch King and Queen welcome their hosts to a concert at the Munch museum in Oslo as a thank you for their stay.

QuoteKing Willem-Alexander has travelled to Rotterdam in the wake of riots in the city.

The King of the Netherlands went to Rotterdam City Hall on November 22nd 2021, just hours after protests in the area against new coronavirus restrictions turned violent again. Other Dutch municipalities have also been affected by demonstrations and outbreaks of rioting against the new measures.

King Willem-Alexander spoke to the fire brigade, police, ambulance and others affected after the riots. Among other things, the king got to talk to civilians who were injured and shop owners who had their premises attacked and looted.

The Mayor of Rotterdam Ahmed Aboutaleb said that he thought it was incredibly thoughtful that the king had spontaneously come to Rotterdam not only in good times, such as the opening of a museum depot, but also in bad times. ?Those caught during the riots had a terrible time. I have never experienced it this bad. They had to fight for their lives,? said the mayor.

In his conversations with those affected, the king gave a clear message that such behaviour cannot be accepted in the Dutch society.

The King expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the emergency services who were involved and wanted to express his compassion. His Majesty said: ?On behalf of ninety percent of the Dutch population who think that this is not a good way to act I want to expressed my thanks to the police and emergency services?.

QuoteOlena and I are sincerely grateful to Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen M?xima @koninklijkhuis
for their warm words of support to the people of Ukraine. We resist the invasive aggression. Today, more than ever, it is important for us to feel that we are not alone.

Quote from: TLLK on March 11, 2022, 04:01:57 PM
It's NL Doet Day(s) which is a day in which everyone in the country is asked to do volunteer work and typically there are several members of the DRF who participate. Today it's Princess Beatrix helping at a school garden. I'd expect that more family members will be seen on Saturday.

Prinses Beatrix geniet van krakeling, geiten en een pony @nldoet @oranjefonds - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usvGEsb9xTw)
Video (In Dutch).

QuoteDuring the spring cleaning at Zorgboerderij Op Aarde in Brielle, King Willem-Alexander, Queen M?xima and volunteers help during NLdoet with pruning the pear trees, cleaning the garden furniture, mucking out the animal houses and cleaning the interior spaces of the care farm.

QuoteKing Willem-Alexander and Queen M?xima hosted a dinner for government members at Huis ten Bosch Palace.

On the evening of Tuesday, 29 March, Their Majesties offered dinner to the members of the new Rutte government, who were installed on 10 January.

The dinner marked the conclusion of the rounds of welcome audiences that King Willem-Alexander held with all 20 ministers plus the nine secretaries of state over the course of the past two months.

The King and Queen welcomed the members of the cabinet and their partners in the Orange Hall of the Palace for a meal, during which His Majesty gave a speech, illustrating the stance of the country on the challenges it is facing.

Speaking about the last month, the King highlighted the role the Netherlands played in history for other peace conferences, most notably in 1899 for the First Hague Peace Conference, where Queen Wilhelmina acted as a host for Tsar Nicholas II?s Russia and other 26 countries.

On the centenary of the conference, in 1999, the then-Prince of Orange travelled to St Petersburg to take part in ?The Future of War,? a meeting designed to celebrate the values of Europe for peace, stability and prosperity.

QuoteTuesday, 5 April, marked the official beginning of the Indian State Visit to the Netherlands, during which President Ram Nath Kovind and First Lady Savita Kovind visited the northern European country upon the invitation of King Willem-Alexander.

Like every state visit, the trip began with the official welcome ceremony, where the President and the King inspected the Honour Guard in Dam Square in Amsterdam.

Following the guard inspection, the two heads of state and their wives made their way inside the Royal Palace, where the two delegations took part in a reception.
His Majesty then continued by highlighting the importance of international relationships, especially during moments of crisis, and retraced the history of the relations between India and the Netherlands.

The visit will be carried out through Wednesday, 6 April and is carried out in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Indian-Dutch diplomatic relationships.

The President and First Lady?s trip began on Monday with a christening ceremony for a new tulip, the Maitri, in the presence of the Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The name means ?friendship? in Hindi, and the specimen comes from the flower bulb company Jan de Wit & Zonen. The Netherlands are famous worldwide for its tulips, and annual festivals are abundant all around the country.

This visit comes as India is facing a lot of international scrutiny because of its position towards Russia in the Ukrainian conflict, as well as the political crisis currently unfolding in neighbouring Pakistan.

QuoteNLD: King Willem-Alexander Of The Netherlands And Queen Maxima Visit Dune And Bulb Region

QuoteQueen M?xima has landed in Ivory Coast?s capital Abidjan as part of a four-day visit that will also take her to Senegal as UN Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.

Her Majesty landed aboard an Air France flight at around 9 pm local time on Sunday, 12 June. Upon arrival, she was welcomed by Ivory Coast?s Prime Minister Patrick Achi, and the two of them were heard speaking French.

The Prime Minister then expressed his happiness at the Queen?s arrival, a sign of the importance such a visit has, not only for the profile of the guest but especially because of the topics it will cover.

The Royal House of the Netherlands has stated: ?The main themes of both visits are financial health and the further development of affordable and secure digital financial services?, a topic that is very familiar for the Dutch Queen since she has a degree in Economics from the Argentinian Catholic University, and a Master?s Degree in the US on the same topics.

QuoteHis Majesty King Willem-Alexander will not participate in the working visit to California and Texas from 6 to 9 September 2022. This decision has been made on doctors? advice. The King is recovering from pneumonia and air travel at this time could impede a full recovery. The King?s commitments in the Netherlands will not be affected by this decision and will go ahead as planned, albeit on a more limited scale.

Queen M?xima and the members of the government taking part in the visit will step in for him in his absence. An updated programme will be announced in due course.