Re: The Dutch Monarchy Current Events

[TLLK]

I agree that they're definitely one of the more expensive monarchies to fund and with a rather small number of "working" members of the Royal House. The Royal House includes: W-A, Maxima, their three daughters, Beatrix, Constantijn and Laurentian along with Princess Margriet (Beatrix's sister), and her husband Pieter. However the vast majority of engagements are carried out by W-A, Maxima and Beatrix. Margriet, Pieter, Constantijn and Laurentian have limited representation and the AAA  team is still in school.

Members of the Royal House | Royal House of the Netherlands

Everyone else is considered part of the Royal Family. They're not really involved in any official representation ie: Prinsjedag but are present at family events and on King's Day.

Royal family | Royal House of the Netherlands

The 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.

[PrincessOfPeace]

Queen Maxima paid a virtual working visit to the transhipment company Hutchison Ports ECT in the context of the 10th edition of the Pensioen3 Days

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/El5r4wNXgAMv1eM?format=jpg&name=large

[PrincessOfPeace]

She visited the Willem van den Bergh residential care park in Noordwijk to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands looks effortlessly chic in a statement yellow ensemble | Daily Mail Online

[TLLK]

Happy 17th Birthday to HRH The Princess of Orange.

De Prinses van Oranje | Het Koninklijk Huis

Princess Catharina-Amalia turns 17 ? Royal Central

Princess 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.

:bday7:

[PrincessOfPeace]

Confidence in Dutch king falls below 50% after 2020 Covid gaffes | NL Times

[TLLK]

And another article on the same. The King and Queen need to be very careful going forward. Their holiday activities in the past when they were the Prince/Princess of Orange were sometimes called into question regarding where, when and why they were on vacation. Public?s trust in Dutch King plummets ? Royal Central

The 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.

[Curryong]

That's a shocking fall in numbers for W-A and Maxi thanks to an ill-judged, ill-timed holiday. People in Europe and elsewhere are feeling extremely irritated and annoyed and upset at this pandemic continuing on and on and on. Of course they are going to lash out at those they see as getting round any restrictions, whoever they might be. This drop isn't terminal though, IMO, and next year when things improve the couple's ratings are likely to get higher.

[TLLK]

@Curryong-I do agree that it isn't terminal but I was surprised again to see yet another issue associated with their vacations. As I recall the couple rarely has anyone criticizing their domestic activities but there have been complaints regarding their summer holiday activities for years now: ie Plan to invest in a vacation home resort in East Africa which raised concerns about the additional security measures that would have to be taken.  AFAIK the only criticism they received about their winter trip to Lech is that they'd pull their daughters out of school a little early.

[Curryong]

Maybe there is some hidden resentment about the high cost of the Dutch monarchy as a whole, even though W-A, Maxi and their girls are themselves personally popular?  I don't know much about the Dutch peoples' holiday habits. Apart from trips across the borders to neighbouring countries, are they known as enthusiastic travellers on less travelled routes, as say the Germans are? The Netherlands isn't exactly tropical and the couple seem to like unusual and interesting sunny places, even expressing a wish, as you have pointed out, to have a second home in such locales.

If you are Dutch, earning a reasonable salary but not a high one, are a not very well-travelled person, and you see your well heeled monarch wanting to slither off to exotic sunny climes far from home every year perhaps there's a bit of 'How about holidaying nearby for a change?'. Of course it might be just some irritability, 'fedupitus' being expressed due to Covid restrictions. Nevertheless, perhaps a summer holiday in Belgium or somewhere similar might be advisable next year!

[TLLK]

@Curryong-One of our Dutch posters on the big forum mentioned today that most people tend to go outside of the country for vacations so I don't think  it's entirely due to the fact that they Royals like to go to sunny locations like Greece, Italy, etc.. W-A did purchase an expensive boat/yacht this summer and it might look out of touch to the average citizen. Plus with Amalia turning 18 in December 2021, she's supposed to begin receiving an allowance from the state.  As to Dutch on holiday, I've followed more than one recreational vehicle with a big old NL sticker on the back on French, Belgian, Italian and German roads and Autobahns.  The most "delightful" moment came in Northern Ireland when an older Dutch couple in  a large camper decided to ignore the well marked "No RVs" on the sign when were were on a very narrow road near the Giant's Causeway. A few minutes prior the teenage shepherd had been moving his flock along in front of us so it was meant really for smaller vehicles like ours. As I recall this was my husband's first day driving on the right and he was getting reacquainted with a standard (stick) gear shift and doing it "backwards." We all survived but the Dutch did receive their fair share of honks and what I'll call "internationally recognized hand gestures" from us and those who were also in the traffic.

I do believe that Wax/Max might want to consider having a long Zoom session with the neighbors Phillipe and Mathilde. One of the major Flemish papers just named Phillipe as 2020's "Man of the Year" due to his impressive handling of welcoming his half-sister into the family and more importantly his leadership throughout the pandemic. IMO this  is very significant as the Flemish have typically been the most critical of the monarchy and the royal family.

[Curryong]

Very hilarious and interesting, TLLK. Holidays abroad are such fun, usually.  I am so vague I've never noticed number plates or stickers on cars on holiday or not! I got into a stranger's car instead of our friends car once. Fortunately he took it in good part! Nor have I actually met any Dutch people on holiday to speak to, bar once in New York. I probably never spoke to hundreds of them! How did you like driving on the left in Britain, or did you leave it to your husband?

You'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?

[Amabel2]

The Benelux countries are so tiny that in today's world of course people are going to go abroad for holidays.. but Will and Maxima were supposed to be very popular so now they are bound to be attacked for going on holiday to Greece when travel had just been banned.  And they clearly were in the wrong because they came creeping back...
Seems that Willem's buying a very expensive yacht at present didn't go down well either.

[TLLK]

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

My husband is an excellent driver but we both agreed that for our first day of driving in the UK that we'd literally need two pairs of eyes on the road especially when were were in Belfast which is where we picked up our rental car. When we walked into the rental office that morning, I was thrilled to hear an American accent behind the counter because I knew that this man would be able to give us the pointers that we would need. He gave us great tips and I believe that they made our trip much safer. For the remainder of our cruise around the UK trip we drove in the Scottish Highlands, in the Cotswolds,  around Bath and then up to London. However in urban areas we always took advantage of public transportation.  Now my husband really prefers driving on the German autobahns  and  wants all American freeways/highways to use their method using the left lane ONLY for passing. When we come back from trips I have to remind him that our speed limits are lower and that to not  expect autobahn drivers. :lol:

You'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?

IMHO they may want to reconsider that allowance to be delayed until she's finished with her schooling/military training etc..whatever and request it when she's clearly ready to begin her royal activities. AFAIK she wouldn't need to hire staff to coordinate activities or answer correspondence for awhile. I wonder what the Belgians are doing for Elisabeth's "allowance?" I am not sure if she has one yet.

I need to check on the spa story. I can't recall if they were out of the country when the terror attack happened or did they go away after it occurred.

[Curryong]

There's little left online of the hoo-ha about Phillipe and Mathilde relaxing at a spa in Brittany at the time of the terror attack, just a couple of magazine articles. A bit of bad luck in timing that particular trip! My goodness, it's been five years since that happened!

King Philippe responds to criticism over spa photo during level 4 terror alert | The Bulletin

As far as driving on 'opposite' sides of the roads are concerned you're very brave! I was always a bit uneasy in cars driven by British and Aussie drivers in Europe. All it takes is one lapse of concentration etc, but nothing ever happened. My son (then in his twenties) was almost written off once in the US by not registering which way traffic was coming. He stepped off the pavement and whoosh, a bus missed him by an inch!

[TLLK]

@Curryong-That experience with your son is why I am forever grateful that parts of the main tourist areas around  London has "Look Left!" written in big white letters on its asphalt  pavement.

Unos suben, otros caen: Felipe de B?lgica vence y convence en el "annus horribilis" de M?xima y Guillermo

Here's an article (in Spanish) that compares and contrasts 2020 for W-A, Phillipe and Felipe. All three had parents who abdicated  for various reasons and came to the throne within a few years of each other. From what I have read in the past all three former monarchs are friendly with each other and reportedly Albert requested advice from Beatrix and JC after Baudoin's death.

W-A originally had the highest approval and his throne was seen to be the most stable with Felipe's being considered the least. 2020 also saw Phillipe and Felipe having to deal with the personal and controversial actions of their fathers' and there was much focus upon how each man would handle it. With Phillipe it was his father's behavior in regards to his daughter Delphine Boel. After the court ruled in her favor, Phillipe invited her to the palace and  she and her children were now to be considered part of the titled members of the Belgian royal family. With Felipe it was was of course Juan Carlos' shady finances  and his subsequent retirement outside of Spain. With W-A it was the Greek vacation.

In regards how they dealt with COVID, Phillipe and Felipe are considered to have handled it better. They were more visible with virtual and when it was possible their in-person visits. The Spanish royals - Felipe, Leonor and Infanta Sofia all had to quarantine at home at different times with Letizia picking up  the slack. Also it was noted that Felipe/Letizia and Phillipe/Mathilde had their children out with them when it was safe to volunteer and meet with the public. In the NL it appeared that the royals were less  visible.

Now I do believe that the Dutch royals can bounce back but I hope this end of the year polling serves as a wake up call to W-A and Maxima. Might be time to have that virtual meeting with Belgium and Spain.

[Curryong]

It would indeed be a shame if all the goodwill W-A and Maxi have built up over the years since their marriage remains dissipated by foolish actions and little visibility over the past ten months. As you know, these two are personal favourites of mine as their informal and friendly manner when performing Royal engagements has always resonated with me. I love the genuine friendships between these European Royal Houses as well.

However, as Queen Elizabeth once quipped, 'I have to be seen to be believed' and that is as true of monarchs today as it was then. People can excuse the dip in public appearances during a pandemic of the extremely elderly like Queen Daisy, King Harald (who has in fact been quite busy) and Queens Daisy and Elizabeth.

It's when the sovereign and his wife are only in middle age and become semi-visible for months at a time of crisis it is harder to explain away. When the HOS is extremely respected and popular, it's amazing what some virtual appearances can do in addresses to the nation during difficult times. It provides reassurance that everyone is together in this and it won't last for ever etc.

A few of those messages, plus a real attempt to keep up their public appearances by distance and zoom and so on might well have helped W-A and Maxi when the silly Greek holiday business came to light. It is quite disappointing, and their sincere mea culpas, while sincere, also hit a false note. They are just going to have to be very very careful for the next couple of years and pull the horns back a bit in terms of any extravagances in lifestyle. They are a charismatic couple however, especially Maxi, and I'm sure they can bounce back in popularity and more importantly win back the trust of their people. 

[TLLK]

 A step in the right direction IMHO. The King visits emergency services on New Year's Eve.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJfHSfxHMrf/

Everyone is following the government's rules as well regarding the wearing of masks and social distancing 1.5 m.  (I'm adding this because as we've seen through out 2020 there have been many variations the basics: masks, distance, etc.. ) As I recall the NL like neighboring Germany appeared to have fewer cases early on so their recommendations were far less restrictive than in Italy and Spain so we were seeing photos of TM at in person indoor events without masks and even social distancing seemed closer.

[TLLK]

The King in a virtual meeting with teachers discussing the challenges associated with COVID and instruction.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ErJK8FvXcAAJfsk?format=jpg&name=large

[TLLK]

Virtual meeting for the King with independent book store owners over COVID related concerns.

Koning videobelt met boekverkopersbranche - YouTube

[Curryong]

I think about eight months ago when all this was very new I posted about public libraries in a pandemic and wondered whether Covid stays on the pages and covers of books at all when handled by infectious people who didn't necessarily know it.  Same sort of thing I suppose, though customers' masks probably help.

[TLLK]

Queen Maxima pictured barefoot at her desk while on virtual meeting with UN leaders.

Royal pictured barefoot while taking part in work video call from home ? photo | HELLO!

A 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.

[TLLK]

Dutch King and Queen send a message of support after curfew riots ? Royal Central

King 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.

I get that people are frustrated that they cannot go out at night, but looting, setting fires and smashing windows doesn't change that there is a need to stop the spread of the virus.

[TLLK]

The King on a virtual visit with the Genneper Sports Park.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EtOWtfPXUAEHc0c?format=jpg&name=large

[PrincessOfPeace]

Queen Maxima attended the launch of the Gender & GGZ Alliance during a meeting of WOMEN Inc via video link

Beelden | ANP Foto

[TLLK]

Virtual visit with the University of Utrecht for Queen Maxima.

https://twitter.com/koninklijkhuis/status/1361655498383241222