Of the last European kings who have ascended the throne, and in the absence of the coronation ceremony of Carlos III, the King of the Netherlands, William of Orange, is the only one who wore the traditional ermine cape. Máxima, crowned with diamonds and sapphires, next to her composed the image of kings as traditional as modern, ready to take all the game out of her reign.
This April 30 marks the tenth anniversary of the proclamation of William Alexander of Orange, the eldest son of the hitherto queen (now princess) Beatrix. The event also had a special feature, since the new king was the first man in more than a hundred years to occupy the throne of the Netherlands. He had been preceded by his mother, Beatriz, his grandmother Juliana, his great-grandmother Guillermina, and his great-great-grandmother Emma, ​​who was regent.
The three previous monarchs had not waited to die to transfer the throne. Beatriz, at 75, Juliana, at 71, and Guillermina, at 68, had abdicated when they considered that a new generation had to be made way for. The tradition was fulfilled again and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands signed her abdication act on the morning of April 30, 2013 and, in the afternoon, her coronation ceremony took place in the new church in Amsterdam.
For the occasion, Guillermo wore a tailcoat and ermine cape, and Máxima, an impressive klein blue Jan Taminiau dress with a chiffon bodice embroidered with beading and covered by a matching cape placed over her shoulders. On her head, the tiara of sapphires and diamonds that King William III (to whom the new king, William IV, owed his name and followed in number) gave his wife, Queen Emma, ​​who was regent between the death of her husband and the age of majority of his daughter, Guillermina.
William’s coronation was attended by the crown princes of Europe and Japan. It was one of the few appearances of the current Empress Masako, who for years visited the Netherlands frequently, since her father was a magistrate of the International Court in The Hague. Letizia, who wore a gray lace dress, was just over a year away from becoming queen, and Matilde of Belgium, just over two months.
A few weeks before the coronation, Guillermo Alejandro and Máxima invited the crown princes of Europe to a meeting in the old castle of Apeldoorn, a hundred kilometers from Amsterdam. Both when they were heirs and now, already kings, Felipe and Letizia maintain a close relationship with the kings of the Netherlands, whom, in close proximity, they call Ãlex and Max.
In these years, the kings Guillermo and Máxima have consolidated the popularity of the Dutch monarchy. The Latin character of the queen, born in Argentina, has infected Guillermo. His three daughters, the heiress Amalia, the rebellious Alexia and the calm Ariana, were girls who on the day of her father’s coronation wore yellow dresses by the Spanish designer Pili Carreras, and now they are all young girls.
The eldest suffers from movement restrictions after a danger of an attack by the Dutch mafia was detected, but, at 19, she already accompanies her parents in institutional acts and traveled with them on their tour of the Caribbean islands of Dutch sovereignty.
This year, April 27 (the date of birth of Guillermo, who turned 56 yesterday) was a special commemoration of Orange Day, which they wanted to share with the public. Yesterday thousands of Dutch people took to the streets dressed in orange to entertain the royal family and on Wednesday the kings of the Netherlands celebrated their ten years on the throne with a meal in their palace in The Hague attended by one hundred citizens chosen by raffle among those who were proposed by associations and groups for their social activism in different fields.
