King William Alexander and Máxima of the Netherlands are for Felipe and Letizia, Alex and Max, and with that familiarity the two royal couples meet again in Amsterdam, where the Kings land this afternoon to make, Wednesday and Thursday, their first visit of State to the country formerly known as Holland. This Tuesday, just after lunchtime, the State pavilion at Barajas airport was the scene of the first ceremony of the trip: the farewell ceremony.
Before boarding the official plane, remembering the times when the kings left in a carriage on a long journey, the president of Congress, Francina Armengol, and other State authorities said goodbye after a company honored the travelers. and the anthem of Spain will be performed. Felipe and Letizia, from the top of the plane’s steps, waved goodbye and headed to the authorities terminal at Shiphol airport. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, is in the Netherlands where he has spoken at an international forum, and will join the Kings’ delegation in Amsterdam.
For the trip, the Queen has chosen a black pantsuit from the new Hugo Boss collection, a basic white top and as footwear, low-heeled black slingback shoes from Massimo Dutti.
The almost three hours of travel and the northeast direction have been enough to change the temperature and landscape: from almost 30º in Madrid they have gone to 9º in the Dutch capital and from the sun to rain and wind. Directly from the airport, where they landed around 6:30 p.m. and were received by the Spanish ambassador to the Netherlands, Consuelo Femenia (wife of former minister and former astronaut Pedro Duque), the Kings went to the historic Barbizón hotel (now in the hands of the Spanish network NH) to hold a meeting with around two hundred Spaniards from among the more than 40,000 who live in the Netherlands.
The economic emigrants of the 1960s, most of whom had already returned to Spain after their retirement, but whose children and even grandchildren stayed to live in the Netherlands, have been followed by a large number of university students, workers and qualified professionals. Half of the Spaniards residing in the Netherlands are under 30 years old.
The King has referred to everyone in his words. To those who arrived years ago “you are the protagonists of stories of success and improvement” and also to the newcomers: “We trust and hope that you have a good and progressive adaptation.” He has also specified his message for Spaniards assigned to international organizations. To those who work for “justice” at the Hague Court; for “health”, in the European Medicines Agency and to the members of the Armed Forces, integrated into NATO headquarters. The King closed his words by encouraging everyone present: “We are very proud of the image of professionalism, efficiency and modernity that you project in the Netherlands.”
To attend the reception, the Queen, who changed on the plane, chose a taupe satin A-line skirt by Hugo Boss with a black top and a Bardot neckline.
For the first meeting with Kings William and Máxima we will have to wait until 10:20 a.m. on Wednesday. Although Kings Felipe and Letizia are staying in the royal palace in Amsterdam, the kings of the Netherlands have their residence in The Hague, from where they will travel to receive their guests in Dam Square and accompany them, the two days that the event lasts. State visit, until his farewell on Thursday night.
In the welcome ceremony, in addition to the protocol with military honors and review of the troops, on this occasion, the greeting of a group of schoolchildren from the Het Amsterdams Lyceum institute, the oldest in the Netherlands, one of whose hallmarks is that, in addition to Dutch, you can study in Spanish, Italian and English. After the presentation of the delegations, the exchange of gifts and other ceremonies at the beginning of the trip inside the palace, the Kings, accompanied by their counterparts, will go out to Dam Square again to walk to the National Monument, where they will lay a crown of flowers and will maintain a minute of silence in memory of those who died in World War II.
A private lunch for the two royal couples will precede the afternoon activities featuring King William and King Philip VI. Together they will visit the Dutch headquarters of the Cruyff Foundation, whose objective is to achieve the integration, through sport, of children with disabilities or at risk of social exclusion. The monarchs will be received by Jordi and Susila Cruyff, children of the legendary player, and by ambassadors of the foundation such as Frank Rijkaard and Daphne Koster, who will direct a futsal match between two teams of disabled children.
A dinner at the royal palace, with the two queens, plus the crown princess Amalia, wearing jewels from their respective crowns and their best clothes, will close the first day of the state visit. The presence of the heiress is further proof of the close relations between the two royal families, since it will be the first time that Amalia, 20 years old, and who speaks perfect Spanish, accompanies her parents at an official dinner of a state visit. The princess, who has received threats from an organized crime group, spends long periods in Madrid.
The state visit continues on Thursday, with activities by the King in The Hague and by Queen Letizia, in Amsterdam. A reception that the Kings will offer to their counterparts from the Netherlands in a museum dedicated to street art will close the visit.
