The Royal Representative

Archive for the ‘Dutch Royalty’ Category

Holland’s pretty-in-pink Princess Maxima lead the festivities honoring Queen Beatrix’s official birthday and the anniversary of her ascension to the throne.

Beatrix ascended the throne of the Netherlands when her mother, Queen Juliana, abdicated on April 30th, 1980.

Image details: Netherlands Celebrates Queens Day served by picapp.com

Prinses (Princess) Amalia is feted by a fan of the House of Orange. Amalia has to be one of the most personable royal children by far. She is such a little character!

Catharina-Amalia @ YouTube.com

Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife, Crown Princess Maxima, named their new daughter Ariane Wilhelmina Máxima Ines. She is fourth in line to the throne behind her father and sisters Princess Amalia and Princess Alexia.

The name Ariane was chosen because Willem and Maxima thought it was lovely, and wanted to keep the trend of starting their childrens’ names with an “A”. This Ariane can share with her sisters Alexia and Amalia (although Amalia’s first name is technically Catharina-Amalia).

The name Wilhelmina was chosen to honor Willem’s great-grandmother Queen Wilhelmina.

The name Máxima was chosen not just for the Crown Princess herself, but for her own great-grandmother, also named Máxima.

Ines is another family name, the name of Máxima’s youngest sister.

To approving applause from nurses at the Hague’s Bronovo Hospital, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander proudly showed off his daughter, who made her grand debut on Tuesday at 10pm.

More @ Hello! Magazine

Admired worldwide for her reserved demeanour and respect of protocol, the Queen surprised and delighted onlookers with her relaxed behaviour when she arrived in the Netherlands on Monday. Putting aside all formality, the British monarch greeted her old friend Queen Beatrix with a warm kiss on the cheek.

[ More from Hello! Magazine ]

Here’s a handy list in chronological order. There have been so many royal babies, and there’s more to come… it’s hard to keep track of them all:

October 25, 2001 - Princess Elisabeth (Belgium)
December 7, 2003 - Princess Catharina-Amalia (Holland)
January 21, 2004 - Princess Ingrid Alexandra (Norway)
October 15, 2005 - Prince Christian (Denmark)
October 31, 2005 - Infanta Leonor (Spain)
September 6, 2006 - Prince Hisahito (Japan)

While things are quiet in Norway, Belgium, and now Japan, things are still happening in Denmark, Spain, and Holland respectively.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is pregnant with her second child, due to be born in May 2007. Crown Princess Letizia is also expecting her second child in May 2007, and Dutch Crown Princess Maxima is pregnant with a third child due in late April 2007.

Congratulations to the happy parents!

King Abdullah & Queen Rania visit Holland.

Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Maxima are currently touring Australia to mark 400 years since Dutch explorers first landed there.

[ More ]

Princess Letizia of Spain has confirmed she is expecting her second child with husband Crown Prince Felipe, while the Netherlands’ enormously popular Princess Maxima is looking forward to the arrival of her third child with Crown Prince Willem-Alexander.

[ More Baby News ]

…of Mandy. Just kidding. Actually, while I was celebrating my 25th birthday over the weekend, the Dutch were celebrating the 25th anniversary of the ascention of Queen Beatrix.

Hundreds of thousands poured onto the streets of the main towns on Saturday, sporting plastic crowns, decking canal boats with orange, and indulging in the tantalising tradition of trying to eat a cake on the end of a string without using hands. Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, accompanied by his wife Maxima, delighted the festive crowds when he donned a blindfold and attempted to get the bite on a dangling sweetmeat.

The 67-year-old queen herself, who recently garnered a 92 per cent approval rating, was out and about at several official and less formal events, including a special session of Parliament at which all the lawmakers were accompanied by a young man or woman born in 1980.

Beatrix was crowned on April 30, 1980 - two days after I was born, when her mother, Queen Juliana, surprised the nation by abdicating after more than 30 years on the throne. The current queen said in a rare interview last week that she is in no hurry to pass on the baton, preferring to give her son time “to build up his family” before he becomes king.

In the same interview, Beatrix, who has lost her mother, father and husband within the last three years, spoke of the loneliness of being a monarch. “You always have to be available – there is nobody who can take over from you once in a while,” she observed.
The queen, whose no-nonsense approach and modern attitudes have won her huge popularity, was clearly in festive mood over the weekend, however, as she and her family hit the streets along with their fellow countrymen to celebrate the landmark date.