The Dutch royal trio went on a three day state visit to the Sultanate of Oman. Originally scheduled last year, the trip was put off for this year due to the Arab Spring protests in the country.
Click here for photos of the visit to Oman
Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed greeted Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima on Tuesday at Al Alam Palace in Muscat. National anthems of Oman and the Netherlands were played, followed by a 21 gun salute welcoming the Dutch royals.
Their Majesties then went indoors for bilateral talks, followed by a lunch at the Beit al Zhubair museum.
In the evening, there was a state banquet hosted by the Sultan in honor of the Dutch royals. They also exchanged orders. The Sultan bestowed the Order of Al Said on the Queen while she conferred the Order of the Netherlands Lion to him.
Even Willem Alexander and Maxima received orders. The Dutch heir was bestowed the Great Order of Renaissance while his wife got the the Sultan Qaboos Order.
The next day saw the royals go to the Port of Sohar, where they were given a tour of its eco-friendly, industrial projects. They also went to the Sohar Free Zone, where they saw joint Omani-Dutch projects.
Next came Nakhl Fort, where the visiting royals were greeted by music and the children of the Omani Women’s Association of Nakhl with flowers and Omani and Dutch flags. The Queen, the Crown Prince and Princess were briefed about the fort by the students, and then later were shown Omani crafts.
Thursday morning concluded the state visit for the Dutch royals. They met with Sultan Qaboos again in Muscat who bid them farewell.
Sources: Gulf News, Times of Oman, Omani News Agency
Recent Comments