Amsterdam recently finished up its Sail Amsterdam 2010 festival, in which ships of all kinds are put on display for the public to see, free of charge. The nautical event has been held since 1975 and whenever it takes place, Sail Amsterdam is one of the city’s biggest attractions.
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Among the many participants in Sail 2010 were Holland’s Crown Princely family. Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima brought their three young daughters on board one of the ships Saturday. The little princesses – Catharina-Amalia, 6 1/2 years old, Alexia age 5, and 3 year old Ariane – put on life jackets as they went on the Green Draeck ship.
Willem-Alexander got behind the wheel of the Green Draeck and sailed into the Amsterdam harbor.
That night, Willem-Alexander, Maxima, and Her Majesty Queen Beatrix boarded the Green Draeck to participate in the “New Amsterdam Sea Shanty” competition, in which 200 musicians and bands participated.
The Queen and the Crown Princely couple have been taking part in the festival since it began on Thursday, August 19th.
Sail Amsterdam originally started in 1975 to mark the Dutch capital’s 700th anniversary. Since it was such a big hit, it is held every five years.
Sources: Sail2010.nl, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep
On Sunday, Holland’s Queen Beatrix was at the Monument of the East Indies in The Hague to commemorate 65 years after Japan surrendered the East Indies, which were then Dutch colonies.
Her Majesty, along with Prime Minister Jan Balkenende and representatives of the East Indies community laid wreaths at the monument. Several thousand people also gathered to mark the occasion.
At the memorial was singer Boudewijn de Groot, who was born in a Japanese prison camp in the former Dutch East Indies. He read a poem and sang the song, “Behind Glass.”
A student of the Liberal Christian High School, a school close to the monument, told about the respect and admiration he has for the Dutch who were in the Japanese internment camps. He spoke of their survival and how, after the war, “the broken pieces” of their lives were picked up.
During the Japanese occupation of Dutch East Indies, 100,000 Dutch spent four years in concentration camps. About 13,000 died during that time period.
Even though they did not win the FIFA World Cup championship, the Netherlands’ national football team were welcomed home with open arms. On Tuesday, they met with Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and Queen Beatrix at The Hague.
First, the team met with the Prime Minister. In Holland, it is the PM who gives knighthood, and he gave it to head coach Bert van Marwijk and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who are now Knights in the Order of Oranje Nassau. The two men proudly showed their decorations to Queen Beatrix at Noordeinde Palace for a reception with the entire team.
After meeting with the Queen, the squad were taken to the canals of Amsterdam where tens of thousands Dutch greeted them by wearing orange and blowing vuvuzelas.
As winger Arjen Robben put it, “Spain may have won the World Cup, but we have the best supporters in the world.”
It was a night of celebration as Sweden and royals from all over the world marked Saturday’s wedding between Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling. Just like her parents had 34 years ago, Victoria and her fiancè were a given a special concert at the Royal Concert Hall in Stockholm. Pop acts and classical artists played through the night as if it were a final hurrah before tomorrow’s big event.
First arriving at the Hall was the House of Bernadotte. When she got out of the car, Crown Princess Victoria wowed the crowd waiting for her. Beaming and radiating of joy, the Crown Princess waved as the people gave her and Daniel a four-fold cheer.
They walked up the red carpet behind her parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Bringing up the rear were her two younger siblings, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine.
After the Swedish royal family came the friends and relatives of the royal couple, and the Swedish government leaders. Then came the royals from all over Europe, plus Japan and Jordan. The royal guest list even included those who are from deposed monarchies, such as Romania and Serbia.
All in all, 1,600 guests.
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Once inside, everyone dined amongst each other before the big concert. Those who haven’t seen each other in a while were able to say hello, such as Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary and Spain’s Crown Princess Letizia.
King Carl XVI Gustaf gave a small speech during the dinner, thanking the Prime Minister for allowing the wedding to take place – after all, the wedding of an heir to the throne needs government approval.
“We can all see how happy and engaged the engaged couple looks,” the King went on to say. “They really… You can feel the joy and youth and optimism in their eyes. We can all feel the warmth and happiness also in this hall and during this day.”
At about a quarter to nine local time, all those in attendance were in the Hall. Everyone stood and sang when the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played the Swedish national anthem. Even Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who’s mother was a Swedish Princess, sang along.
Right after that, the orchestra began to play “Party Song” and right in the middle of the stage, lights went on, illuminating two
REUTERS/Anders Wiklund/Scanpix
figures holding hands. Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling had made their appearance. They received a standing ovation as they made their way to two seats in the front row especially made for them. With that, the concert began.
It was clearly a joyous occasion for everyone in the Hall. Ballet was performed, the opera classic “Nessun Dorma” was sung – even pop and jazz acts played. The host of the event also poked playful fun at the royals in attendance. At one point, the group Jazz Divas of Scandinavia were about the perform and the host gave a nod to the Scandinavian Crown Princesses – Victoria, Mette-Marit and Mary. The women had a good laugh about it.
But the biggest act to perform that night was probably the 80s Swedish pop duo, Roxette, said to be one of Victoria’s favorite bands. As the band played “The Look,” everyone in the hall clapped along and a few – such as Norway’s Princess Martha Louise – moved their heads to the song. Once done, there was a standing ovation for Roxette.
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The concert came to a close when all the singers returned to the stage and together sang Elvis Presley’s classic, “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” As they did with the Roxette song, many of the royals sang along.
Overall, it was an emotional event for everyone. Queen Silvia was seen wiping away some tears and it looked as if King Carl Gustaf was getting teary-eyed. Even Princess Madeleine looked red in the eyes – as did Queen Margrethe and Dutch Queen Beatrix.
With that, the pre-wedding events were over. Tomorrow comes the wedding of the year as Crown Princess Victoria marries her love – and a former gym owner from a small village in central Sweden becomes Prince Daniel.
Tuesday began Holland’s Queen Beatrix’s three day state visit to Norway, her first since 1986. The country’s royal family welcomed the Dutch monarch as she arrived in Oslo this morning, and as whole, they held a state banquet in her honor in the evening.
REUTERS/Berit Roald / Scanpix/ POOL
The Queen came to Oslo on board of the ship, the Tromp. Upon setting foot on land, King Harald V was there waiting for her. The two sovereigns joyfully hugged and kissed each other before Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit took turns welcoming their fellow royal. After that, the group got into a boat and sailed to their destination.
At the royal palace, the official welcoming ceremony took place. The Norwegian and Dutch national anthems were played, and King Harald and Queen Beatrix inspected the honor guards.
The next phase of the Queen’s visit was to lay a wreath, along with the King, at the national monument at Akershus, which remembers those who died in World War II.
Beatrix then went to Parliament to meet with its President Dag Terje Andersen.
In the evening, the entire Norwegian royal family – including Princess Martha Louise and Princess Astrid, the King’s sister, turned out for the state dinner. King Harald gave a speech at the dinner’s start, thanking the Queen for her visit and discussing Norwegian-Dutch relations.
“The exceptionally close relations between our countries are due to geographical, historical and cultural factors,” he said.
REUTERS/Lise Aserud/Scanpix
“The Netherlands and Norway are both staunch supporters of the United Nations. Not only do we share many views, but the names of our countries begin with the same letter – N. This means that our politicians and experts are often seated close to each other in a whole range of international forums, which helps to create an informal network.
“Our countries enjoy close cooperation on many pressing issues facing the world today. We both attach importance to combating climate change; promoting human rights, good governance and democratic values; contributing to the peaceful resolution of conflicts; disarmament; and fighting poverty.
“I hope that this visit will give Your Majesty some interesting, fresh impressions of Norway. It is a great pleasure for the Queen and myself to ask you all to join us in a toast to Her Majesty Queen Beatrix, to the people of the Netherlands and to the close and friendly relations between our two countries,” King Harald said before offering a toast.
Next, Queen Beatrix gave her speech.
“It gives me great pleasure to be able to make a State visit to Norway for the second time. Some years ago, in nineteen eighty-six, Prince Claus and I paid a state visit to King Olav. On many other occasions you and Queen Sonja have welcomed my family and myself with warm hospitality and enabled us to enjoy many impressive features of this lovely and varied country. On these visits we have become acquainted with the overwhelming beauty of nature and the self-assurance and vitality of your people. The ties between our families now span five generations, from my grandmother Wilhelmina to our children and grandchildren. It is a precious friendship that we cherish.”
The Queen also talked about Norwegian-Dutch ties and how much the two countries have in common. She ended her speech also with a toast.
King Harald and Queen Sonja will accompany Queen Beatrix throughout her stay in Norway. On Wednesday, the three will go to a gender equality seminar, visit the Bjørnholt Secondary School, and have lunch with Parliamentary leaders. In the afternoon, they will also attend a business seminar and a opera-ballet. For the latter, all of the Norwegian royals – Haakon, Mette-Marit, Martha Louise and Astrid – will be there.
Then on Thursday, Beatrix will end her tour with a trip to Bergen on the west coast of Norway.
It was supposed to be a moment to remember those who had died serving their country. But instead, the Netherlands’ Memorial Day ceremony turned into a moment of panic.
Thousands turned out in Dam Square in Amsterdam to see Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Crown Princess Maxima lay floral wreaths at the national monument. There was then a two minute of silence in remembrance of the troops who died during and after World War II.
During those two minutes, there was a sudden scream in the crowds and chaos insued.
The people began to run in opposite directions, with several dozen getting injured in the process. There were people being carried out of the crowds for safety.
As for the Dutch royals, they were rushed away from the scene by security guards. Crown Princess Maxima was practically shoved by her plainclothes officer. A few minutes later, Queen Beatrix returned to the monument to continue on with the service. She looked very shaken, but was encouraged to go on by Willem-Alexander. The remaining crowd applauded, and did the same after the playing of the national anthem.
Afterward, the Queen, the Crown Princely couple and Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende visited the wounded in hospitals.
According to a press conference, police said a 39 year-old man with suspected psychological problems was arrested. The man, who’s name is not yet being released, supposedly has a history of drug abuse.
Video of the incident shows few people reacting to the scream, but then a police fence fell over making a gun shot-like sound. Panic increased when another man dropped his suitcase, making those around him assume he had a bomb.
This incident comes one year after the tragedy at Queen’s Day when a man crashed his speeding car into a crowd, narrowly missing the bus carrying the royal family. Several people, including the driver, died.
This past Saturday, the regent couple of Luxembourg inaugurated the exhibition “The Golden Age Reloaded” following renovations at Villa Vaubanon, a museum in the Grand Duchy’s capital city.
Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa were joined by Dutch Queen Beatrix, who was there because this exhibit celebrates the golden age of Dutch art.
The museum has 80 paintings being showcased. “The Golden Age Reloaded” is a collaboration between the Villa Vauban and the internationally renowned Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
The latter sent works by Frans Hals, Paulus Potter, Govaert Flinck, Jan van Goyen and Jacob van Ruisdael to the Villa Vauban for an exhibition which will run until October 31st 2010.
Friday saw the Netherlands awash in orange as the Dutch celebrated Queen’s Day, or Konininginnedag as they call it. It is the day where the people honor their monarch, Queen Beatrix and enjoy national pride. But sadly, this year’s festivities had a dark shadow over them.
REUTERS/Michael Kooren
2009′s Queen’s Day was a tragic one, as a car driver plowed into a crowd watching the royal procession on a bus in the central city of Apeldoorn. Eight people, including the driver, died and there was some calls to end the holiday.
But despite what happened last year, the Dutch were willing to enjoy themselves. Even the royals were just as festive as they went to the town of Wemeldinge, located in the southern province of Zeeland to meet with the people and have fun.
Although it rained most of the day, no one held back in celebrating. Crown Princess Maxima herself took part in a beer shuffleboarding contest while husband Crown Prince Willem-Alexander kicked a ball around for some schoolchildren.
The Queen herself seemed pleased with all the activity. In her speech at Middelburg Queen Beatrix thanked everybody for being so enthusiastic. “You gave us back Queen’s Day,” she told the crowds.
ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images
Her Majesty had a lot to be happy about. With the troubles in the government, many in Holland are looking to her for unity and observers are saying she is doing just that.
Despite the enthusiasm, there were still a few things to complain about. Security was understandably extra tight this year, with 1,400 police securing Wemeldinge. In addition, only invited guests and citizens that had passed security checks were allowed near the royal procession. The police even frisked a woman sitting in a wheelchair, something the Mayor of Wemeldinge condemned.
Also, train cars and stations were jam-packed with people moving around the country. Many Dutch had to wait a long time for their train to arrive. At one point, all trains to and from Amsterdam were canceled to deal with the crowds.
Furthermore, the Dutch sanitation workers are on strike, so the streets are filled with garbage and reek of beer.
Friday marks Queen’s Day, when the Netherlands honor Queen Beatrix. It will also be a day of remembrance, since last year’s national holiday was one of tragedy. A unemployed man plowed his car into a crowd watching a bus carrying the House of Orange in Apeldoorn. Seven people were killed, and the driver later died of his injuries.
On Thursday, the royal family, including Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Crown Princess Maxima honored those who died during a somber memorial at The Hague. The monarch unveiled a small monument that had balloons are decoration, symbolizing vulnerability and celebration.
Several of the royals, such as Maxima, got emotional as they laid white roses at the monument.
Also in attendance were the victims’ families, many of whom the royal family are still in touch with.
Because of last year’s attack – the driver of the car was aiming for the royals on the bus – security will be tight for tomorrow’s less festive Queen’s Day. Already, two men have been arrested for suspicions of threatening to corrupt the events.
REUTERS/ANP/Robin Utrecht/Pool
Friday will also mark Queen Beatrix’s 30th year on the throne. Despite that, not too many are hoping she would abdicate in favor of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, who’s popularity has dropped due to his wanting to build a resort in Mozambique last year.
“A vast majority of Dutch want Beatrix to stay on as Queen,” said the poll conducted by agency TNS Nipo.
“Half are of the opinion that 2013, the year the Queen turns 75, is a good year for succession.”
On Wednesday, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands toured the house where a Dutch Jewish girl Anne Frank and her family lived in fear of the Nazis from 1942 to 1944. This is the 50th anniversary of the museum, and this time around, it is unveiling the missing papers Anne wrote on.
AP/Evert Elzinga
The teenager wrote of her experiences in hiding, her passage from childhood to adulthood, her family and her first love in a red and white checkered notebook. She also wrote of her life in other notebooks and looseleaf paper. It is those papers that are now on display at the museum on Prinsengracht 263.
Previously, those notes were stored at the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation (NIOD). The institute recently handed over the documents to the Anne Frank Foundation for inclusion in the museum.
Anne Frank and her family were discovered after two years in hiding. She died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
Her father, Otto, was the only survivor in the family. It was he was discovered his daughter’s diary and had it published. The diary went on to be a bestseller and was published in numerous languages.
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