Swedish State Visit to the Netherlands

Liberace eat your heart out! That must be what Beatrix, Silvia and Máxima spoke about on the telephone when deciding what to wear for the state visit which is currently underway between the two nations. All three women have brought elegance and glitz to the visit, which began yesterday morning when Queen Beatrix greeted King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at the airport in Rotterdam.

After a exchange of greetings, and Queen Silvia almost losing her hat!, the trio headed off to Noordeinde Palace in The Hague for the official welcoming ceremony and an inspection of the Dutch guard. The welcoming kicked off an afternoon schedule packed with events for the visitors, whose first stop was the National Monument at Amsterdam’s Dam Square. Here, the King and Queen laid the customary wreath in memory of fallen servicemen and women. From there, Carl and Silvia parted ways and headed off to undertake solo engagements. The pair later met up in Kudelstaart where they visited a work-experience project.

The evening of April 21st was where the real fun began! A state banquet was hosted by Queen Beatrix in honour of her visitors at Noordeinde Palace. Also in attendance were the Prince of Orange, Princess Máxima and Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven. It was jewels galore at the banquet; with sapphires, rubies and pearls all on display, showing the world how a Queen should look. In her speech directed to Swedish royals, Queen Beatrix congratulated them on Crown Princess Victoria’s recent engagement and wished “her every happiness in the future.” Beatrix also spoke of the relations between Sweden and the Netherlands, and both nations envolvement in the European Union; before asking the guests to drink to the health of the Swedish royals, a bright future for the Swedish people and to the continuation of the countries’ close ties.

Main events for the second day of the state visit were the King of Sweden’s meeting with the Presidents of the International Court of Justice, the International Court of Law, the Vice-President of the Yugoslav Tribunal and the Secretary-General of the International Court of Arbitrage at the Peace Palace in The Hague. He then participated in a round-table meeting focusing on the environment. Queen Silvia meanwhile visited the lovely Keukenhof in Lisse, accompanied by Princess Máxima. This was followed by a visit to the Maurits House Museum in The Hague.

A luncheon was hosted by the Dutch Government in honour of the state visit, and the royals were joined by Princess Margriet for the event at Trevezaal. Following the luncheon, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia were accompanied by Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima to the University of Leyden, where the men attended a seminar and the women took part in a discussion on children’s rights.

And in what has not been seen in the Netherlands few quite a few state visits, the second evening event was a gala concert. The concert took place at the De Witte Societeit in The Hague. The royal ladies did not disappoint either, with tiaras perched on the heads of all four women. The largest surprise was the tiara that adorned Princess Máxima’s gigantic hairdo: the Ruby Peacock tiara which has not been seen since approximately the late 1960s, during which is was frequently worn by the Queen’s younger sister Princess Irene. It was often rumoured that the parure had been sold by the Princess, but that is clearly not the case!

The state visit continues tomorrow, in Groningen. The thread for the visit can be found here.

Filed under Sweden, The Netherlands
Tagged Bilateral Relations, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Children, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Queen Silvia of Sweden, State Visit, Tiaras.