State Visit from The King and Queen of The Netherlands: October 23-24, 2018


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Doesn't look like any of the British royals will be accompanying WA&M to Westminster Abbey. Aren't members of the British Royal family usually present for the to tour of Westminster Abbey?
 
State visits are seemingly becoming less of an ‘event’ as the years go on. Less grand if you will, at least in Britain.

Plus we need to remember that it’s not actually The Queen or Prince Charles organising any of this. It’s the job of the foreign office, even the invitations sent out in HM’s name are really from the FO.
 
I don't recall that part always having RF involvement, though Harry did accompany Felipe and Letizia during their State Visit.
 
Marengo said:
I am not sure if Princess Alexandra attended parts the state visit, but she did receive the Huisorde (Order of the Crown) during this visit in 1982.
Click to expand...

Princess Alexandra attended the Guildhall banquet during the 1982 visit and she wore her Dutch order at it.
 
The Army in London @ArmyInLondon 16h16 hours ago
While London slept the Army was on duty, rehearsing under the cover of darkness for next Tuesday’s State visit of the Netherlands @koninklijkhuis
https://twitter.com/x/status/1053194374442598400

The Army in London @ArmyInLondon 11h11 hours ago
In the pitch dark of a silent London soldiers rehearsed their world famous drill ahead of next week’s State visit of the Netherlands. @koninklijkhuis #inspirational
https://twitter.com/x/status/1053271154926981123


Getty Images - 18 October, 2018 GBR: The Household Division Rehearse Their Military Manoeuvres Ahead Of The Dutch State Visit
 
I love the photos of the Dutch flags here in London - I have a free day on both Monday and Tuesday, so I'll have to see if I can catch a glimpse of WA and Maxima at an engagement!
 
An overview of the visit as discussed in the Dutch press. The attention is much greater than for previous state visits.

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Anticipating the state visit, royalty-online is giving us a peak in the bedroom where the king and queen will be sleeping in Buckingham Palace, namely the Belgian suite:

Hier slapen WA en Máxima - binnenkijken in hun suite in Buckingham Palace - Royalty Online

It is the usual bedroom at the disposal of for foreign heads of state. It was named after King Leopold I, who became king of the Belgians after the country became independent from The Netherlands.

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The reporter of royalblog / ANP is noting that in 1982 there were complaints that the media has only very limited access to parts of this visit. He also notes that not much has changed. Due to a tight scheduele, security control, London traffic and limited access he expects that reporting this visit will be rather challenging:

https://gpdhome.typepad.com/nieuwsberichten/2018/10/over-het-staatsbezoek-aan-de-queen.html

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According to the posh NRC Handelsblad Brexit will not receive any particular attention during this visit, though it will be the elephant in the room. It will be one of the topics discussed during a meeting of the king and queen with Dutch citizens in the UK at the embassy.

They also wonder why it took 36 years for a new state visit to happen & explain that royal protocol means that a monarch can only pay a state visit to another monarch once. They claim that it took rather long for Willem-Alexander to pay a state visit to the UK due to 'logistic' reasons, the plan for a state visit was already initiated before the 2016 referendum.

They also refer to Queen Juliana's 1972 state visit, where she mentioned that she hoped the UK entry to the EEC would have a positive effect on European integration.

https://translate.google.com/transl...aar-ligt-op-ieders-lippen-a2752169&edit-text=

They also mention that the British ambassador in The Hague is tweeting all kinds of trivia about the bond between the two countries. One of them being that the original name of Downing Street 10 was Overkirk House, named for Count Hendrik of Nassau-Ouwerkerk, the Dutch ambassador who moved to the UK after the Glorious Revolution of Willem III. The count was the son of an illegitimate son of Stadholder Maurits. His own son was created Earl of Grantham (not related to Downton Abbey).

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The orthodox protestant Nederlands Dagblad claims the opposite from the NRC, namely that the main theme of the visit will be Brexit. The matter will be discussed during meetings with Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn, during the state banquet, Westminster Abbey and during a meeting with Dutch citizens living in the UK. The conclusion will be that the bonds of friendship between the two countries is strong enough to survive Brexit.

https://www.nd.nl/nieuws/actueel/bi...tsbezoek-vk-in-teken-van-brexit.3163562.lynkx

They note that in 1982 Queen Beatrix warned the British that it would be a historic mistake if the connection to Europe would be denied by either of the countries, 'spiritually and geographically you belong to this side of the world'. The newspaper claims that the words of Beatrix were a surprise in London as queen Elizabeth has never said anything worth remembering during the 66 years of her reign, according to one of her (QEII's) biographers.

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According to the national broadcaster NOS the overriding message of the visit will be that the two countries intend to stay friends. They also note that Queen Elizabeth II will not be attending most parts of the visit. They say that this is not a snub but that it is caused by her advanced age.

https://nos.nl/artikel/2255574-willem-alexander-mag-op-staatsbezoek-bij-elizabeth.html

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RTL News has an odd article interviewing a protocol specialist who tells the king 'what not to do' when visiting the queen and points out some protocol gaffes, such as the present American president arriving late. They claim that 'on time' means he has to arrive 10 minutes early (?).

According to their protocol specialist the English do not like physical contact (?) . He claims that king Felipe VI made a gaffe by giving the queen a hand kiss and that the queen looked not amused. He claims that also the physical contact of the Obama's was a gaffe: "it is not a party, it is an official welcome that is watched by millions" which means you do not touch each other apparently.

The final advice is that the king needs to allow the queen to walk in front of him.

https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/ned...exander-zo-moet-het-dus-niet-straks-bij-queen
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The right-wing newspaper De Telegraaf notes that the king will not be welcomed by the queen but by the prince of Wales (I am not sure if this is correct?). The queen will only attend the state banquet. The second day the prince of Wales couldn't be bothered either as the king and queen will be accompanied by the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

They also dedicated an article to the Stuart parure and wondering if we will see the Stuart diamond during this visit.

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The satirical show 'Zondag met Lubach' of the left-wing television station VPRO pays attention to the 'romantic city trip' of the king and queen.They made fun of the awkwardness of the king while meeting the Duchess of Cambridge and about his interview with the British press, where he started praising random British airports for no good reason. They conclude that he should not mind his clumsiness as we have been far to nice to the British and just do what the British always do when they visit the Netherlands: get drunk, dress up like a rabbit with a diaper (as they do during stag parties here in Amsterdam) and demolish the bed & breakfast.

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Beau Monde dedicated an article to all the meetings Queen Elizabeth II had with members of the Dutch royal family (leaving out the state visit of Queen Wilhelmina). It has some wonderful photos:

https://www.beaumonde.nl/royalty/staatsbezoek-hoe-close-zijn-de-windsors-en-de-oranjes
 
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Marengo said:
The reporter of royalblog / ANP is noting that in 1982 there were complaints that the media has only very limited access to parts of this visit. He also notes that not much has changed. Due to a tight scheduele, security control, London traffic and limited access he expects that reporting this visit will be rather challenging:

https://gpdhome.typepad.com/nieuwsberichten/2018/10/over-het-staatsbezoek-aan-de-queen.html
Click to expand...

I guess he´s right about 1982. I have never seen any coverage from the BP state banquet. And before the banquet at Hampton court there was only a brief media call where one could see the Royals walking up a corridore and standing in front of a tapestry.
 
This clip has a few seconds of it at 0.28:


Other than that I have not seen anything either. But this time I hope we can follow it on the live cast of Buckingham Palace, as was the case with the Spanish visit.

--
Tonight on NPO2 / MAX (a tv station focused on the elderly) they broadcasted 'Door andere ogen' (through another set of eyes), a program comparing the Orange-Nassau's to the Windsors. The tone seems to be: the cold, stiff & glamorous British Windsors vs. the down-to-earth & human Dutch O-N's. This is the usual angle when comparing the Dutch RF with the British one. IMHO it says more about how we want to see ourselves than about reality.

Lia van Bekhoven (correspondent for the NOS in London): "The British only know that she does her duty, other than that people don't know anything about her and she does not seem to do her work with a lot of pleasure. She killed her first deer during her teenage years and broke the neck of a pheasant a few years ago". They conveniently forgot to mention that the king also hunts animals.

Several comments about the uneasy looks of members of the RF during the wedding ceremony of prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Remarks about the British class society: we are co-citizens, they are subjects. The queen -almost in a medieval fashion- moves from palace to palace depending on the season. We are a country of vicars, showing of your wealth like in those enormous palaces in the UK would be impossible here. When the queen shows her magnificent Goya's, Gainsborough's etc. she usually comments about the painting that it must be 'some Dutch master'.

The program compares Queen Maxima and her work to the British. They showed clips of her talking in an animated way to other people 'like equals' and compare it to 'the semi-sacred way" the British RF is treated.

Lia van Bekhoven claims that Theresa May issued the invitation to show that they still want to be friends with Europe.

The program ends with some attention to the Stuart diamond and with the hope that the queen will wear it this time. "I can not think of a better occasion to wear it' says Marc van der Linden. Quite exceptional to see that on prime time on the second channel.

https://www.npostart.nl/live/npo-2

In short: not a great program, making a caricature of both the Dutch as the British RF's to suit a narrative that would please the viewers.
 
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^ Originally myself and some chums had intended to go and greet the Dutch King, and his wonderful wife as they arrive tomorrow, but his unwarranted interjection regarding Brexit, massively dented our enthusiasm for him, and so instead we will be at Ham House [a fascinating 1660s building] tomorrow.
And your write up of the Television programme regarding our Queen, and the Dutch attitude and Press towards us, merely confirms me in that decision...
I'm saddened that I am no longer so keen on the Dutch, 'but there it is'.
 
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23 October State Visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to the UK. Ceremonial welcome from 11.45am at Horse Guards Parade.

King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery will fire a 41 Gun Salute from Green Park and the Honourable Artillery Company will fire the salute at the Tower of London at 12.10pm.
 
wyevale said:
^ Originally myself and some chums had intended to go and greet the Dutch King, and his wonderful wife as they arrive tomorrow, but his unwarranted interjection regarding Brexit, massively dented our enthusiasm for him, and so instead we will be at Ham House [a fascinating 1660s building] tomorrow.
And your write up of the Television programme regarding our Queen, and the Dutch attitude towards us,[in her regard] merely confirms me in that decision...
I regret I am no longer so keen on the Dutch, 'but there it is'.
Click to expand...

The Queen and the Duke have the warmest relationship with the King, they know their whole life. The Prince and the previous Princess of Wales have known him, as he has spent years in Glamorgan, Wales and visited them. The United Kingdom has a special place in the King's heart, as we have seen at Remembrance Sunday last year, wirh the Dutch royal couple attending (a wish from the King).

The King said nothing else than that he is sorry to see the British go, that he thinks a hard Brexit will have a negative impact, but added that he is convinced that the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are robust and will continue their excellent relationship.

With this the King has voiced the opinion of the Government, of which he is an integral member, as is his constitutional role. It baffles me that you are so hostile because he simply stated the completely obvious. Luckily the Queen and the King will have the warmest sympathy tomorrow, she knows exactly he is a Friend indeed and she knows in the EU of floating sympathies, London usually found and still finds a well-willing ear in The Hague.
 
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Indeed, I can't see what is insulting about regretting that the British are leaving. Rejoicing over their choice would be more of an insult.

As you say, London and The Hague governments are usually rather close. Just a few hours ago Theresa May was praising Prime Minister Mark Rutte twice in the House of Commons during a Brexit debate and highlighting the cooperation between the two countries in the EC and elsewhere to counter Russian meddling in our countries.

Dman said:
It appears that HRH The Duke of Edinburgh will attend the Welcoming Ceremony for r the State Visit and ride in the second carriage with Her Majesty Queen Maxima-
Click to expand...

I was hoping that he would and it is certainly wonderful for him to do so & quite an honor, which underlines Duc's message above.
 
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The Viscount Hood (Lord in Waiting) was present at Royal Air Force Northolt this evening upon the Arrival of The King and Queen of the Netherlands and welcomed Their Majesties on behalf of The Queen.

Court Circular
 
wyevale said:
^ Originally myself and some chums had intended to go and greet the Dutch King, and his wonderful wife as they arrive tomorrow, but his unwarranted interjection regarding Brexit, massively dented our enthusiasm for him, and so instead we will be at Ham House [a fascinating 1660s building] tomorrow.
And your write up of the Television programme regarding our Queen, and the Dutch attitude and Press towards us, merely confirms me in that decision...
I'm saddened that I am no longer so keen on the Dutch, 'but there it is'.
Click to expand...

Agreed. But then, 99% of the British people wouldn't know the Dutch king and queen if they passed them in the street so there's been limited press coverage of the offensive comments. Even fewer would know the Dutch PM.

This much reduced visit has the feeling of an afterthought with very limited press coverage apart from the Mail online who'll cover just about anything.

The meeting of two completely powerless heads of state means nothing for the people of either country and is a complete waste of time, money and effort. I'd far rather my taxes were used for something that would make a real difference.
 
PetticoatLane said:
Agreed. But then, 99% of the British people wouldn't know the Dutch king and queen if they passed them in the street so there's been limited press coverage of the offensive comments. Even fewer would know the Dutch PM.

This much reduced visit has the feeling of an afterthought with very limited press coverage apart from the Mail online who'll cover just about anything.

The meeting of two completely powerless heads of state means nothing for the people of either country and is a complete waste of time, money and effort. I'd far rather my taxes were used for something that would make a real difference.
Click to expand...


Haven´t you voiced this opinion enough over and over again since this state visit was announced...?! :ermm::bang:

Well, the dutch King doesn´t seem to be that powerless as Duc pointed out, WA being part of the dutch government, other than the other european monarchs...:whistling: The King will at least meet both your PM as well as the leader of the opposition which I find quite striking!

I think it is quite a weird view to claim "only heads of state with power can do state visits". As a result of that Britain could never exchange state visits with countries like Denmark, Sweden Germany, Italy, Japan etc. as all of these countries have, royal or presidential, representative heads of state beyond politics!
State visits do exist for several reasons, which I do not want to repeat again like you obviously like to do....!
 
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PetticoatLane said:
Agreed. But then, 99% of the British people wouldn't know the Dutch king and queen if they passed them in the street so there's been limited press coverage of the offensive comments. Even fewer would know the Dutch PM.

This much reduced visit has the feeling of an afterthought with very limited press coverage apart from the Mail online who'll cover just about anything.

The meeting of two completely powerless heads of state means nothing for the people of either country and is a complete waste of time, money and effort. I'd far rather my taxes were used for something that would make a real difference.
Click to expand...


The King of the Netherlands is not that "powerless". Only two weeks ago constitutional specialists urged the Cabinet to appoint a "designated survivor" in case the King and Queen as well his brother Prince Constantijn would be hit in an attack, together with the members of the Council of State (for an example, all assembled in the Hall of Knights for Prinsjesdag).

Argument of Prof. Dr. Paul Bovend'Eert (Constitutional Law, Nijmegen University): "It is more important that there is such a replacement for the King (in case of Amalia's minority) than that members of the Cabinet or the Parliament survive the attack ( :ohmy: ) because the royal authority is necessary, after such a catastrophic attack, to keep the machinery of state running, as every Act, every Royal Decree, every appointment of High Colleges, Governors, Lords Justices, etc. needs the royal assent, which is the legitimation of the authority of the State"
 
:previous:

From what I understood if the King, Queen and Prince Constantijn are unable to do so, the royal power will be transferred to the Counsil of State until the majority of the Princess of Orange. So the idea was to have the Counsil of State appoint a designated survivor who stays behind in a secure location during Prinsjesdag, which is the only time that the entire government, Royal House, parliament and Counsil of State are together on one location.

--
More articles today:

Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/home/nederland...vertellen-over-hun-brexit-problemen~a8dc6eaf/

Focus on Dutch citizens in the UK that want to tell the king about their Brexit-problems.

RTL: https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/ned...willem-alexander-op-staatsbezoek-bij-queen-92

'Finally' the headline says. They mention that it is exceptional for the king to work during the autumn holidays of his daughters but that he made an exception for this state visit. Much of the article focusses on insecurities of businesses and citizens due to Brexit.

NOS: https://nos.nl/artikel/2255967-staatsbezoek-aan-britten-in-spannende-brexit-tijden.html

Headline mentions 'exciting (Brexit)-times'. Apart from attention to Brexit and previous visits they mention that it will be the 112th incoming state visit for Queen Elizabeth II.

Nederlands dagblad: https://www.nd.nl/nieuws/nederland/de-schaduw-van-de-brexit-ligt-over-het.3164106.lynkx

Talking about the 'shadow of Brexit' over the visit and claims that the two royal families serve as a mirror of their countries.

Reformatorisch Dagblad: https://www.rd.nl/vandaag/koninklijk-huis/naar-staatsbezoek-londen-is-al-jaren-toegewerkt-1.1522066

They mention that the visit was in the works for years. They say that for the Dutch king a state visit to the UK can be regarded as the 'champions league of state visits'. They also mention the Zr. Ms. Zeeland passed the Tower Bridge yesterday and is docked in London.


Volkskrant: https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-ac...anjes-north-sea-neighbour-elizabeth~bf21627e/

Also mentions 'the shadow of Brexit' in the headline. The newspaper claims that now regular meetings in Brussels will be a thing of the past, the bilateral meetings will become more important, such as these kind of royal visits. They also claim that Queen Juliana broke three protocol rules within the first five minutes during her 1972 state visit: talking for too long, walking next to the red carpet and kissing the wrong way.
The rest of the article focusses on Brexit.

Algemeen Dagblad: https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/koningin-elizabeth-nodigt-prinses-mabel-uit-voor-staatsbanket~a5ac699c/

Focusses that Princess Mabel has been invited to attent the banquet.
 
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Marengo said:
Tonight on NPO2 / MAX (a tv station focused on the elderly) they broadcasted 'Door andere ogen' (through another set of eyes), a program comparing the Orange-Nassau's to the Windsors. The tone seems to be: the cold, stiff & glamorous British Windsors vs. the down-to-earth & human Dutch O-N's. This is the usual angle when comparing the Dutch RF with the British one. IMHO it says more about how we want to see ourselves than about reality.

Lia van Bekhoven (correspondent for the NOS in London): "The British only know that she does her duty, other than that people don't know anything about her and she does not seem to do her work with a lot of pleasure. She killed her first deer during her teenage years and broke the neck of a pheasant a few years ago". They conveniently forgot to mention that the king also hunts animals.

Several comments about the uneasy looks of members of the RF during the wedding ceremony of prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Remarks about the British class society: we are co-citizens, they are subjects. The queen -almost in a medieval fashion- moves from palace to palace depending on the season. We are a country of vicars, showing of your wealth like in those enormous palaces in the UK would be impossible here. When the queen shows her magnificent Goya's, Gainsborough's etc. she usually comments about the painting that it must be 'some Dutch master'.

The program compares Queen Maxima and her work to the British. They showed clips of her talking in an animated way to other people 'like equals' and compare it to 'the semi-sacred way" the British RF is treated.

Lia van Bekhoven claims that Theresa May issued the invitation to show that they still want to be friends with Europe.

The program ends with some attention to the Stuart diamond and with the hope that the queen will wear it this time. "I can not think of a better occasion to wear it' says Marc van der Linden. Quite exceptional to see that on prime time on the second channel.

https://www.npostart.nl/live/npo-2

In short: not a great program, making a caricature of both the Dutch as the British RF's to suit a narrative that would please the viewers.
Click to expand...
Thanks Marengo! :flowers:

Well, who heck does that Bekhoven woman think she is - and whom is she talking about?
Is she talking about the lady who was described by commentators (during The 80th Birthday Celebrations in 2006, The Diamond Jubilee in 2012, The Longest Reigning Monarch milestone in 2015, The 90th Birthday Celebrations in 2016 and to this day) as ''The Queen of People's hearts, The People's Queen, Elizabeth the Great, The Queen of the World and the worlds most popular/famous/iconic person''?
Or did she talk about the lady who went on walkabouts (with her smiley face) from 1970 to 2013, or the lady who was driven in the ''Queenmobile'' (open-top car) from 1952 to 2013?
Or did she talk about the lady who has modernized the monarchy with allowing film-teams to follow her for BBC/ITV documentaries in 1969, 1992, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2016? - Or when she marked her two last Jubilees with pop/rock-concerts in 2002 & 2012, or when she ''jumped'' with James Bond during the Olympic?
Or did she talk about the lady who is known for her kind, warm, caring, calm and down-to-earth personality who always shows up with a smile on her face?
Or did she talk about the lady described by Royal Author, Robert Hardman, like this a few weeks ago:
On today's world stage, one leader stands apart. Queen Elizabeth II has seen more of the planet and its people than any other head of state, and has engaged with them like no other monarch in British history. Since her coronation, she has visited over 130 countries across the ever-changing globe, acting as diplomat, stateswoman, pioneer and peace-broker.

She has transformed her father’s old empire into the Commonwealth, her ‘family of nations’, and has come to know its leaders better than anyone. In 2018, they would gather in her own home to endorse her eldest son, the Prince of Wales, as her successor.

With extensive access to the Queen’s family and staff, Hardman tells a true story full of drama, intrigue, exotic and even dangerous situations, heroes, rogues, pomp and glamour – and, at the centre of it all, the woman who has genuinely won the hearts of the world.
Click to expand...
Hmm, was there anything more to say? Well, two more things: According to several friends of HM (including Anne, Lady Glenconner), she actually enjoys being monarch (not that difficult to see either BTW).
And we actually know much more about the Queen (due to all the documentaries/books) than we does about any other head of state in the world today.

--------------------

But Bekhoven probably got her information from a Dutch expert, who apparently don't know what he/she is talking about.
And if we take other members of the BRF: Well, both Charles, Camilla, the Cambridges, Sussexes & Sophie is (like the Queen) as down-to-earth as the DRF (if not even more).
 
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Nice that Princess Mabel is invited for the State Banquet. I think she will not wear an Order, as even at the Investiture of her brother-in-law she was not seen with any Order at all.
 
Royal Norway said:
Well, who heck does that Bekhoven woman think she is - and whom is she talking about?
Click to expand...

Lia Bekhoven lives and has lived as a correspondent in the UK for decades. But the RF obviously is not her forte. Most things she is telling seem to be from the British tabloids themselves. There will be very few Dutch experts on the British queen and the articles we do get here are often quick translations of articles in the Daily Mail and such. I doubt the vast majority of people here will know much more than the period of Diana's funeral and the fact that she will never abdicate.

If Beatrix would still be reigning the angle of the down-to-earth Dutch RF would not have been possible either because Queen Beatrix was a lot of things but not very down-to-earth. Comparing a 50 y/o man with a 92 y/o woman obviously will find differences in style.

Duc_et_Pair said:
Nice that Princess Mabel is invited for the State Banquet. I think she will not wear an Order, as even at the Investiture of her brother-in-law she was not seen with any Order at all.
Click to expand...


I don't think that she has any orders. The only honor she has will be the king's inauguration medal
 
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