Dutch State Visit to France: March 10-11, 2016


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Nico said:
State dinner : business dress code, as usual (and expected).

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos...-france-francois-hollande-picture-id514666124

State Dinner in Honor of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima At Elysee Palace Thumbnails - Pictures - Zimbio
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I don't understand why the French made a dressing code exception for the British monarch and not for King of the Netherlands or the King of Sweden. There is no reason to give special treatment to one monarch over another.
 
Queens Juliana and Beatrix did they also prononce prononce a toast in French during their State Visits?
Was it expected that the King would do it in French ? He did well.

Duc do you speak french as well as your King ? or even better ??
 
Mbruno said:
I don't understand why the French made a dressing code exception for the British monarch and not for King of the Netherlands or the King of Sweden. There is no reason to give special treatment to one monarch over another.
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It was her 5th, and probably last, visit to France. Plus it was during the 70th anniversary of the DDAY landings, where she was guest of honor.
A visit of QEII is always an exception, not only in France : in 2007 she was entertained at the White House with a white tie banquet, the only one in the entire Bush administration.
 
maria-olivia said:
Queens Juliana and Beatrix did they also prononce prononce a toast in French during their State Visits?
Was it expected that the King would do it in French ? He did well.

Duc do you speak french as well as your King ? or even better ??
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Yes, Queen Beatrix often spoke in French in France as well as in other countries like Spain.

Nico said:
It was her 5th, and probably last, visit to France. Plus it was during the 70th anniversary of the DDAY landings, where she was guest of honor.
A visit of QEII is always an exception, not only in France : in 2007 she was entertained at the White House with a white tie banquet, the only one in the entire Bush administration.
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I guess I could take the D-Day and Queen Elizabeth's seniority excuses, but your example of the white-tie White House banquet seems to confirm that Queen Elizabeth II outranks her fellow Heads of State or, at least, is treated that way.

From a certain point of view, I understand that, as the HoS of 16 different countries and the Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II does enjoy a special status. However, she is no longer the head of a worldwide empire as the British Empire used to be in the early 20th century. The exceptional deferrence accorded to the British monarch seems to be an outdated relic of a past that is long gone now. I wonder if it will apply to Charles too when he is King (probably not, I guess).
 
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Nico said:
No, he will not.
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As we see from the pictures he doesn't even follow the dresscode for the Return Event. Really a shame.
 
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EmmaNL said:
I know, just joking :flowers:

First better pictures from ANP: https://www.anpfoto.nl/search.pp?eventid=1926594

I really think I like the dress. It really looks cool. And the Queen is so slim!
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So let's be clear : it was a black tie event and the President of the French Republic just showed up with a business suit (and apparently the same from last night).
Ok i'm done with him, i mean really.
 
EmmaNL said:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CdSoSx6UYAAhKg9.jpg:large
https://twitter.com/JeroenSnel/status/708374851258556416 (nice arrival video)

So this is how we do it: the return concert in black tie! I see some nice diamond earrings and a necklace! Hope Hollande learns something from this, with his stupid state banquets in business suits.
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Splendid how the Dutch King brought dozens of footmen with torches with him! Thát is decorum.

It is rare that the dresscode for the contra-prestation is higher than the dresscode of the evening before! It is beyond belief that the Président de la République appears in that awful wrinkled polyester sweaty suit. The Dutch guests did their best to wow Paris but in turn the French President.... Good heavens!
 
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Nico said:
So let's be clear : it was a black tie event and the President of the French Republic just showed up with a business suit (and apparently the same from last night).
Ok i'm done with him, i mean really.
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Yeah, me too. Worst thing of all: he showed up, ten minutes late, went in and left ten minutes later, before the concert had even started. :bang: I really can't believe this. It's really stupid and arrogant.

I mean: what does this man think?
 
EmmaNL said:
Yeah, me too. Worst thing of all: he showed up, ten minutes late, went in and left ten minutes later, before the concert had even started. :bang: I really can't believe this. It's really stupid and arrogant.

I mean: what does this man think?
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Wait WHAT ?????
 
Just saw M le Président.... It is beyond belief that the Président de la république française appears in an awful wrinkled polyester sweaty suit. In the city of Hermès, of Gaultier, of Lanvin, of Gustavolins...

The Dutch guests did their best to wow Paris but in turn the French President.... My annual corporate dinner has a better dresscode than the Palais de l'Élysée last evening!
 
You know what ? Im must apologize to some. I was ready to defend my country, ready to avoid to blame systematically my current head of state for the lack of panache during state visits, ready to explain the somewhat casual dress code during state dinners.
But tonight, TONIGHT, when the President of the French Republic came to an event where apparently the hosts made such efforts and showed in the wrong attire and just left 10 mins later ! Well i'm desperate to say that tonight i'm totally ashamed.
 
Nico said:
You know what ? Im must apologize to some. I was ready to defend my country, ready to avoid to blame systematically my current head of state for the lack of panache during state visits, ready to explain the somewhat casual dress code during state dinners.
But tonight, TONIGHT, when the President of the French Republic came to an event where apparently the hosts made such efforts and showed in the wrong attire and just left 10 mins later ! Well i'm desperate to say that tonight i'm totally ashamed.
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I know M Hollande is a socialist but hey... there are tens of thousands people earning their bread in couture. Is thát not socialist too???? Why taking pride in driving a nice Renault, Citroën or Peugeot limousine, why flying in a plane or helicopter from Airbus but not showing equal pride in French products like a well-tailored cravate-noire suit from Maison Arnys, Rue de Sèvres, Paris?????

:ermm:
 
On the Glittering Royal Events Message Board some Dutch posters nagged that King Willem-Alexander presented himself as the CEO of The Netherlands Inc. instead of being His Majesty The King. But this evening, being in charge himself, you can see that he has eye for decorum and style, see the footmen, the flower decorations, the choice of the Petit Palais as venue. It is not his fault that the diner at the Palais de l'Élysée was so low key. I am sure Máxima had dazzled with her best jewels when M Hollande had said "It will be cravate-blanche".
 
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Let me put it this way:

I am far from disappointed in tonights concert event! The King and Queen of the Netherlands looked stunning, Queen Maxima was, in the words of Al_bina, ravishing, the venue was incredible and the atmosphere of Paris at night as wonderful as ever. The French should be proud of being able to provide a delightful backdrop for a state visit. As for the president? He should have been a very important element to the occasion, but chose to fail the office of the President of France.
 
maria-olivia said:
Queens Juliana and Beatrix did they also prononce prononce a toast in French during their State Visits?
Was it expected that the King would do it in French ? He did well.

Duc do you speak french as well as your King ? or even better ??
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No, I do not speak French that good, I can understand every word (passive French) but I make grammatical errors when I have to formulate in a conversation (active French). But daily communication is no any problem.

Here you see Queen Beatrix making her discours in Spain, in French (!), the standard language at all royal courts. Go to 5 minutes and hear S.M. la Reina Doña Beatriz de los Países-Bajos speaking in the language of Molière:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y40vlEEpH8s

:flowers:

So glamorous: look at the mise-en-scène, look at the fleurs des Pays-Bas transported to the Petit Palais!


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CdS2N-IUsAAAiuQ.jpg
 
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Jacknch said:
Let me put it this way:

I am far from disappointed in tonights concert event! The King and Queen of the Netherlands looked stunning, Queen Maxima was, in the words of Al_bina, ravishing, the venue was incredible and the atmosphere of Paris at night as wonderful as ever. The French should be proud of being able to provide a delightful backdrop for a state visit. As for the president? He should have been a very important element to the occasion, but chose to fail the office of the President of France.
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The French President could at least have worn black tie,he looked out of place against that sumptuous setting,perhaps François Hollande should invest in some new evening attire.
 
An Ard Ri said:
The French President could at least have worn black tie,he looked out of place against that sumptuous setting,perhaps François Hollande should invest in some new evening attire.
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And while at that,maybe he should reserve his french arrogance for others then the hosts of last night!!The little creep just stayed for almost 15 minutes and then just left!!!The nerve!!He left the evening that was a present to him and France.How F***** typical arrogance,excuse my language!Would he have done the same with Obama or Lillibeth???I don't think so...But it shows the arrogance of this petit nuisance of a president.Furious?Yes.Very!
If e isn't able to set a positive example,how does anyone expect us to respect the French top?The arrogance shown is unforgivable and all guests were "not amused" by petit Francois behaviour!But then what's new,ask them at KLM what they really think of their French partner.....Starts with an A followed by an M-word,and that's right spot on!
 
What did you think of the Dutch contra-prestation, Lucien? I was very surprised by the grand setting, the glamour, the flowers, the torch-bearing footmen, the sparkling Queen. On the GREMB some Dutch posters nagged about Willem-Alexander just wanting to be the CEO of Netherlands Inc but also here again the royal couple made a great show of their contra-prestation, like they did in Copenhagen. This was really a sort of time-warp back in Ye Olde Days, when Queen Juliana used to fly her staff in for a grand event! I am very positively impressed. The last year Hollande was visited by the Kings of Sweden, Spain, Belgium and Jordan. None of them made such a grande spectacle as Leurs Majestés le Roi et la Reine des Pays-Bas.

Don't blame the French. Parisians love a good show. It is just the President and his idea of destroying French monarchal grandeur befitting a Président de la république française. The King and Queen were transported in one of the hundreds Zéro Emission-busses made for the Ville de Paris by VDL Bus in Eindhoven. Royal Dutch Shell and Total/Elf Oil from France are going to explore new low-emission fuels. Philips is in the market to replace all Paris monumental lighting with innovative OLED-lighting, the Dutch railways have ordered hundreds of new trains at Alsthom (a French-Dutch-German carriage constructor) for their new trains. It is really not only KLM-Air France ;-)
 
The King and Queen gave the President their usual cadeau: two replicas of a 17th C Delft blue tulip vase which were brought into fashion by Mary II Stuart, Princess of Orange (and Queen of England, Scotland, Ireland). The vases were made in exactly the 17th C techniques by De Porceleyne Fles in Delft.

On his turn the President gave the King a horloge. The King seems a lover of horloges and has some 150 expensive ones in his drawer... The Queen was given a clutch by a Paris couture house.

In comparison with the Sultan of Brunei, the French President got smaller Delftblue vases. This has to do with reciprocity. The costs of the gifts from both sides must be in more or less the same league. When Queen Beatrix visited Schloss Oranienbaum in Germany, she donated big vases to line a stairway there, so it is not solely to Presidents etc.


These to the Sultan of Brunei

These to Schloss Oranienbaum
 
wartenberg7 said:
OMG! Could state visits turn out any worse?!
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What was worse? There was not even a contra-prestation for the Spanish and Belgian visits, only a "reception" and away the guests were... At least the Dutch made some spectacle.
 
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Duc_et_Pair said:
What was worse? There was not even a contra-prestation for the Spanish and Belgian visits, only a "reception" and away the guests were... At least the Dutch made some spectacle.
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Are you serious?! A host snubbing his guests by staying only 15 min. is hardly an ignorance that could be topped! Do you invite someone to your birthday party and then say goodbye after a couple of minutes?
Do you really mean the bad belgian and spanish examples would do the dutch disaster any better?
Hollande didn´t left anything out to proof how "socialiste" and "modest" he was (though I don´t see any oposition in being socialiste and being polite and a good host a country can be proud of). And yes, like a fellow poster said, I also believe he wouldn´t have dared this behaviour if the Queen (here he - wow! - even wore black tie...), the US President, the Pope or even Putin would have visited!
I was very pleased to see that Queen Elizabeth ignored both the dress code in Paris like in Berlin last year where both she wore her jewels and orders of those 2 countries respectively. Again she´s a role model for others that should follow her example in that respect, too.
 
wartenberg7 said:
Are you serious?! A host snubbing his guests by staying only 15 min. is hardly an ignorance that could be topped! Do you invite someone to your birthday party and then say goodbye after a couple of minutes?
Do you really mean the bad belgian and spanish examples would do the dutch disaster any better?
Hollande didn´t left anything out to proof how "socialiste" and "modest" he was (though I don´t see any oposition in being socialiste and being polite and a good host a country can be proud of). And yes, like a fellow poster said, I also believe he wouldn´t have dared this behaviour if the Queen (here he - wow! - even wore black tie...), the US President, the Pope or even Putin would have visited!
I was very pleased to see that Queen Elizabeth ignored both the dress code in Paris like in Berlin last year where both she wore her jewels and orders of those 2 countries respectively. Again she´s a role model for others that should follow her example in that respect, too.
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Herr Gauck, Herr Wulff and Herr Kölher (Presidents of Germany) also have been in awkward overlooked situations, despite being heads-of-state of the most powerful West-European state, as all eyes are on Frau Merkel.

Then the dresscode. Tastes differ. When ladies are not even in long dress and gentlemen are wearing suit, then Queen Elizabeth stepping out of the car with her white granny hairdo adorned with a diadem, a big sash over her dress and her husband bowing down under the weight of medals, it becomes a walking anachronism. The dresscode should fit with the colour locale otherwise people are making a fool of themselves.

Queen Máxima wore a white dress with sparkling gold sequins and her set of Borneo diamonds, which belong to her best diamonds. She did her best. When she would have stepped out of that car in a long robe with a sparkling diadem on her head while tout Paris was just in sweaty polyester suits, she was making a fool of herself.

Here an example of a total mismatch

Here another example of totally derailing dresscodes
 
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