Click on image to see hpoto at haagsallerlei.nl

 Princesses Máxima and Laurentien of The Netherlands had several public engagements during the last two days. On Tuesday night princess Máxima visited the  new Culturalis Theater in the Schilderswijk in The Hague.

The Culturalis is an amateur theater for young people. The princess arrived at the theater on the Hobbema street at 8PM and left two hours later. She opened the theater by hitting on an Indonesian gong. For the occassion the princess wore a pink dress from Natan that she recently also wore during her visit to New York.

Yesterday princess Máxima visited two projects of the Orange Fund. She visited the foundation Ster and the foundation Two Get There. both of them are active to help vulnerabe children in The Netherlands.  Ster organises holidays for insecure children from 8 to 13. Two Get There stimulatues langiage development of children. Both foundations are supported by the Orange Fund, of which princess Máxima is the patron.

Click on image to see photo at PPE

While Máxima visited these projects, princess Laurentien was in Rotterdam to launch her childrens book ‘Mr Finney en de wereld op zijn kop‘ (Mr. Finney and the world upside down).  The book has been illustrated by Sieb Posthuma and together they presented the book to the press. The princess was accompanied by her husband, prince Constantijn. Princess Irene of The Netherlands, sister of queen Beatrix, also attended the presentation.

More about the book at: www.mrfinney.nl

Marengo Dutch Royals Prince Constantijn, Princess Irene of the Netherlands, Princess Laurentien, Princess Máxima, The Orange Fund

In an exclusive interview to celebrate her 70th birthday, HRH Princess Irene of the Netherlands has spoken of her struggle to accept her royal status.

During the interview/documentary which was aired on Tuesday night in Holland on Nederland 2, Irene told how she couldn’t cope with the separation between herself and the people her royal title and family brought. “I always wanted to be a normal human being,” the Princess said, adding she had to “work a lot” to accept the fact she was a princess.

Princess Irene said in the documentary that she prefers to use her father’s last name, van Lippe-Biesterfeld: “It made a tremendous difference to me whether I answered the phone as Princess Irene or Irene van Lippe-Biesterfeld. It helped me to be closer to the people.” She does however use her title occasionally when it will assist in bringing her message across.

Filmed at her home in Holland and now more at peace with her place and role in life, Princess Irene also spoke of her the great joy that her granddaughter, Julia Ten Cate (Princess Margarita’s only child), has brought to her life. “It is more than I have ever experienced before,” she said.

Click here to read Princess Irene’s birthday thread. Read more…

JessRulz Dutch Royals Biography, Birthday, Interview, Princess Irene of the Netherlands