Dutch King and Queen Begin State Visit to India

Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima started today, Monday October 14, a five-day state visit to India.
The Royal Couple was officially welcomed during a welcoming ceremony held in the courtyard of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Indian Presidential Palace, in New Delhi.
At the ceremony were present the Indian President, Ram Nath Kovind, along with his wife Savita Kovind and the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Then the King and the Queen paid a visit to the Raj Ghat monument, the memorial site dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi where they laid a wreath and signed the guestbook.
Afterward King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima met with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Minister of External Affairs of India and then they had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi followed by a lunch.
In the afternoon the Royal Couple made a visit to the Barapullah Water Drain where, at the presence of Dutch and Indian young professionals, they were informed about water technology and water purification.
In the evening took place a state banquet hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind.
King Willem-Alexander started his speech by thanking the President for his hospitality, adding that his love for India “was inherited from my father and mother from an early age, who had a warm place in their hearts for this country”. The King also praised the country because “proves that democracy and freedom are stronger and more durable than coercion” and also that “We welcome your support for the United Nations and your commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals”.

Het Koninklijk Paar legt een krans bij het Gandhi-monument, het Raj Ghat genoemd. Het monument is ter nagedachtenis aan Mahatma Gandhi. Vervolgens strooit het Paar bloembladeren over het monument. #NLINDIA #staatsbezoek pic.twitter.com/k49p5n52Vx

— Koninklijk Huis (@koninklijkhuis) October 14, 2019

King Willem-Alexander at the state banquet in New Delhi: “I inherited my love of India from my mother and father. They both had enormous affection for this country (…) India is overwhelming: a galaxy of peoples, cultures, languages and beliefs.” https://t.co/0Szo9Rz3lr #NLINDIA pic.twitter.com/lARzY77oDV

— Koninklijk Huis (@koninklijkhuis) October 14, 2019

Filed under The Netherlands
Tagged India, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, State Visit.

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