State Visit from Argentina to The Netherlands: March 27-28, 2017

[carlota]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

That is interesting. Het Loo Castle is not currently available to the Dutch royal family as a residence and I am not even sure it is habitable. The King could not invite Macri and his wife to stay there without consulting the Dutch government.

The Argentinian press (the normally reliable Clarín, which does not qualify as "trash press") still maintains that the president stayed at Villa Eikenhorst over the weekend and moved to the Royal Palace of Amsterdam on Sunday.

Either way, it is highly irregular that the Macris were private guests of the King and Queen before the official state visit began. Their private friendship notwithstanding, that shows to me: (1) how much Willem-Alexander is influenced by Máxima, and (2) how Máxima still likes to meddle into the internal affairs of her home country, whose citizenship she never renounced (she claims it is legally impossible to do so).

yes, clarin is a reputable source. however, i think this time they must have gotten it wrong. i very much doubt that on a state visit the guest presidential couple would be invited to the personal residence of WA and maxima. unless wasenaar was explicitly reported, my guess is that this was a misinterpretation on the part of clarin. in this article of the cancillery of argentina, it explicitly mentions that the presidential couple stayed at het loo 'over the weekend' (and i doubt they could stay at two different places at the same time ). it does however mention WA and maxima were there with them.

En Holanda, Macri pone las inversiones al tope de la agenda | Síntesis de Prensa Nacional

Máxima still likes to meddle into the internal affairs of her home country, whose citizenship she never renounced (she claims it is legally impossible to do so)

she does not 'claim' that - it is the law. once an argentinian, always an argentinian. there's some countries of which you cannot renounce citizenship and argentina is one of them.

on the influence of maxima on WA... well, which wife does not have influence over her husband?

Originally Posted by Alisa

Thanks for all the photos.
I cannot but help to compare the difference in interaction between Juliana Awada and Queen Máxima and Juliana Awada sns Queen Letizia. I was delightfully surprised by how well Juliana and Queen Letizia got along and how affectionate they were. I thought for sure that there would be even MORE of that given that it is Queen Máxima's home country and she reportedly knows the couple well. However it appears to be the opposite.

you are right, i was also confused (but not surprised) by this.

maxima and the macris met at davos when his mandate started:

Clarín HD - DAVOS. Mauricio Macri, junto a su esposa Juliana...

the ambiance was very amicable. my guess is that maxima, as the argentinian she is, was pleased to see change happening in the country following the 3 mandates of the kirchners (now cristina kirchner being judged for corruption). a year later, however, macri's mandate hasn't been much of a success either, and on top of that his name was in the panama papers. so i guess maxima feels what most argentinians feel - that the change wasn't as positive as they initially predicted.
letizia probably has her own views on this too, but does not have skin in the game, whereas maxima does... so maybe that is what is showing on this occasion which did not show in the spanish visit.
or maybe i am reading too much between the lines. we shall see over the next few days.

[Duc_et_Pair]

This is a State Visit, with all protocol and decorum. Both Queen Máxima as well the First Lady were subject to solemn ceremonial. Besides that: the atmosphere was a bit tense because of audible disruptions of Argentineans pro and contra President Macri, as well protestors from Amnesty International, from the Madres de Plaza del Mayo, etc.

The arrival ceremony for the State Visit to Spain was on a gated, secluded area. The arrival ceremony in Amsterdam was on the busiest hot-spot of the city, for all to see and to hear. That is a total different feel than on a secluded area as the Pardo Palace or La Zarzuela. Even the gigantic cour of the Palacio Real in Madrid was closed for onlookers when President Macri was there.

Today all passing on Dam Square had an intresting day with colourful military ceremonial, music, royals and watching chique folks in a sparkling sunshine.

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

That is interesting. Het Loo Castle is not currently available to the Dutch royal family as a residence and I am not even sure it is habitable. The King could not invite Macri and his wife to stay there without consulting the Dutch government.

.

The mediaeval Caste Het Oude Loo is at the disposal of the King. In the 1950's Princess Wilhelmina donated the vast Royal Domains to the State. "The Lady High Donoress" (as is the wording in the notary acts) however stipulated that revenues and usufruct are for the Bearer of the Crown and that -in case of an end of the monarchy- the Royal Domains will be returned to the royal family or they will be compensated by the State for the value of the domains.

In return there is a beautiful large nature reserve in densely populated Netherlands accessible for all and everyone. In the "Batavian Republic" (the short Stadtholderless period before Napoleon made the Netherlands part of the French Empire) Het Loo Palace was confiscated by the then anti-Orangist Government. After the return of the Oranges the State promised to give the palace in usufruct and pay for the upkeep (which was wisely accepted by Willem I: having the pleasures but not the burdens...).

Until the Donation in the 1950's the Crown Estate and the old castle were private property. Now the state pays for the upkeep and gives it in usufruct to the King. The King can use Het Loo Palace as well, which has a museal and representative function. Het Loo is more or less the "life insurance" for an eventually dethroned royal family: when the monarchy falls, they still can enjoy a fabulous estate, like their German dethroned counterparts so to say.

[lucien]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

That is interesting. Het Loo Castle is not currently available to the Dutch royal family as a residence and I am not even sure it is habitable. The King could not invite Macri and his wife to stay there without consulting the Dutch government.

The Argentinian press (the normally reliable Clarín, which does not qualify as "trash press") still maintains that the president stayed at Villa Eikenhorst over the weekend and moved to the Royal Palace of Amsterdam on Sunday.

Either way, it is highly irregular that the Macris were private guests of the King and Queen before the official state visit began. Their private friendship notwithstanding, that shows to me: (1) how much Willem-Alexander is influenced by Máxima, and (2) how Máxima still likes to meddle into the internal affairs of her home country, whose citizenship she never renounced (she claims it is legally impossible to do so).

Habitable?Oh well ofcourse it is,very much so!!Beautifull appartements et tout!Whatever gave you the idea HM has to ask the Government to use it when it's at HIS and the Rf's disposal and in use when they so wish.At the disposal of the Royal Family,always was....It does help if one reads a tad more..

And,it really is impossible for Argentinian citizens to get rit of their citizenship.so,
comprendo,so,so it isn't " a claim"by Her Majesty.

And,as we here in NL all know,there is a long standing friendship between the two countries,so,so it is inevitable that every once in a couple of decades the Heads of State meet as one does in civilised countries.Civilised countries I said...Now it happens that Her Majesty originates from Argentina.Both TM have a far greater role internationally,especially HM the Queen,so,so she gets to meet tout le monde.Her wish is not the reason the Government issues invites for State Visits,it is very much the Government who decides in my country...and thank goodness for that.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by EmmaNL

For guests coming from far away countries, it is not very rare that they arrive before the actual start of the visit to get over their jetlag. Foreign royal visitors stay with the King and Queen very often when they visit the Netherlands. They often stay at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, although both Villa Eikenhorst and the new palace for the King and Queen (Huis ten Bosch) have a guest wing.

In fact: it really is legally impossible to renounce your Argentinan citizenship. So Her Majesty is very right on that. In fact, her daughters can choose to get an Argentinan citizenship too when they reach the age of 18. There are more countries in the world where it is impossible to renounce your citizenship.

According to Clarín, the Argentinian first couple had prior reservations for the weekend at a local hotel. Clearly they were not expecting an invitation to stay with the King and Queen as private guests and the invitation didn't come untl the last minute actually. To me, it was clearly a political gesture to boost Macri's domestic standing in Argentina.

Again, I wonder if the Dutch government was consulted.

In fact: it really is legally impossible to renounce your Argentinan citizenship. So Her Majesty is very right on that. In fact, her daughters can choose to get an Argentinan citizenship too when they reach the age of 18. There are more countries in the world where it is impossible to renounce your citizenship.

I will frame it as a different question: did Máxima surrender her Argentinian passport ? I would assume so, but I'm not sure.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by lucien

Habitable?Oh well ofcourse it is,very much so!!Beautifull appartements et tout!Whatever gave you the idea HM has to ask the Government to use it when it's at HIS and the Rf's disposal and in use when they so wish.At the disposal of the Royal Family,always was....It does help if one reads a tad more..

And,it really is impossible for Argentinian citizens to get rit of their citizenship.so,
comprendo,so,so it isn't " a claim"by Her Majesty.

And,as we here in NL all know,there is a long standing friendship between the two countries,so,so it is inevitable that every once in a couple of decades the Heads of State meet as one does in civilised countries.Civilised countries I said...Now it happens that Her Majesty originates from Argentina.Both TM have a far greater role internationally,especially HM the Queen,so,so she gets to meet tout le monde.Her wish is not the reason the Government issues invites for State Visits,it is very much the Government who decides in my country...and thank goodness for that.

All royal palaces are currently owned by the State. According to the website of the Royal House, the only palaces that are currently at the disposal of the Royal Family are Huis Ten Bosch (as a residence), the Noordeinde Palace, and the Royal Palace of Amsterdam.

It is true though that, while the Het Loo Palace is now a museum, the Old Loo castle is rented from the State by the King as a guesthouse. So, it makes sense that it should be habitable.

[Koningin]

According to official schedule, banquet is going to begin on 19:30 CET (14:30 argentinian time).

[muriel]

Any pictures from the state dinner yet?

[duke of poliganc]

House Diamonds Necklace

[muriel]

Originally Posted by duke of poliganc

House Diamonds Necklace

Fantastic! Great to see this necklace out finally.

[dbarn67]

OMG!!!!! They appear...all hail Queen Maxima!!!!

[Stefan]

Nice that she brings this finally out after it has been in the Vaulsts for over 40 years. So next he Stuart tiara.

[suztav]

Wowza!!!! Now that is some bling!!

[Tilia C.]

I'm completely wowed! Queen Maxima looks absolutely splendid. The necklace is really beautiful. I had thought that is was a stunning whopper, but it's also graceful and flattering, imo. I'm looking forward to more pictures of tonight.

[dazzling]

Originally Posted by duke of poliganc

House Diamonds Necklace

Maxima looks stunning!
Quite a nice visit so far. Look forward to tomorrows events.

[eya]

Photos from gala

Belga Image

http://www.vanitatis.elconfidencial....a-gala_1356204

[duke of poliganc]

is queen maxima wearing a different order than the one queen letizia wore ?! is it a dutch order ?!

[lucien]

Originally Posted by duke of poliganc

is queen maxima wearing a different order than the one queen letizia wore ?! is it a dutch order ?!

Yes,and the highest in that section....as a Queen befits

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by lucien

Yes,and the highest in that section....as a Queen befits

But why wasn't she given an argentinian Order?

[EmmaNL]

Originally Posted by duke of poliganc

is queen maxima wearing a different order than the one queen letizia wore ?! is it a dutch order ?!

Yes, it's a Dutch order.
The Argentinan Orders a President can award are only for foreigners (like the one Letizia wore). Queen Máxima is, as was mentioned here before, still Argentinan, since she can't renounce her citizenship, so she can't have this order and she is still wearing her Dutch order.

For the record: she always says she feels Dutch and is Dutch, however, the Argentinan law says that a citizen can't renounce his or her citizenship and can't surrender his or her passport. In the Netherlands, you can have two passports, so Queen Máxima both has a Dutch and an Argentinan passport. She is Dutch since 17th of May 2001 (her 30th birthday).