State Visit from Belgium to The Netherlands: November 28-30, 2016

[Duc_et_Pair]

It is 17.00 hours and I browsed Belgian online frontpages:

Het Laatste Nieuws - nothing
De Standaard - an article about a border correction with a 2 years old picture
De Morgen - nothing
Le Soir - the same article as De Standaard but with a picture from today
La Dernière Heure - nothing
La Libre Belgique - nothing

Two weeks ago the Dutch royal couple visited Australia and New Zealand. In all Dutch newsmedia this was reported, often with photo- and videostreams. The same today.

What a difference. No wonder the Belgians hear or see nothing about their royals: the media simply ignore them (unless it are juicy scandals around Albert, Laurent or Delphine)...

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

It is 17.00 hours and I browsed Belgian online frontpages:

Het Laatste Nieuws - nothing
De Standaard - an article about a border correction with a 2 years old picture
De Morgen - nothing
Le Soir - the same article as De Standaard but with a picture from today
La Dernière Heure - nothing
La Libre Belgique - nothing

Two weeks ago the Dutch royal couple visited Australia and New Zealand. In all Dutch newsmedia this was reported, often with photo- and videostreams. The same today.

What a difference. No wonder the Belgians hear or see nothing about their royals: the media simply ignore them (unless it are juicy scandals around Albert, Laurent or Delphine)...

I expect there will be some coverage of the state banquet though.

[maria-olivia]

PEE agency will do it !

[lucien]

Originally Posted by maria-olivia

PEE agency will do it !

OH dear...I hope not,I hope PPE agency will step in on time!

[Duc_et_Pair]

Usually a ceremonial battery fom the Corps Riding Artillery fires gunsalutes during the welcome ceremony of a State Visit: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cnnawMCHVaw/maxresdefault.jpg

How was that done today in Amsterdam, since the King came per car? With gunshots from naval frigates?

Nice picture and good that the ceremonial was done in the centre and at the airport! Picture: https://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/binari...e-erewacht.jpg

[lucien]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

Usually a ceremonial battery fom the Corps Riding Artillery fires gunsalutes during the welcome ceremony of a State Visit: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cnnawMCHVaw/maxresdefault.jpg

How was that done today in Amsterdam, since the King came per car? With gunshots from naval frigates?

No,none of that.


looking at the members and guests in this thread at this time,I suppose all are awaiting the truly glittering appearances in little under one hour...:)...

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by lucien

No,none of that.

[...]

Really? When King Carl XVI Gustaf arrived for an official visit, a ceremonial battery welcomed him with a thundering salvo:i

http://www.korpsrijdendeartillerie.n...4-2009_017.JPG

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

Nice picture and good that the ceremonial was done in the centre and at the airport! Picture: https://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/binari...e-erewacht.jpg

Just noticed some white smoke coming from a chimney at the Palace,would give it a cosy ambiance inside!

[wartenberg7]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

In Belgian media there seem to live mixed feelings about the State Visit: "Finally Philippe can go to a kingdom where everything works normal, he can escape his disfunctional family, he can learn from the true people-players WA and Máxima" (Jan van den Berghe in De Standaard).

But yesterday in the program Blauw Bloed the three Belgian guests in the former palace of Willem I in Antwerp classified Máxima as a "pretty duck" and Mathilde as a "gracious swan". Their reasoning was not consistent: "Máxima was never raised to be Queen and at the age of 20 she never knew she would be Queen". Complete bollocks: was Mathilde, living in deep green forests of the Ardennes raised to be Queen? Did she know on the age of 20 she would be Queen?

Then the three experts thought that Amalia should be in public more, like Elisabeth. Again they are not consistent: Elisabeth is years older than Amalia. And in the Netherlands on King's Day we see the princesses live on TV as well for the several photoshoots, sports tournaments, etc. In my assessment there is no difference between Elisabeth and Amalia.
Then they did a bit of Kremlin-watching: the King hugged Felipe and Frederik but did not hug Philippe. Conclusion: the relationship with Spain and Denmark is warmer than with Belgium... Seldom I have seen such fact-free blabla...

Seems to be the usual gossip talking about things when you don´t really know what to talk about... Well, a state visit as such is nothing exciting to most people so you start talking nonsense to be able to say anything.

Talking about the dutch Queen as a "pretty duck" is really an outrageous thing to say! It´s very different from what is always said about her in the german media where is nothing but praise for Máxima. I cannot recall all these years having ever heard something negative about the Queen here...!

But I remember Mathilde having been compared with Queen Rania this spring and this time it wasn´t really flattering for her, too! Because of her height the writer compared her with a very plump, huge animal (which I don´t recall) - so, everything is in the eye of the beholder.

[stephanievl]

First pic of the state dinner
https://www.anpfoto.nl/search.pp?ShowPicture=48653876

[polyesco]

short video of Mathilde losing her shoe
https://twitter.com/BirgitHerteleer/...09391952875520

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by stephanievl

First pic of the state dinner
https://www.anpfoto.nl/search.pp?ShowPicture=48653876

Great to see such a large group posing.

[Fürstin Taxis]

Originally Posted by polyesco

short video of Mathilde losing her shoe
https://twitter.com/BirgitHerteleer/...09391952875520

Aww. Happened to me too many times lol.

[EmmaNL]

So the Jewels:
- Queen Máxima in the ruby Mellerio parure (her current favourite).
- Queen Mathilde in the Full Nine Provinces
- Princess Beatrix in the diamond bandeau
- Princess Margriet in the Pearl Button tiara
- Princess Laurentien in Queen Emma's floral tiara

After all, no surprises as far as we can see. I had hoped for a very nice jewel surprise.

[Spheno]

Originally Posted by stephanievl

First pic of the state dinner
https://www.anpfoto.nl/search.pp?ShowPicture=48653876

odd sitting plan

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by EmmaNL

So the Jewels:
- Queen Máxima in the ruby Mellerio parure (her current favourite).
- Queen Mathilde in the Full Nine Provinces
- Princess Beatrix in the diamond bandeau
- Princess Margriet in the Pearl Button tiara
- Princess Laurentien in Queen Emma's floral tiara

After all, no surprises as far as we can see. I had hoped for a very nice jewel surprise.

Hopefully we will get some bigger/closer pictures.

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by Spheno

odd sitting plan

It is protocollary correct:
- the two heads of state in the middle
- flanked by their consorts
- a former head of state given a seat
- the junior royals standing

[eya]

https://www.anpfoto.nl/search.pp?eventid=1989441

http://www.eo.nl/blauwbloed/artikel-...-staatsbanket/


http://1.t.cdn.belga.be/belgaimage:9...7a3&m=dlgcohaf
http://3.t.cdn.belga.be/belgaimage:9...7a3&m=dmpfnmln
http://1.t.cdn.belga.be/belgaimage:9...7a3&m=djibaiho


http://www.rd.nl/vandaag/binnenland/...6#&gid=1&pid=1

[polyesco]

the dinner tonight
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CyX4xzrXcAA_8k4.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CyX3mdbWgAEhlKW.jpg

http://1.t.cdn.belga.be/belgaimage:9...7a3&m=djibaiho
http://1.t.cdn.belga.be/belgaimage:9...7a3&m=dlgcohaf

[Duc_et_Pair]

Just saw parts of the speeches on tv. Wow, what a glitter on my ultra HD screen. Especially Queen Máxima's diamonds were super sparkling. The big glimmers in the arches of the Nine Provinces had a nice softer colour. Hope to find a video soon