State Visit from The King and Queen of The Netherlands: October 23-24, 2018


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Kate finally got the RFO. But it shouldn't have taken six to seven years to get it.
 
What position does Rear Admiral Ludger Brummelaar hold?
 
Although Queen Maxima didn’t get any British order., her husband was given the Garter, which is the oldest and most prestigious non-ecclesiastical order of knighthood in Europe ( the Spanish Golden Fleece is pretty much the only currently active order in the continent that comes somewhat closer in prestige). That in itself is enough reason IMHO for the King to reciprocate giving out Dutch orders to other BRF members. It surprises me that he didn’t do it especially considering how “ generous” he was in comparison in Denmark.

Again, with all due respect, Maxina’s being snubbed is not a sufficient excuse for the King’s unwillingness to decorate other British royals. Queen Letizia didn’t get any British order either, but, King Felipe still decorated Anne, Andrew and Harry with the Order of Isabella the Catholic, albeit at a lower grade I think.
 
Any sign of the Princess Royal, and the Countess of Wessex this evening ?
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One of those formal photos of the State Banquet with The Queen; you can see William and Mabel in the background, and in another on the far left you can see – i think! – Sophie in a green dress.
 
EllieCat said:
One of those formal photos of the State Banquet with The Queen; you can see William and Mabel in the background, and in another on the far left you can see – i think! – Sophie in a green dress.
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Sophie did attend wearing blue Emilia Wickstead.
 
Speech of the king last night, starting with some warm words to the Queen & calling her the most fearless Bondgirl ever.

Your Majesty,
My wife and I are delighted to be able to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom, and above all to find you in good health, as vigorous and engaged as ever.
I appreciate how special this occasion is.
My grandparents came here on a State Visit. My parents did too. Today it is our turn. And all within your long reign.
Last year you celebrated your Sapphire Jubilee. That is deeply impressive to someone who has yet to reach their Bronze Jubilee…
In recent decades, you have seen your country, Europe and the world change enormously. The world looks to you as a trusted beacon in the midst of upheaval.
Your ability to keep in touch with the times is striking. You even have an adventurous streak, as you showed six years ago at the opening of the Olympic Games.
In front of millions of viewers you played the role of the most fearless Bond Girl ever – with great panache!
Our countries are North Sea neighbours. The sea has made us natural allies; both outward-looking, both curious as to what lies beyond the horizon.
Sir William Temple, the famous English diplomat, who was ambassador in The Hague 350 years ago, called the Dutch 'the most obstinate lovers and defenders of their liberty’. It’s a trait we definitely share with the British.
A trait that has sometimes led to conflict between us, as competitors and rivals.
But much more often, it has brought us together and united us.
The Glorious Revolution of Mary and William is a good example. A peaceful change of government that bolstered the rights of Parliament.
Or take the bonds forged between us during the Second World War, and the unimaginable sacrifices British armed forces made for our freedom.
Or our current joint defence efforts, including the UK/NL Amphibious Force, which we will see in action tomorrow, in the heart of London. The days when our navies fought each other on the Thames are long past. These days, the Royal Marines and the Dutch Marine Corps are one team.
The United Kingdom has given the world so much. We owe much of our prosperity to the skill of British inventors, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs.
Our culture has been enriched by the creativity of British artists, from Shakespeare to Monty Python and the Beatles. Today, global communication knows no borders, because English has become the world’s lingua franca.
Many Dutch people feel a great affection for this country.
The charms of the Fairest Isle extend to the other side of the Channel!
As Europeans it therefore saddens us that the United Kingdom has decided to leave the European Union.
We are sorry to see you go, although we fully respect your decision.
At present, a lot of attention is focused on the ‘technical’ side of Brexit. That’s understandable and necessary.
But in the midst of all that complexity we should not lose sight of the greater narrative that continues to bind us. The greater narrative of freedom, openness and cooperation. Of growth and a prosperity whose fruits are enjoyed by all.
Of strong, self-confident European countries that speak out on the world stage, and that together dare to make a stand against cynicism and abuse of power.
That is why we need each other. That is what unites us, time and again. And that is where our strength lies as natural allies.
Your Majesty,
We are most grateful that, by inviting us here, you have underlined the special bond between our Kingdoms. Now, more than ever, we must cherish that bond.
You and your family are dear to us, and with you, we delight in all of life’s joyous and festive occasions, including those among the younger generations. Let me close by wishing you and your family every future happiness.
I invite you to rise and join me in a toast.
Your Majesty, to your health and happiness and that of His Royal Highness Prince Philip. And to the friendship between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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Text from: koninklijkhuis.nl & free to use.

https://www.royal-house.nl/document...ritain-and-northern-ireland-buckingham-palace
 
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On the Zr Ms Zeeland with the Duke of Kent and the Earl and Countess of Wessex:


Nice that they were escorted by the Earl and Countess of Wessex today, they must know each other well and the Queen and Countess seem to get along splendidly.

From the Daily Mail:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...ds-puts-animated-display-Countess-Wessex.html

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BTW Princess Anne can be seen in the video posted by Nico. She is walking behind the Countess of Wessex in a blue gown and a small tiara which probably is her Meander.
 
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wow! what a treat the state banquet has been. maxima with the full stuart parure was a delight, so was that lovely dress. every inch the queen! kate did not disappoint with that lovely necklace and the RFO (Finally!). stunning event, probably one of the best royal events this year.
 
Some State Banquet information from me, which might answer some of the questions here from last night:
ROYAL NORWAY said:
Television-coverage of incoming state visits to the UK:

During visits from major countries such as the US (2003 & 2011), China (1999 & 2015), Japan (1998), Germany (1998), France (2008), Russia (2003) and Spain (2017): Full coverage of all events on BBC News Channel (launched in 1997) and Sky News (launched in 1989).
From smaller countries such as The Netherlands: With the exception of the state visit from Ireland in 2014 (due to the special history between the two countries), nothing at all. - So, thank god for The ITN Royal Family Channel.
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And when neither the BBC, ITN, Sky or the Press Association bother to cover it, well, then the Royal Household has no live-link to put up at their social media channels either.
But Dutch media covered it (although not live) and had set up a screen inside BP, where royal reporters could see it live (click here to see photo).

--------------------

Getty Images photo from the banquet (click here to see it).

Well, the guy behind the Queen is Paul Whybrew, one of HM's two Pages of the Backstairs (her senior butlers). - He was the one who starred alongside the Queen in the Bond video, during the 2012 Olympic.
HM's other Page of the Backstairs is Barry Mitford, who stands behind King WA.
BTW, it's usually Mitford who attends to the Queen during State Banquets, while one of Prince Philip's two Pages of the Backstairs (Stephen Niedojadlo & William Henderson) attends to the foreign head of state. - But since Philip retired and stopped with the banquets/dinners, so have his pages, and Whybrew has therefore replaced them (he was also at the Commonwealth dinner at BP in April). And being HM's longest-serving and favourite butler, he is of course the one to be in attendance to her (replacing Mitford).

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My impression of the banquet: Well, (IMO) our iconic Queen with her almost as iconic Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara outshine them all, with Kate on a good number two, wearing Queen Alexandra's Wedding Necklace.
 
wbenson said:
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I just realized the Princess Anne was actually there as well. You can see her at about 9:09 some seats down the right side table. She's wearing the Greek key tiara. I assume that she wasn't seen in the prossession because she had to walk down the other side of the room to reach her seat. Sophie Wessex can be seen at about 13:05.
 
ROYAL NORWAY said:
And when neither the BBC, ITN, Sky or the Press Association bother to cover it, well, then the Royal Household has no live-link to put up at their social media channels either.
But Dutch media covered it (although not live) and had set up a screen inside BP, where royal reporters could see it live (click here to see photo).
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That's interesting, Royal Norway. :flowers:

Wonder why?
Because they are busy covering the more "sexy" younger members of the BRF? I.e. H&M and W&K?
Because the networks believe the British public are not interested in foreign royals?
Or is there a good deal of Brexit-considerations in it? I.e. everything from Continental Europe is "bad" these days? - Which would be interesting considering the close ties between the Netherlands and Britain and that Britain need every friend within the EU they have.

After all this involves the head of state and most of the senior BRF members. And last I checked QEII is still pretty popular in the general public.
So, admittedly I'm a little surprised.
 
wyevale said:
HMQ is [justifiably] 'old school' and not subject to the ever changing vagaries of 'Political Correctness'...
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Well, it is "old school" to give out orders at all as Kings and Queens do so for ages.

I remember Elizabeth´s mother wearing foreign orders when a young Duchess of York - so I guess it must have changed either during of her father´s or her own reign when it comes to orders. And the "Brits" are, again, very much unique here as all royal houses I can think of do it very different.
 
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The king and queen talked to the press at the end of the visit.

He said that the connection of his family with the Saudi royals is not very close. He only visited the country once as king, after the death of the previous king. He repeated the stance of the Dutch government, which is that the murder on the journalist Khashoggi is horrible, it is a very grave matter and they will continue to follow the developments. The minister of Foreign Affairs nodded along when the king was talking.

A journalist asked if the queen is anything like her television version in the Netflix series 'The Crown'. Queen Maxima confessed she saw a few episodes of 'The Crown' but added that she does not see the comparison between the Queen as they know her and the one in the tv-series. But as she knows the queen personally perhaps it is impossible for her to judge the matter.

The king did not want to comment on the commotion in parlament about the closure of the domains of Het Loo for hunting. He said the discussion is held in the 2nd chamber and that it should stay there.

He has no stress stress about moving to Palace Huis ten Bosch. The three daughters already divided their rooms and picked the colours they wanted to use. They will be moving soon.

The king said they spoke a lot of people during the visit: Dutch entrepreneurs, scientists, people active in social life and in British society. They worry professionally and personally about their lives after Brexit. He said that Brexit plays a big role, but what is even more important that we will continue to have a great relationship with the United Kingdom, as was the case for hundreds of years before they joined the EEC. That will stay the same after 29 March, which he wanted to underline with this visit.

The king continued: this is the 3rd generation of Dutch kings that QEII has received during her reign. She is a beacon of stability in her country and in the world. It is a very special woman. The connection with the British RF is not only good during this visit but also due to many other meetings, which means that it is always a joy to see each other. They met the queen last in June of this year in Windsor Castle for a dinner. He visited the queen already before his mother's inauguration.

About the order of the garter: it is a beautiful gesture that builds on the tradition with my predecessors who also received it. So you can look at it in this tradition, which is long-term between the two countries and that will continue also after the present generations.

Queen Maxima comments about the Stuart diamond, which was bought in 1690 by Mary Stuart so it is one of the connections between the UK and the Netherlands. This was a good occasion to wear the diamond and the tiara. She hopes to wear it more often in the future. It did not give her a headache and she wore it lot of pride yesterday. Note that HM talked in plural, pointing & looking to her husband (as if he also wore the stone).

The king says that they will now try to relax for a few days with the children (the visit was during autumn school holiday). They are looking forward to it after this intensive visit.
 
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My goodness, left already... Didn´t they just arrive....?!
That´s what I call a whirlwind state visit.
 
Muhler said:
That's interesting, Royal Norway. :flowers:

Wonder why?
Because they are busy covering the more "sexy" younger members of the BRF? I.e. H&M and W&K?
Because the networks believe the British public are not interested in foreign royals?
Or is there a good deal of Brexit-considerations in it? I.e. everything from Continental Europe is "bad" these days? - Which would be interesting considering the close ties between the Netherlands and Britain and that Britain need every friend within the EU they have.

After all this involves the head of state and most of the senior BRF members. And last I checked QEII is still pretty popular in the general public.
So, admittedly I'm a little surprised.
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Apart from State visits from major overseas countries (USA, France, China) the coverage isn't that fab anyway but I suspect had ALL the royal correspondents not been with Harry and Meghan this state visit, like the Spanish one, would have received more attention.

No one in the UK from what I can see/hear things badly of the Dutch, in fact most people recognise that the government is shoring up support and ties with EU countries with a state of recent European focussed state visits and that is good for all involved.

Lovely to see Max and WA visit UK and QEII.
 
tommy100 said:
Apart from State visits from major overseas countries (USA, France, China) the coverage isn't that fab anyway but I suspect had ALL the royal correspondents not been with Harry and Meghan this state visit, like the Spanish one, would have received more attention.

No one in the UK from what I can see/hear things badly of the Dutch, in fact most people recognise that the government is shoring up support and ties with EU countries with a state of recent European focussed state visits and that is good for all involved.

Lovely to see Max and WA visit UK and QEII.
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Thanks Tommy100 :flowers:

Well, I hope they enjoy their vaca... eh... I mean trip to the Pacific covering H&M. ?
 
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