The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima, Current Events 4 (February - August 2005)

[Wieske_S]

Originally Posted by galuhcandrakirana

This is the first time I see and hear she speak on TV...she seems to be a smart/intelegent woman, she speaks with full "expression" and know well what she want to say.
I don't understand Dutch language, how is her dutch? it is good enough and how about her accent?

I think her Dutch is very good, and I can only hear a tiny bit of an accent.
Sometimes I can hear her make some tiny mistakes, but that really doesn't matter.
She's doing great :)

[Emily]

For those of you in the Netherlands, is she well liked there? ...thought to be a suitable Crown Princess?

[Princess BellyFlop]

I don't understand a single word of Dutch (well maybe one or two) but the video is quite interesting as it forces me to observe the body language and the interactions. Maxima seems like a busy woman and also very involved. Looks like she take parts in the causes she represents and not only smile and look nice for pictures. Impressive.

[Wieske_S]

Originally Posted by Emily

For those of you in the Netherlands, is she well liked there? ...thought to be a suitable Crown Princess?

Yes she is, the people love her :)
She's the most populair person in our royal house.

[Emily]

Wieske S - Thank you for your answer. If I may ask -- what do people think of the Queen's sons? and Laurentien? Is there ever a question of doing away with the monarchy or are people very happy with it? Divided opinion? It sure seems like a well functioning royal house.

[Wieske_S]

Originally Posted by Emily

Wieske S - Thank you for your answer. If I may ask -- what do people think of the Queen's sons? and Laurentien? Is there ever a question of doing away with the monarchy or are people very happy with it? Divided opinion? It sure seems like a well functioning royal house.

Hmm. Well, the people like the sons. Of course there's not much you can't like about them, they all seem like very nice people. But I think the nephews, like Maurits are a bit more populair with the young people.
But we like the sons, and about everybody thinks W-A will make a great king.
I believe people used to think Laurentien was a bit "stiff", but she seems more lose now and she's getting more and more populair.
About the monarchy. I hear very different things. I think most of the older people like it. But I also hear a lot of people say they want it gone. They think it costs to much money.
But I think it's still quite populair, and I don't think it will go away anytime soon.

[princess olga]

Yes that is true, the Dutch CP couple can count on being popular with a large part of Dutch citizens--for now at least.

I'm saying 'for now', because according to many polls, higher educated folks under the age of 45, do <not> really buy into the whole 'let's bow to these people because they're royal' thing.

Yes, there are a lot of (in my opinion deluded) Dutch people in this respect who believe against all evidence that this particular princely couple brings in some bacon for the Dutch economy.

"During their visits abroad royals bring along all kinds of Dutch business folks to make business deals in the countries they visit" many a Dutch person will tell you should you ask.

To which I say, if that's indeed the case, Show me the money. I've yet to see a spread sheet that proves a net revenue of sorts resulted from foreign visits of this couple, or from the royal family as a whole for that matter.

As it is, WA and Maxima get paid about $2 mil in euros together annually for doing their 'work'. WA seems to do some good as some sort of ambassador for the country, but as far as Maxima goes, she has probably about five patronships under her belt, which in terms of time constraints look more like projects on the side for a boring socialite housewife.

Again, this couple gets paid a lot by the Dutch taxpayer and is loath to disclose that they take more vacations than they should be able to stomach, about 12 a year! THat's great and all and I hope they enjoy themselves, but why do it on the Dutch taxpayers dime? I am Dutch myself, but live abroad by the way.

The only thing I do admire Maxima for is her dedication towards learning the Dutch language which is not an easy one to learn.

But again, for those of you who would think I am unduly harsh on WA and especially Maxima, please take a sec to compare the royal assignments Maxima has versus for example Letizia. I'm not a huge fan of Letizia but boy, that girl really works hard and has a ton of engagements back-to-back, it has to be said. Or Alexandra of Denmark. In terms of putting in time to do royal engagements, Maxima can <not> hold a candle to those two ladies. And that, in my opinion, will ultimately be detrimental to the popularity of this particular couple.

[galuhcandrakirana]

Originally Posted by carlota

as far as some dutch people told me she has a native level of dutch and practically no accent.

Originally Posted by Wieske_S

I think her Dutch is very good, and I can only hear a tiny bit of an accent.Sometimes I can hear her make some tiny mistakes, but that really doesn't matter.She's doing great :)

Thanks for answering. yes, I think it is very difficult to remove native accent at all, understandable:).

[Emily]

Thanks Princess Olga. It is really interesting to read each of your thoughts on this, especially for me, being from a non-royal place.

[The Watcher]

Originally Posted by princess olga

As it is, WA and Maxima get paid about $2 mil in euros together annually for doing their 'work'. WA seems to do some good as some sort of ambassador for the country, but as far as Maxima goes, she has probably about five patronships under her belt, which in terms of time constraints look more like projects on the side for a boring socialite housewife.
.

The allowances consists of 3 components, in total they get:

W-A: 913.000 euro
Máxima: 819.000 euro

Of this money they have to pay their staff too. The C-component is their real income, and that is:

W-A: 213.000 euro
Máxima: 213.000 euro

Beside this money they get nothing, everything they earn beside this (for example because their membership in a commision etc.) they give to charity.

The work that the princess (and also the prince) do is not always visible. A year ago there was a program on the Dutch television in which it became clear that the princess visited a lot of projects, compagnies etc. without the camera's. She visited 110 compagnies, projects etc. and only a few when in public. The reason was that the princess has the opinion that she only really can talk with the people when there are no camera's. Camera's make people nervous.

Originally Posted by princess olga

Again, this couple gets paid a lot by the Dutch taxpayer and is loath to disclose that they take more vacations than they should be able to stomach, about 12 a year! THat's great and all and I hope they enjoy themselves, but why do it on the Dutch taxpayers dime? I am Dutch myself, but live abroad by the way.

They only went to Lech in March this year (one week holiday) and to Italy (this summer, one or two weeks). Perhaps they had in 2004 more holidays, but not 12 times. Or can you tell me to where en when they were on holiday those 12 times.

[Squidgy]

Originally Posted by princess olga

But again, for those of you who would think I am unduly harsh on WA and especially Maxima, please take a sec to compare the royal assignments Maxima has versus for example Letizia. I'm not a huge fan of Letizia but boy, that girl really works hard and has a ton of engagements back-to-back, it has to be said. Or Alexandra of Denmark. In terms of putting in time to do royal engagements, Maxima can <not> hold a candle to those two ladies. And that, in my opinion, will ultimately be detrimental to the popularity of this particular couple.

Yes, Letizia does take part in alot of engagements compared to other Crown Princesses. But what does that mean exactly? We should look at the quality of her work too, rather than just the quantity. For instance, does she perform many solo engagements? Every picture I see of her, she has her husband by her side, and often times her parents-in-law too. That makes life a bit easier - to be surrounded by people who are pros in the business, who can share much of the burden of making small talk, etc. I admit I don't follow either Letizia or Maxima very closely, but from what I do see, Maxima carries out more solo engagements, which I think are more difficult.

We also need to keep in mind that Maxima is a mother of two young children - if she wants to spend more time with her children, I have no problem with that. Who knows, we may find Letizia carrying out fewer engagements once her child is born.

Also, I can't help but wonder if Letizia if being over-worked/over-exposed. I mean, look at the thread on the Spanish RF's summer holidays (of which the princess is very much a part of). It is 30 pages long and counting (see http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums...ead.php?t=6538). And this is supposed to be her "down" time! Yes, it's terrific to see pictures of the Spainish family off duty (sailing, shopping, etc.), but I do sometimes feel sorry for Letizia.

And as The Watcher points out, Maxima does alot of "behind the scenes" work, which I think is wonderful. To me, that suggests she takes her duties seriously and is not just doing them for the publicity value. (And yes to be fair, I imagine that Letizia does much behind the scenes too!)

Don't get me wrong, I admire both princesses equally - I just think we should be careful when we make comparisons.

The Dutch people (who are paying the taxes to support the monarchy) seem happy with Maxima, and that is good enough for me.

[princess olga]

Quote from The Watcher:

“The allowances consists of 3 components, in total they get:
W-A: 913.000 euro
Máxima: 819.000 euro
Of this money they have to pay their staff too. The C-component is their real income, and that is:
W-A: 213.000 euro
Máxima: 213.000 euro

Beside this money they get nothing.”

Allright then, let’s deduce what they actually do for that money. To use your own numbers, Maxima visited “110 companies, projects etc without the cameras”.

Now, let’s assume that, like Britain’s Princess Royal, Maxima could do 3 such visits in a working day. That does sound about right: she can easily zip from one to another, spending perhaps an hour or two for each. If she does three a day, and in one year she does about 110 as you’re saying, then, if you do the math, and divide 110 by 3, you’d see she could do those visits in 36 days! That’s a bit more than one month of work!


Now, even if each visit requires a day, let’s say, to prepare, the total days she’d work in a year would be only 72 days! And she gets 213.000 euros for that, not bad! (and I’m not even including the other 819.000 euros she’s also getting)

To compare, the average five-days-a-week working person clocks more than 200 days a year, for much much less!

Most people <wish> they could put in only two months of work a year and get paid 200.000 euros for that.


And yes, visiting 110 projects/companies/engagements may sound like a lot, but compare that to the British princess Royal for example:

To quote from this website:



http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page3723.asp

“How many official engagements does The Princess Royal undertake each year?The number of engagements which The Princess undertakes varies from year to year. However, an unofficial survey of engagements undertaken by members of the Royal Family is written every year by a Mr Tim O'Donovan, using information taken from the Court Circular. His 2004 survey shows the Princess as having undertaken the following number of engagements:

271 official visits, opening ceremonies and other engagements
102 Receptions, lunches, dinners and banquets
95 other engagements including investitures, meetings attended and audiences given
468 engagements on the UK
131 engagements on official overseas tours

As with the commitments of other members of the Royal Family, these figures do not take into account the preparation work such as reading briefings for these engagements.”



---



Another quote from The Watcher: “Everything they earn beside this (for example because their membership in a commision etc.) they give to charity.”

Hmmm. How do we know they actually <do> give the money to charity? As far as I am aware, there are no documents available that show that they actually donate that money after receiving it. I read somewhere that for attending meetings for one commission (PAVEM), Maxima received $24,000 euros. If indeed her goal is to give that money to charity, why doesn’t she ask upfront to that this money be donated to charity x, y or z directly, instead of giving it to her first?


Now, I am <not> claiming or saying or implying that they do not donate the money to charity, just that there is no publicly available evidence whatsoever that they actually do donate the money. If there is evidence, please share it, I’d love to see it.

You know what, I am hardly the first one to point out that the Dutch Royal family is among the <least> hardworking royals around. It is a well known fact, but inexplicably, a lot of Dutch people refuse to face the facts on their RF. I have to say I am time and again surprised that so many Dutch are blindly falling for the Dutch RF’s PR hook, line and sinker.


And as for those many vacations they take. To comment on your quote:



“They only went to Lech in March this year (one week holiday) and to Italy (this summer, one or two weeks).”

That’s the vacations they <officially> announce to us poor taxpayers. All the other many vacations they take in between came to light when the wife of a palace employee stumbled on the <real> royal/princely calendar, and alerted the press about it.


T hat they take so many vacations is fine with me, but WA has often been whining to the press how "hard" it is to be in his situation. Sure no one would like to be living in a fish bowl, but then again, he should keep his mouth shut as he and his wife get a <lot> in return. As the saying goes, this couple just wants its cake and eat it too. This is why despite the fact I'm Dutch, the Dutch royal fam. is not my favorite RF by a long shot.

[The Watcher]

Originally Posted by princess olga

Allright then, let’s deduce what they actually do for that money. To use your own numbers, Maxima visited “110 companies, projects etc without the cameras”.

Now, let’s assume that, like Britain’s Princess Royal, Maxima could do 3 such visits in a working day. That does sound about right: she can easily zip from one to another, spending perhaps an hour or two for each. If she does three a day, and in one year she does about 110 as you’re saying, then, if you do the math, and divide 110 by 3, you’d see she could do those visits in 36 days! That’s a bit more than one month of work!


Now, even if each visit requires a day, let’s say, to prepare, the total days she’d work in a year would be only 72 days! And she gets 213.000 euros for that, not bad! (and I’m not even including the other 819.000 euros she’s also getting)

To compare, the average five-days-a-week working person clocks more than 200 days a year, for much much less!

Most people <wish> they could put in only two months of work a year and get paid 200.000 euros for that.


And yes, visiting 110 projects/companies/engagements may sound like a lot, but compare that to the British princess Royal for example:

To quote from this website:
“How many official engagements does The Princess Royal undertake each year?The number of engagements which The Princess undertakes varies from year to year. However, an unofficial survey of engagements undertaken by members of the Royal Family is written every year by a Mr Tim O'Donovan, using information taken from the Court Circular. His 2004 survey shows the Princess as having undertaken the following number of engagements:

271 official visits, opening ceremonies and other engagements
102 Receptions, lunches, dinners and banquets
95 other engagements including investitures, meetings attended and audiences given
468 engagements on the UK
131 engagements on official overseas tours

As with the commitments of other members of the Royal Family, these figures do not take into account the preparation work such as reading briefings for these engagements.”

The 110 visits were a part of her introduction program. It is a part of the total work. So without state visits (in and out the country) and a lot of other visits (like all visits with her hubby). And without the work for other projects like the Micro Year etc.

Originally Posted by princess olga

Another quote from The Watcher: “Everything they earn beside this (for example because their membership in a commision etc.) they give to charity.”

Hmmm. How do we know they actually <do> give the money to charity? As far as I am aware, there are no documents available that show that they actually donate that money after receiving it. I read somewhere that for attending meetings for one commission (PAVEM), Maxima received $24,000 euros. If indeed her goal is to give that money to charity, why doesn’t she ask upfront to that this money be donated to charity x, y or z directly, instead of giving it to her first?


Now, I am <not> claiming or saying or implying that they do not donate the money to charity, just that there is no publicly available evidence whatsoever that they actually do donate the money. If there is evidence, please share it, I’d love to see it.

When the RVD says they give it to charity, I trust it. But it is of course your good right to don't believe it.:)

Originally Posted by princess olga

“They only went to Lech in March this year (one week holiday) and to Italy (this summer, one or two weeks).”

That’s the vacations they <officially> announce to us poor taxpayers. All the other many vacations they take in between came to light when the wife of a palace employee stumbled on the <real> royal/princely calendar, and alerted the press about it.

Tell me where and when they have been. The story from the wife of a bodyguard was 2 year ago. And Prive is not really the press imo, it is a gossip mag.

PS (off topic). Are you just some year(s) in the USA for work or will you live there the rest of your life? :)

[princess olga]

Allright, TheWatcher, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt! :) The real test will of course come when they will be king and queen.

(And off topic: I came to the US a couple of years back to study and am still here so far. :) It is a fascinating country, and absolutely gorgeous. That said, to answer your question of whether I'd stay here forever, well, I don't really know but I don't think so: I'd love to 'try' another continent next, maybe Africa, though have no idea what I'd be doing there! :)

[carlota]

i think all the crown princesses are working hard for their "real test". to me it's not just being king and queen what counts but both parts. and i can even say that the first one is much more important, when you really need to prove you are a suitable person for the role and have a lot of expectation around you... when you become king or queen the people already know you... and that makes things a little bit easier as you don't have that "media obsession" following you everywhere...

but i think maxima is taking a really active role in what she does. she does more or less the activities rania does, not just accompaning her husband to royal duties and receiving flowers and gifts but taking an active part and going to conferences and congresses, to the parliament and takes big challenges as crown princess: she doesn't only go to new york, a place she already knows and with no particular need, but she assumed the challenge of going to uganda and kenia being pregnant all alone, just to mention one...

does anybody know if there are any videos online to hear her talk in spanish or english?... :)

[Marengo]

Yesterday a journalist on RTL boulevard said that the court will make more visits of the Royal family public. They are fed up with people complaining about the small number of visits, simply because there are not many visits shown on their website (the actual number is much higher).

To compare this to the court circular in Britain is not fair as they 'count' differently in Britain. if the Queen visits f.e. Friesland it counts as 1 visit here, while in Britain they say... at 10.00-11.00 the queen visited x, from 11.30-12.00 etc., in which case 1 day can be with much more engagements. So that explains the difference in the number of visits better I guess.

I think that Maxima was VERY active the last year, esp. during her pragnency!

[IamLaura]

True, princess Maxima was working hard even during her pregnancy(she worked on June 8 for the last time, if I am correct and gave birth to princess Alexia on June 26 !)
I hope she will enjoy motherhood for a time , picking up some duties again by autumn and
will do more engagements together with her husband,like prince Felipe and princess Letizia and prince Phillipe and princess Mathilde.

The queen is now the most hard working royal of everyone, doing all those visits in the country,great !

[Squidgy]

Originally Posted by Marengo

Yesterday a journalist on RTL boulevard said that the court will make more visits of the Royal family public. They are fed up with people complaining about the small number of visits, simply because there are not many visits shown on their website (the actual number is much higher).

Sounds like a step in the right direction.

Another thing they might consider doing is putting pictures up of the RF's visit to their various engagements. People often like to see pictures accompany text. Perception is everything - the RF needs to be SEEN doing their work.

The British RF's website does this quite well. They do it in two separate places ...

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page1730.asp

and the "Out and about" section http://www.royalinsight.gov.uk/output/Page1727.asp

[fanletizia]

Prince Willem-Alexander controls the Clipper 'Stad Amsterdam' during the sail in Parade 2005 in Amsterdam, Wednesday, 17 August 2005From aap

[The Watcher]

From BRMB, posted by hja
--------------------------
Willem-Alexander and M'axima will join the celebrations of 400 year contact between the Netherlands and Australia, next year. It was in March 1606 that the VOC ship Duyfken became the first European vessel to charter some of the (West) Australian coast. Both countries are organising a number of activities, including a solemn commemoration in the Ridderzaal (January 30) with possibly the Australian G-G and/or PM, Dutch authorities (PM, members of RF), and already at Oct 6 a grand exhibition of Australian stuff at the State Museum of Anthropology in Leiden. In Australia too there will be some exhibits.It wont be the only trip to the southern hemisphere of WA and Maxima in 2006. In March they will join Queen Beatrix for a state visit to Argentina. Later this year (end November) Maxima will also visit South America.