Caribbean Visit of King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima & Pss of Orange, Feb/Mar 2023

[lucien]

Originally Posted by Katymcwaity

Are we likely to hear Amalia speaking English on this trip? Does one of the islands speak English? Or am I misremembering?

Misrembering.

They all speak Dutch and most if not all speak english as well.And Papiamento ofcourse!!
There are more languages then just english.

[Lee-Z]

Originally Posted by Katymcwaity

Are we likely to hear Amalia speaking English on this trip? Does one of the islands speak English? Or am I misremembering?

Afaik until a few years back Dutch was a mandatory language on the islands so many of the people will speak and understand Dutch, but on f.i. St. Maarten and St Eustachius the most used language is English (and some others, like Papiamento), so i wouldn't rule out that Amalia may speak english on the trip
English is a mandatory language on many schools in the Netherlands, especially of the caliber the dutch princesses attend.
And Amalia is known (at least afaik) to be a good student and quite intelligent, so i'm sure she'll do really well

On Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao the predominant language i think is Papiamento, i could imagine the dutch royals not being fluent in that, but Dutch is also an official language on those islands, so i wouldn't be surprised if that will be the language used at the first half of the trip

[SLV]

Originally Posted by Katymcwaity

Are we likely to hear Amalia speaking English on this trip? Does one of the islands speak English? Or am I misremembering?

Though the islands are in one way or another connected to the Netherlands, in several islands Dutch is not the main language. As the RF will not know the local languages (beyond a "hello, goodbye, thank you" perhaps). English wil very likely the main language if Dutch is not possible.

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by Katymcwaity

Are we likely to hear Amalia speaking English on this trip? Does one of the islands speak English? Or am I misremembering?

Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius are Dutch municipalities overseas. Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten are independent nations within the Kingdom ("One Kingdom, Four Nations").

As Princess Amalia is at Bonaire now, a Dutch municipality overseas, she for sure will use Dutch as standard language.

But on all six islands Dutch and English are the languages in daily life. On Sint Maarten, which shares a border with French Saint-Martin, also French of course as there is intensive criss-cross traffic and trade between the two parts.

[Katymcwaity]

Originally Posted by lucien

Misrembering.

They all speak Dutch and most if not all speak english as well.And Papiamento ofcourse!!
There are more languages then just english.

Indeed, I think it was a video with Princess Beatrix in it but then it may have been somewhere else.

[iceflower]

Day 1 has started, here are the first photos of today, January 28:


** rex gallery ** anp gallery ** ppe gallery **


** gettyimages gallery: BES: Dutch Royal Family Tour Of The Dutch Caribbean Islands : Day Two **

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOn4W0R3CNw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12eMATPI5Ic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1kV6cqmcQQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu8cNJCxhoQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRe392OhisU

[SOS]

Nowadays, a Queen is an ambassador of her people and a listening ear for the people. Honestly, Amalia seems to have all the quality to make a great Queen. It's almost a waste of talent, because it seems she's smarter than the job needs. She might even get bored with the job. She is probably ready to take over as Queen during her 30s. If her father makes her wait longer, I hope she will find interesting projects to focus on.

[Duc_et_Pair]

Well, she is only in her first year at university... If tradition is followed, she will be Queen in around 20 years time as the reigns of Juliana and Beatrix were around three decades. Willem-Alexander already is King for almost 10 years. Before we even realize, Amalia will be Queen.

[Somebody]

Ages of ascending and abdicating of Dutch queens:
Wilhelmina: 10 - 68 (58 years - including 8 years in which her mother was regent)
Juliana: 39 - 71 (birthday) (31 1/2 years)
Beatrix: 42 - 75 (33 years)

Willem-Alexander ascended the throne a few days after his 46th birthday; Amalia was 9 at that time, so if he remains in good health he'll probably abdicate after 30-32 years on the throne (aged 76-78) which means that Amalia can expect to ascend the throne around the age of 40. Just like her father (and mother) I expect that in addition to her general preparation, she will use the next 20 years to specialize in a relevant topic and I would not be surprised if she will be involved with that topic at UN level - again followi g her parents' example.

Originally Posted by lucien

Misrembering.

They all speak Dutch and most if not all speak english as well.And Papiamento ofcourse!!
There are more languages then just english.

According to CBS (the Statistics Agency in the Netherlands), the most spoken first languages are on Bonaire is indeed Papiamento (2/3 of population), but on both Saba (93%) and St Eustatius (85%) the most spoken language is English. As a first language Dutch is only spoken by a small minority of the population: 15% for Bonaire, 6% for St Eustatius and almost nobody on Saba.

Nonetheless, a majority of the people is multilingual: 90% on Bonaire, 68% on St Eustatius and 57% on Saba. So, it seems speaking English as a first language makes it less likely that you speak other languages as well.

So, it might indeed be expected that the royal family will speak English in the second half of their trip - they will most likely be able to get by with Dutch in the first half.

[I will add figures for the other islands as I find them but this source (2014) only provided information on the 'special municipalities']


According to Worldatlas:
Languages on Curacao - as first language:
- Papiamentu: 82%
- Dutch: 8% - also the administrative and legal language
- Spanish: 4%
- English: 2%

On Aruba, Papiamento and Dutch are the official languages (although a very small minority speaks Dutch as a first language) and English is recognized as 'international language'. Besides, the influence of Spanish is growing. Other languages spoken include French and Portuguese. Most are fluent in 3-4 languages. (source: Worldatlas)

On St Maarten (source: Worldatlas):
- English: 65%
- Spanish: 10%
- Creole language: 10%
- Dutch: 5%
- Papiamento: 5%
- French: 5%

I love Máxima's proud mom look

And it looks like Amalia is wearing a fit bit

And Amalia already nails the 'how wonderful' look when receiving flowers from a child

Originally Posted by iceflower

Day 1 has started, here are the first photos of today, January 28:


** rex gallery ** anp gallery ** ppe gallery **


** gettyimages gallery: BES: Dutch Royal Family Tour Of The Dutch Caribbean Islands : Day Two **

More PPE-pictures have been added, including their visit to Sorobon Bay (showing Amalia sounding the horn for a wind surfing event) and a boating outing. The ladies did change into more comfortable shoes.

[SOS]

Originally Posted by Somebody

Ages of ascending and abdicating of Dutch queens:
Wilhelmina: 10 - 68 (58 years - including 8 years in which her mother was regent)
Juliana: 39 - 71 (birthday) (31 1/2 years)
Beatrix: 42 - 75 (33 years)

Willem-Alexander ascended the throne a few days after his 46th birthday; Amalia was 9 at that time, so if he remains in good health he'll probably abdicate after 30-32 years on the throne (aged 76-78) which means that Amalia can expect to ascend the throne around the age of 40. Just like her father (and mother) I expect that in addition to her general preparation, she will use the next 20 years to specialize in a relevant topic and I would not be surprised if she will be involved with that topic at UN level - again followi g her parents' example.

Yeah, I think so. Honestly, I think it will only take Amalia a few years to excel at the job as crown princess and then she will need a new challenge. A UN job would be great I think. We are very lucky with Amalia as crown princess. It seems she can handle great responsibility already, even though she's only 19 years old. It just takes her a few moments to get over her nerves (understandable because her secluded childhood and it's her first official visit) but then everyone can see she's a natural at the job. Which does not come as a surprise, because everyone already kinda knew.

[polyesco]

Hitting the dance floor
Cp https://mobile.twitter.com/bashoogla...89589953175554

[Somebody]

NOs article on first full day including video. Amalia seems very relaxed and spontaaneous warni g people that she is somewhat clumsy and responding 'Am I doing something wrong?' when her father reminds her that she needs to show the bread before putting it down (so pictures can be taken).

Oranjes stappen dansvloer op bij bezoek aan Bonaire - https://nos.nl/l/2461675

[Toledo]

So glad to see her having fun with her family during this visit. Is there an official residence for the family to stay in?

[Blog Real]

Photos and information on the Dutch Royal House website:

https://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/agenda...eel-koninkrijk

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by Toledo

Is there an official residence for the family to stay in?

Yes I was also wondering too if there was a Royal Residence ?

[SLV]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

Yes I was also wondering too if there was a Royal Residence ?

Not to my knowledge.

[An Ard Ri]

Maybe the stay in a hotel or a rented villa?

[iceflower]

The visit continued in Aruba today, January 30:


** robinutrecht.photoshelter gallery ** gettyimages gallery **


** rex gallery ** gtresnews gallery ** ppe gallery **


** dm article: Style sisters! Queen Maxima stuns in a red dress and hat while her daughter ..**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osIDQ7azhaA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y6c8pPnKdc

[_Heather_]

I'm not sure if this is the correct thread so my apologies if it's not but...in a somewhat predictable but sad occurrence, online commentators and social media are ripping Amalia apart for her looks, outfits, etc. What a disheartening state of affairs, particularly on her first tour. Granted, there are several online commenters that have come to her defense but still, it has to already be an anxiety inducing trip that is being made worse by commentary that no doubt leaves her self-conscious.

[suztav]

Originally Posted by _Heather_

I'm not sure if this is the correct thread so my apologies if it's not but...in a somewhat predictable but sad occurrence, online commentators and social media are ripping Amalia apart for her looks, outfits, etc. What a disheartening state of affairs, particularly on her first tour. Granted, there are several online commenters that have come to her defense but still, it has to already be an anxiety inducing trip that is being made worse by commentary that no doubt leaves her self-conscious.

This makes me so sad. She is a beautiful young woman whose parents are both statuesque. She will mature into her looks. Her parents are showing her the ropes and she is doing it beautifully. Would the media rather have a skinny bimbo type as a future queen? JMHO