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

[Duc_et_Pair]

The Princess of Orange is quite young but compared to other European heirs has been rather sheltered and not had much public interaction other than Kings Day or the odd event here and there.

This Tour and in the Public eye could have overwhelmed the Princess.

She has taken more public baths than any of her counterparts. I disagree with your assessment that she is or was more "sheltered" than other European heirs of the same age:

Which other European heir has these annual mass events with public interaction (see this picture of King's Day in Maastricht).

Which other European heir of her age has this annual highly ceremonial event which attrachts tens of thousands of people (see this picture of Prinsjesdag 2022).

Which other European Heir of her age has an annual Banquet with her "colleagues" of the Concil of State (see this picture of last year's banquet).

 

[An Ard Ri]

I included King's Day in my post and really the Princess of Orange has only started to attend events in the last 12 months.
Its not a criticism of the Princess or the Dutch RF ,the Princess appears to be a lovely young lady.

 

[Opals]

After watching this tour I think it could be beneficial for Princess Amalia to spend additional time on the different islands when she isn't in school especially with the security concerns in the Netherlands. Maybe they could set up an internship or something and she could start attending the sorts events royals often do.

 

[maria-olivia]

Which other European Heir gave a party with 21 guests for her birthday in 2021 during COVID Lockdawn !

 

[Adda]

Máxima is a Queen Consort , not a Queen Regnant, the spotlight isn't supposed to be on her, whether W-A likes it that way, it's his business, but it shouldn't be that way. Amalia seems to have personality and hopefully will be able to blossom without being constantly overshadowed by her mother.

More serious engagements accompanied by her father (or grandmother) would be great.

 

[Alisa]

She has taken more public baths than any of her counterparts. I disagree with your assessment that she is or was more "sheltered" than other European heirs of the same age:



Which other European heir has these annual mass events with public interaction (see this picture of King's Day in Maastricht).



Which other European heir of her age has this annual highly ceremonial event which attrachts tens of thousands of people (see this picture of Prinsjesdag 2022).



Which other European Heir of her age has an annual Banquet with her "colleagues" of the Concil of State (see this picture of last year's banquet).

I disagree with this. Leonor of Spain who is even younger than Amalia has had quite the public exposure. In addition she has been making speeches in multiple languages for a few years now.

 

[Marengo]

The minister, Alexandra van Huffelen stood out up to the point that the reporter of AD and of the blog modekoninginmaxima decided to make a special post about her outfits:

https://www.modekoninginmaxima.nl/dit-droeg-staatssecretatis-van-huffelen-tijdens-de-carribean-tour/

 

[Somebody]

Next to this being her first longer royal tour, we shouldn't forget that for the last 5 months she has not been able to move around freely at all. So, while this trip would always be daunting, it must have been much more so given the pressures related to the security concerns she's been experiencing for months. To suddenly pretend that all is well and secure requires an enormous amount of mental gymnastics (while knowing that she will be back to the old regime when back home).

 

[Alisa]

The minister, Alexandra van Huffelen stood out up to the point that the reporter of AD and of the blog modekoninginmaxima decided to make a special post about her outfits:

https://www.modekoninginmaxima.nl/dit-droeg-staatssecretatis-van-huffelen-tijdens-de-carribean-tour/

I like her style!!!

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Máxima is a Queen Consort , not a Queen Regnant, the spotlight isn't supposed to be on her, whether W-A likes it that way, it's his business, but it shouldn't be that way. Amalia seems to have personality and hopefully will be able to blossom without being constantly overshadowed by her mother.

More serious engagements accompanied by her father (or grandmother) would be great.

Tell it to the press not to take attention to Máxima, or Mathilde, or Catherine, or Mary, or Charlène: they might get all spotlight.....

In reality the King always came first, was the first to be greeted, was the one to whom all honours went. That the cameras are glued to Queen Máxima (who was just her normal self as we know for 23 years now) can not be blamed on her.

If she had dressed in dull grey nun clothes, she would have been criticized as well. And she actually is also often criticized for not appearing glamorous enough: with a horrible hairdo and wrinkled, ill-fitting clothes.

This was not "Amalia's Visit", this was the King's Visit to the Caribbean Netherlands and the reports in mainstream media were more balanced than the obsession with Máxima and Amalia on various social media forums.

 

[Somebody]

According to the royal house themselves the main purpose of this visit was Amalia's introduction to the Carribean part of the Kingdom, so, the media is following their lead if they focus on Amalia. Had it not been for Amalia they most likely would not have visited all islands in one trip.

 

[kathia_sophia]

She has taken more public baths than any of her counterparts. I disagree with your assessment that she is or was more "sheltered" than other European heirs of the same age:

Which other European heir has these annual mass events with public interaction (see this picture of King's Day in Maastricht).

Which other European heir of her age has this annual highly ceremonial event which attrachts tens of thousands of people (see this picture of Prinsjesdag 2022).

Which other European Heir of her age has an annual Banquet with her "colleagues" of the Concil of State (see this picture of last year's banquet).

I think she meant individual events, as we've seen with Leonor and Elisabeth, who sometimes take official events by themselves. There is no doubt that Amalia has taken part in massive events that are overwhelming, but always with her parents. I hope that, after this tour, she will start to take some official events on her own, albeit slowly.


I think it will be beneficial for Amalia to be on her own, instead of being their parents' shadow. Of course, she needs to learn, and her parents are the greatest tutors (alongside her gandmother), and this tour was like a "rehearsal" for her future role...But, she will gain experience by doing events on her own, make mistakes and grow. With her parents by her side during all times won't be beneficial in the long term.

 

[Somebody]

I think she meant individual events, as we've seen with Leonor and Elisabeth, who sometimes take official events by themselves. There is no doubt that Amalia has taken part in massive events that are overwhelming, but always with her parents. I hope that, after this tour, she will start to take some official events on her own, albeit slowly.

I think it will be beneficial for Amalia to be on her own, instead of being their parents' shadow. Of course, she needs to learn, and her parents are the greatest tutors (alongside her gandmother), and this tour was like a "rehearsal" for her future role...But, she will gain experience by doing events on her own, make mistakes and grow. With her parents by her side during all times won't be beneficial in the long term.

Each royal family does things differently. I personally don't think that underaged teenagers should be expected to do solo events (like they do in Spain and Morocco).

The Dutch Royal Family has a pretty straight-forward strategy: the focus is on personal development and education, once Amalia has completed her studies, she will fully dedicate herself to her royal role. Now she is eligible to ascend the throne (without the need for a regent), she has been introduced to the Council of State, made solo(!) visits to the various parts of the military, and, these last two weeks, made an introductory visit to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. For the next few years, the focus will remain on her studies - unfortunately, the 'personal development-part' has taken a huge hit because she couldn't move to her student home in Amsterdam as was planned.

 

[Skippy]

Each royal family does things differently. I personally don't think that underaged teenagers should be expected to do solo events (like they do in Spain and Morocco).

The Dutch Royal Family has a pretty straight-forward strategy: the focus is on personal development and education, once Amalia has completed her studies, she will fully dedicate herself to her royal role. Now she is eligible to ascend the throne (without the need for a regent), she has been introduced to the Council of State, made solo(!) visits to the various parts of the military, and, these last two weeks, made an introductory visit to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. For the next few years, the focus will remain on her studies - unfortunately, the 'personal development-part' has taken a huge hit because she couldn't move to her student home in Amsterdam as was planned.

The thing with things like that is that it's always announced quite some time after it has happened. We have never seen her live, solo, without a parent present.

In that respect I agree with Alisa, amongst her royal counterparts she seems most sheltered.
I sometimes suspect that Willem-Alexander wanted to give her the upbringing he hasn't had due to having a sick father.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

How can she be labelled "sheltered" enrolling University as a "normal student" in her own capital and living in the very centre of Amsterdam, alongside one of the main canals?

Now she is extremely sheltered indeed because of direct threats to her life by a proven no-any-holds-barred ruthless criminal mob who was (is) responsible for dozens of liquidations and "disparitions" in the own mob and beyond (amongst them a police officer, a lawyer, a journalist, a crime fighter, a key witness, etc.).

 

[Lee-Z]

...

This was not "Amalia's Visit", this was the King's Visit to the Caribbean Netherlands and the reports in mainstream media were more balanced than the obsession with Máxima and Amalia on various social media forums.

https://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/agenda/2023/01/27/bezoek-caribisch-deel-koninkrijk

the website of the 'koninklijk huis' explicitly says
"Het bezoek staat in het teken van de kennismaking van de Prinses van Oranje met het Caribisch deel van het Koninkrijk"
(The visit is dedicated to the introduction of the Princess of Orange to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom)

So it's not surprise that forummembers and media treat it as such

 

[Lee-Z]

In that respect I agree with Alisa, amongst her royal counterparts she seems most sheltered.
I sometimes suspect that Willem-Alexander wanted to give her the upbringing he hasn't had due to having a sick father.

The last part i don't know, but i'm pretty sure the first part was a concious decision by the king and queen to let their daughters have a relatively private live until they become adults. The dutch media had to adhere to a mediacode not to film the royal family outside of royal duties, so the princesses have been able to grow up somewhat similar to other people their age.

i think Amalia will do fine as a monarch and as a princess before that, but i do like the approach other royal families have on involving their children in certain age-apprpriate events and let them get used to the attention in a gradual way.

 

[Somebody]

It seems W- A and Máxima mainly considered sports-related activites age appropriate while Marhilde prefers to take her children to classical concerts...

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

King Willem-Alexander was an unsure, sort of shy, young man at the same age as Amalia. And he was dragged into royal life due to his father's absence because of ilnesses.

Even Princess Beatrix is by nature a shy person. It seems she exactly adheres ceremonial and protocol because it creates something to hold on, to use as a harness to keep her composure. When things are without any blueprint, Princess Beatrix seems to feel "lost" as she then has to find her own role, without a direction, while all eyes are prying on her.

Máxima is completely different. She seems not to rely heavily on hofdames, chamberlains and other escorts to find her public role. Queen Beatrix was helped by Prince Claus. King Willem-Alexander almost is kept afloat by his spouse and that will not be different for Amalia. Her choice of partner will be key to her future public profile.

 

[Lee-Z]

It seems W- A and Máxima mainly considered sports-related activites age appropriate while Marhilde prefers to take her children to classical concerts...

Everyone has their preferences ofcourse which is fine

what i had in mind is, going with for example with the Duchess of Brabant, she attended with her parents the opening of the Technopolis youth interactive at Mechelen in 2007 (i meant the age-appropriate with a 'youth' event like this). She gave her first solo speech (i think) at the WWI commemoration in 2014

P.Estelle in Sweden is another imo of a young heir (of the heir) being involved in a playful way in events her mother undertakes.

but i know we're not encouraged to do comparisons between royals on TRF so i leave it at that

 

[Toledo]

The minister, Alexandra van Huffelen stood out up to the point that the reporter of AD and of the blog modekoninginmaxima decided to make a special post about her outfits:

https://www.modekoninginmaxima.nl/dit-droeg-staatssecretatis-van-huffelen-tijdens-de-carribean-tour/

Her outfits are both weather and age appropriate, except for the black fishnet stockings moment everything blends in with the local relaxed and tropical feel of the visit. And I like her 'orthopedic' shoes, she knows there's a lot of walking and standing up involved and they seem so comfortable too.

 

[Skippy]

How can she be labelled "sheltered" enrolling University as a "normal student" in her own capital and living in the very centre of Amsterdam, alongside one of the main canals?

Now she is extremely sheltered indeed because of direct threats to her life by a proven no-any-holds-barred ruthless criminal mob who was (is) responsible for dozens of liquidations and "disparitions" in the own mob and beyond (amongst them a police officer, a lawyer, a journalist, a crime fighter, a key witness, etc.).

You know very well what is meant with "sheltered", Duc_et_Pair. It is about her royal life as Princess of Orange, not her private life as a UvA student. Her studying and what is supposed to go with that has nothing to do with it.

https://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/agenda/2023/01/27/bezoek-caribisch-deel-koninkrijk

the website of the 'koninklijk huis' explicitly says
"Het bezoek staat in het teken van de kennismaking van de Prinses van Oranje met het Caribisch deel van het Koninkrijk"
(The visit is dedicated to the introduction of the Princess of Orange to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom)

So it's not surprise that forummembers and media treat it as such

Thank you, Lee-Z.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Oh yes, of course, how stupid of me, all royal heirs are sooooooo open, and so babbly, and so easygoing, and so approachable for anyone but not Catharina-Amalia, oh yes, how could I not have known that about my own future Nun-Queen, that she is sooo "sheltered" in comparison with Leonor, Ingrid Alexandra and all those absolutely free-as-a-bird princesses. Pffff.

 

[Adda]

Love this recap of Máxima's choreos in the Caribbean Tour. She can be a bit too much, but she can also deliver. W-A wasn't too far behind, he's shy, but he's also a very jolly person.
They have to invite Carl-Gustav to a dance off! ?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CokSnvpDCPj/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

[SLV]

Love this recap of Máxima's choreos in the Caribbean Tour. She can be a bit too much, but she can also deliver. W-A wasn't too far behind, he's shy, but he's also a very jolly person.
They have to invite Carl-Gustav to a dance off! ?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CokSnvpDCPj/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

What can I say. Dancing is in her blood.
I am sure WA appreciates his wifes moves.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I disagree with this. Leonor of Spain who is even younger than Amalia has had quite the public exposure. In addition she has been making speeches in multiple languages for a few years now.

I doubt that Leonor would have been any different on such a tour. It's one thing to make a speech here and there or go on such a visit with the parents.
Furthermore, Leonors responsibilities will only start on her 18th birthday in October, so for now she has not yet experienced the seriousness that Amalia already has on her shoulders for some time. I am sure it will show.

 

[lula]

Furthermore, Leonors responsibilities will only start on her 18th birthday in October, so for now she has not yet experienced the seriousness that Amalia already has on her shoulders for some time. I am sure it will show.

Each Royal House works in its own way, but reducing Leonor's role to having given a few speeches does not represent reality.

Leonor's responsibilities began the moment her father became king, attending the National Day, the opening of Parliament or the acts of State in memory of the victims of Covid. In addition to delivering awards from her foundations and making speeches in theaters with hundreds of people that are televised nationally. She has also had three solo events and another three with just her sister.

When she turns 18 her schedule and responsibilities will increase... and it is these small acts alone or with her sister that will have been preparing her for solo trips. Because in Spain there is no custom for the heir of legal age to travel with parents.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I meant it in the sense that Amalia already lost a certain carefree feeling that Leonor still might have, away in Wales and relatively sheltered from public view. That will change when she's 18 and assuming full responsibility.
Leonor is certainly very well prepared but in my opionion her majority will have some impact on her conduct, something that Amalia has already experienced.

 

[lucien]

I meant it in the sense that Amalia already lost a certain carefree feeling that Leonor still might have, away in Wales and relatively sheltered from public view. That will change when she's 18 and assuming full responsibility.
Leonor is certainly very well prepared but in my opionion her majority will have some impact on her conduct, something that Amalia has already experienced.

Comparing apples and pears.Leave to the spanish RF ,we have enough problems here with this idiotic not yet solved situation surrounding Catharina Amalia.There should be a clamp down of sorts,as I think they already know who is behind all this.Not difficult to guess either.A broom is needed to give it a thorough clean up for once and for all.

 

[valeas]

Oh yes, of course, how stupid of me, all royal heirs are sooooooo open, and so babbly, and so easygoing, and so approachable for anyone but not Catharina-Amalia, oh yes, how could I not have known that about my own future Nun-Queen, that she is sooo "sheltered" in comparison with Leonor, Ingrid Alexandra and all those absolutely free-as-a-bird princesses. Pffff.

On the one hand you insist that Amalia was not sheltered as some posters write on the other hand you deny to accept that if Amalia was all that prepared by NOT being sheltered she is expected to do much better, look less uncomfortable, less hiding like a shy toddler, showing more self- confidence and being expected is no ranking to others but would be natural behaviour IF a person had had the experience. Plus she has had counselling for years, so whats really wrong with her, she is not he first in both families facing mental challenges.

Obviously something went wrong, she is not well prepared, or still too shy or ???
I am not her judge and for me it is f.e. not unthinkable that she simply would prefer s.th. else for her future, 2023, an intelligent young girl, rich parents, BUT
constantly being criticised in the media ... for playing a powerless role in a constitutional monarchy in a small country facing climate change worth it?
IMO a clear NO.

I, like many others, wish her well.

Royals are humans and make mistakes, too. Maybe Amalia will one day appreciate the way her father prepared her, maybe not-only she can know.
We can only have opinions about it, like we can only have opinions about our neighbours' families.
And after all, we all face daily life's challenges so don't take it too serious.
FeelU