Prince Willem-Alexander's 40th Birthday Celebrations: August 31-September 2, 2007

[Marengo]

Well, the guests are already there. But I don´t think any of the newsagencies bothered to take pictures. And if they did I wonder if the pictures could be published, due to the media code. As usual the RF prefers to stay in hiding and seems to say to the rest: up yours.

De Stentor has this article on the fireworks. Apparenly the Prince was on the roof of the palace to watch it. A lady of the public recognised CP Mary.

In the mean time Palace Het Loo is closed untill September 2nd due to ´an event´. So they are certainly enjoying the perks of their position, as they do when the Queens boat is financed by the Navy, when Princes get free parking permits in Amsterdam etc etc. (And yes, I am getting a little bit frustrated here ).

[Henri M.]

Originally Posted by Marengo

Well, the guests are already there. But I don´t think any of the newsagencies bothered to take pictures. And if they did I wonder if the pictures could be published, due to the media code. As usual the RF prefers to stay in hiding and seems to say to the rest: up yours.

De Stentor has this article on the fireworks. Apparenly the Prince was on the roof of the palace to watch it. A lady of the public recognised CP Mary.

In the mean time Palace Het Loo is closed untill September 2nd due to ´an event´. So they are certainly enjoying the perks of their position, as they do when the Queens boat is financed by the Navy, when Princes get free parking permits in Amsterdam etc etc. (And yes, I am getting a little bit frustrated here ).

I don't have any problems with it. It must be refreshing for the royal guests to be together in such an unknown privacy. And people seem to forget that in 1975 Het Loo Palace has been given a museal destination but that the Royal House can always use the palace when requested. That is written in black-on-white in the 'gebruiksovereenkomst' (contract of use) Rijksmuseum Paleis Het Loo has made with the State.

And so the royal family has made use of this right for weddings, baptisms, royal visits, parties.

[Marengo]

Well, as usual I have the feeling with this family that they are ´cheating´. If you play the game, stick to the rules. If you don´t like the rules, get out! But of course it is their right to celebrate this in private and the average Dutchman doesn´t give a hoot or doesn´t even know about it at all but personally I would like a fresh Scandinavian wind to blow through the palaces.

Thanks for the info on the use of Palace Het Loo btw.

[Henri M.]

Originally Posted by Marengo

Well, as usual I have the feeling with this family that they are ´cheating´. If you play the game, stick to the rules. If you don´t like the rules, get out! But of course it is their right to celebrate this in private and the average Dutchman doesn´t give a hoot or doesn´t even know about it at all.

Thanks for the info on the use of Palace Het Loo btw.

A comparable 'gebruiksovereenkomst' has been made with the Royal Palace Amsterdam, which also has a museal destination at first but can be used by the Royal House when requested.

It is part of the deal with the family. The palaces keep their 'value' when these still have links with the royal family. Otherwise it would become a sort of 'dead' museum and nothing more than that. The idea that there are suites and appartments in the Royal Palace still in use, that the Crown Domains on Het Loo are in usufruct by the Sovereign (who has handed daily affairs over to a Board), that the nearby castle is a retreat for the family, adds value to the palace.

[lucien]

Originally Posted by Marengo

Well, as usual I have the feeling with this family that they are ´cheating´. If you play the game, stick to the rules. If you don´t like the rules, get out! But of course it is their right to celebrate this in private and the average Dutchman doesn´t give a hoot or doesn´t even know about it at all but personally I would like a fresh Scandinavian wind to blow through the palaces.

Thanks for the info on the use of Palace Het Loo btw.

if you read the article on the website well,you will see that it just concerns several rooms and part of the stables,the rest is still open to the public.as you said at another website,you are really nitpicking now,don't,no need.There will be a photo-shoot of the family later today as well as of the arrival of the guests,so what on earth are you complaining about?And no,Apeldoorn didn't sponsor his party,the annual fireworks would have taken place at the 31st anyway,really Marengo,come on.

[Helena]

Is anybody surprised by this attitude by the Oranje-Nassau´s? I am not, it is usually like this ´we against the rest´. Beatrix used several museums, the concert building, railways and more for her 60th birhday party but still it was all ´private´. And heaven forbid they will give some Oranje-fans the opportunity to make pictures, it is much better to mingle among people like ourselves, as Beatrix once said, and to mingle with a formerly fascist father-in-law.

[Henri M.]

Originally Posted by Helena

Is anybody surprised by this attitude by the Oranje-Nassau´s? I am not, it is usually like this ´we against the rest´. Beatrix used several museums, the concert building, railways and more for her 60th birhday party but still it was all ´private´. And heaven forbid they will give some Oranje-fans the opportunity to make pictures, it is much better to mingle among people like ourselves, as Beatrix once said, and to migle with a formerly fascist father-in-law.

What has the father of the Princess and grandfather of the three little Princesses to do with this???? The Prince gives a belated reception for his 40th birthday and wishes to do this in an as private as possible setting. No more, no less.

Besides the handful of Orange die-hards, really 99,5 % of the Dutchman could not care less or is not even aware that there is something going on inside Het Loo Palace.

[lucien]

Originally Posted by Henri M.

What has the father of the Princess and grandfather of the three little Princesses to do with this???? The Prince gives a belated reception for his 40th birthday and wishes to do this in an as private as possible setting. No more, no less.

Besides the handful of Orange die-hards, really 99,5 % of the Dutchman could not care less or is not even aware that there is something going on inside Het Loo Palace.

Agree Henri.With die hards like that the RF doesn't need enemies,really,people seem to go way overboard on this issue,must be fall setting in early....no pun intended.

[johann]

Originally Posted by Henri M.

I don't have any problems with it. It must be refreshing for the royal guests to be together in such an unknown privacy.

Ahhh, come on “unknown privacy”, that´s way too pathetic. I´m pretty sure many RF can/do host parties on their palace grounds in complete privacy - they just don´t announce it and don´t rely on “public” resources.
And an as “private as possible setting” would be hosting the party at Eikenhorst or renting a complete hotel or something like this. If privacy is so sacred I wonder why they didn´t chose this option.

[Mandrake]

Come on! Does nobody remember the very open interview Willem-Alexander gave ON his actual birthday. All the footage of the little princesses playing at home with their mum and dad. That was a a form openess that whe are not accustomed to in the Netherlands. Now they are okay with photographers taking pictures at the arrival of the guests and half an hour of the actual party is being filmed, according to royalblog.nl

Do people really think that on those scandinavian party's things go any different? It is not a real life soap... I can't understand why there is so much aggresion about these things lately.

[Henri M.]

Originally Posted by johann

Ahhh, come on “unknown privacy”, that´s way too pathetic. I´m pretty sure many RF can/do host parties on their palace grounds in complete privacy - they just don´t announce it and don´t rely on “public” resources.
And an as “private as possible setting” would be hosting the party at Eikenhorst or renting a complete hotel or something like this. If privacy is so sacred I wonder why they didn´t chose this option.

Remember the private parties for the Prince of Wales' 60th birthday, or Prince William and Prince Harry: all what we could see were some guests arriving.

Remember the masked ball in 2001 in Sweden, attended with many royals. All what we could see were the guests, some of them dressed up, arriving at the Castle, no more, no less.

Let us not exaggarate and act like it is the most normal thing of the world to have a herd of photographers in your neck when you are celebrating a birthday!

And Eikenhorst is not possible. And why a hotel when you are Willem-Alexander prins der Nederlanden, prins van Oranje-Nassau, jonkheer van Amsberg, de Prins van Oranje and have the possibility to celebrate it in the historic premises your where centuries of your illustrious family's history is visible? And where you can do so thanks to the conditions which were made with the State concerning the use of the Palace and/or the Crown Domains?

Let us also remember that -for an example- the Van Vollenhovens had a party at Muiden Castle, which is also a Rijksmonument (state patrimonium). We do not know on which conditions and how, that is not my responsibility but that if the director of the Palace.

[Princess Robijn]

The guestlist will go to the media tonight.

Confirmed:
HGrand Duke Guillaume will be there.

---------

Someone claimed she saw CPss Mary of Denmark at the roof along with the Prince of Orange, watching the fireworks.

[acdc1]

So there will probably be no pictures of the party?

[Princess Robijn]

Originally Posted by acdc1

So there will probably be no pictures of the party?

With good weather there will be pictures of guests arriving and there will be a grouppicture and with bad weather a short fotoshoot with the 3 A-Princesses

[carlota]

what's so terrible if they want to do a private party? we were never told the nature of the party of willem-alexander, yet some people kept speculating about it. i posted another message before on this same topic on why we shouldn't speculate as no information was given on what the party was going to be like and therefore we didn't know what was going to happen or who was going to attend. the RF never told us that the party was going to be a big affair, with foreign royalty, or whether it was going to be a private party with private guests (royal or non-royal), so everything we talked about was pure speculation.

as much as i would love to see all the royals together again, in tiaras and beautiful gowns, we can't get angry at them because our speculations were wrong. they never induced us to thinking anything about the party and therefore everything we know was made up of imagination or by comparison with other kind of similar events.

[Princess Maxima]

Felipe and Letizia arrived yesterday to Madrid... So it's not for sure that they'll be attending
LA PRINCESA LETIZIA REGRESA A MADRID CON AGENDA

[lula]

Originally Posted by Princess Maxima

It seems that Letizia and Felipe are not attending, as they arrived yesterday to Madrid
LA PRINCESA LETIZIA REGRESA A MADRID CON AGENDA

Independently of that they attend or not I do not understand your conclusion. In this news does not say that the Princes should come yesterday to Madrid, says that already they are in Madrid and that they begin their oficial agenda on Monday. The last time that saw the Princes in Mallorca was wednesday morning.

[Aurora810]

Not that it's a big deal but for the record I completely agree with Carlota's above post! It was never made public as far as what would actually take place. It's within their right to have this private, semi-private, or public. Looks like it could be considered semi-private since there is a planned photoshoot of guests arriving and then the group pic. Either way, I will be happy to see any pics that the RF decide to have taken.

[lucien]

Just about an hour more,and we know it all.Great photo's and footage of the heartbreakers of Orange,Amalia,Alexia and Ariane,and ofcourse the guests,Philippe & Mathilde,Haakon & Mette-Marit and Crown Princess Victoria,Prince Guillaume.That is safe to assume.Due to security the list will be published as the guests arrive.Times have really changed and there are more people then just us,Royal watchers,lurking along,hence the security and the "long" wait.

[Henri M.]

The Prince of Orange
Princess Máxima of the Netherlands
Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands
Princess Alexia of the Netherlands
Princess Ariane of the Netherlands

The Queen

Jorge Zorreguieta Stefanini
María del Carmen Carricart de Zorreguieta
Martín Zorreguieta Carricart

Prince Friso and Princess Mabel, Count and Countess Van Oranje-Nassau van Amsberg

Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands

The Earl and Countess of Wessex

The Crown Prince and -Princess of Denmark

The Crown Princess of Sweden

The Prince and Princess of Asturias

The Crown Prince and -Princess of Norway

The Duke and Duchess of Brabant

The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg

The Hereditary Prince and -Princess von and zu Liechtenstein

Various members of the Jordan royal family

The Duke of Parma and Piacenza
Princess Irene of the Netherlands, formerly The Duchess of Parma and Piacenza
Prince Carlos de Bourbon de Parme, Prince de Piacenza
Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme, Countess de Colorno
Prince Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, Count de Bardi
Princess María Carolina de Bourbon de Parme, Marchioness de Sala

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
Professor mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven
Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène van Oranje-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven
Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette van Oranje-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven
Prince Pieter-Cristiaan and Princess Anita van Oranje-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven
Prince Floris and Princess Aimée van Oranje-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven

No mention yet of Princess Christina...

And more -still unidentified- guests