A Baby Girl for Willem-Alexander and Maxima: December 7, 2003

[Alexandra]

Originally posted by Poppy@Dec 7th, 2003 - 7:12 pm
Oh how I wished that I was a doctor!! Alexandra, lets change course!!

Wow, you are right Poppy! Doctors have good salarys or is it wages. Much better than account... I don't know the word.

 

[Alexandria]

Thank you for this link Gabriella.

Anastasia would be a nice name, but I guess that is a no since Willem's cousin Maurits named his daughter that.

What about Catharina or Cecila? (Only made it through the C's so far!)

 

[Dennism]

Trouble on that front, Alexandria. The link that I'm using now is no longer up and they are showing Top of the Pops! Maybe they are delayed.

 

[Alexandria]

Thank you for converting it for me - not too good with numbers since I am a fine arts graduate!

6/6 and a half pounds is a fair sized baby.

 

[Dennism]

7.3

I used this page. They must have faulty numbers then.

http://www.ilpi.com/msds/ref/massunits.html

 

[Dennism]

There are photos of Beatrix and the cannons at the RTL page but I can't get them.

 

[Alexandria]

How about Helena for a name?

Some other suggestions: Bernadette, Margretha or Marjoelin.

Maybe I am too 'radical' in my names!

 

[Dennism]

"AMSTERDAM — Princess Maxima Zorreguieta, the wife of Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, gave birth to a girl on Sunday, the couple's first child. The child is second-in-line to the throne after her father and the latest in a long line of queens in the Netherlands.

Born at 5.01pm, the girl, whose name is yet to be announced, automatically gains the titles Princess of Orange and Princess of the Netherlands.

The government information service RVD issued a statement saying the baby was in perfect health and that Willem-Alexander was 'grateful and happy'. The baby weighs 3310 grammes and is 52cm long.

There was speculation in the media in recent days that the birth was imminent, but then Maxima was pictured shopping in The Hague. She was admitted to hospital at 9.10am on Sunday.

Television station RTL 4 showed live pictures of Queen Beatrix and other members of the Royal Family arriving at the Bronovo Hospital in The Hague to see her latest grandchild.

The cameras also showed Mabel Wisse-Smit, the fiancee of Princess Johan Friso, arriving at the hospital. Prince Johan Friso, the second eldest of the Queen's three sons, was until the birth of baby on Sunday the second-in-line to the throne.

However, the Prince and Mabel were plunged into controversy recently when it emerged Mabel had lied to the government about her relationship with drug baron Klaas Bruinsma, who was gunned down in Amsterdam in 1991.

The Cabinet has decided not to ask Parliament to sanction the marriage between Mabel and Prince Johan Friso. The couple say they intend to marry in 2004, an act which will result in Johan Friso losing his succession rights.

Crown Prince Willem-Alexander will take the throne when Beatrix steps down on dies, and he will become the first King in the Netherlands since the 19th century. Beatrix was preceded by her mother Juliana and before her Wilhelmina and Emma reigned.

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende addressed the nation about the birth of the future queen later at 6.15pm on Sunday. He said mother, daughter and father were doing well. He wished them a peaceful time over the next few days to give their full attention of the child.

"The loving thoughts and prayers of the Dutch people will be with them," the prime minister said.

Shortly after the announcement of the birth an 101-gun salute was fired by the military in honour of the new princess in all three countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The salute, which lasted for 17 minutes, was sounded in The Hague and the naval city of Den Helder, as well as on the former Dutch colonies of Curacao, the main island of the Netherlands Antilles, and the nearby island of Aruba in the Caribbean.

The tradition of the 101-gun salute to herald the birth of a Crown Prince or Princess was started by King Willem I in 1818. Originally, the birth of a girl was celebrated by 52 shots, but now equality reigns.

[Copyright Expatica News 2003"

 

[Gabriella]

How about Isabella? Pretty name. Isabella Beatrix Juliana Marie.

 

[Dennism]

Willem-Alexander zwaait uit het raam naar de mensen die wachten bij het Bronovo-ziekenhuis.

Waving to the crowds below!

 

[liv]

Prince´s Bernhard jr. and Annette´s baby is named Isabella so I don´t think they will choose the name twice.

 

[Gabriella]

Ah, Didn't think of that

 

[Gabriella]

I'm still rooting for Emma anyway.

 

[Dennism]

Queen and Mabel arriving.

 

[Duchess Sophie]

I'm glad that she is born. I have rest now LOL

 

[Alexandria]

Yes, Emma, Emma, Emma.

Emma Juliana Beatrix Wilhemina Orange-Nassau.

 

[Alexandria]

I am surprised to see Mabel arriving at the hospital with the Queen. This sort of throws the idea of Johan Friso and Mabel breaking up anytime soon out the window.

Have Constantijn and Laurentien arrived at the hospital yet?

 

[Dennism]

There are some catty remarks about Mabel in some places. I don't like them. Go Mabel!

 

[Duchess Sophie]

Not yet

 

[Alexandria]

Who else is expected to come to the hospital to visit Maxima, Willem and the baby?

Maxima's mom of course, unless she is already there.

What about Princess Margriet and her sons and their wives?

And I guess that Queen Juliana will wait to meet her great-granddaughter?

 

[Duchess Sophie]

Princess Juliana's condition (mental and physical) are to bad.....

 

[Dennism]

What kind of country makes it illegal not to name your baby after 3 days? Why should they have to? Well, I mean a normal family.

 

[Dennism]

The Queen and Mabel arriving:

 

[Dennism]

 

[Alexandra]

Originally posted by Dennism@Dec 7th, 2003 - 7:52 pm
What kind of country makes it illegal not to name your baby after 3 days? Why should they have to? Well, I mean a normal family.

What do you mean Dennism? Illegal?

 

[Dennism]

"The Civil Code says that a newborn baby must be registered within three working days,"

 

[Dennism]

 

[tricia]

I hope they choose original names for their daughter...but not made-up ones, like some American parents do for their children. :flower:

 

[Alexandra]

Originally posted by Dennism@Dec 7th, 2003 - 7:57 pm
"The Civil Code says that a newborn baby must be registered within three working days,"

Thank you, Dennism. In my countrya baby must be christened OR registered within three months.

 

[Dennism]

"Prins Willem-Alexander zal de naam van zijn dochter waarschijnlijk pas bekendmaken wanneer hij het meisje aangeeft bij de gemeente Den Haag. Dat moet binnen drie dagen gebeuren.

Ook de titel van de baby is nog niet bekend. Zij krijgt als tweede in de lijn van troonopvolging in elk geval niet de titel Prinses van Oranje. Het predikaat 'Van Oranje' is voorbehouden aan de eerste erfgenaam.

De baby is het tweede kleinkind van de koningin. Prins Constantijn, haar derde zoon, en zijn vrouw prinses Laurentien, kregen vorig jaar een dochtertje, die Eloïse heet. "

I also asked about the gap between birth and baptism but apparently that's normal but Royal Dutch babies.