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


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How lovely to be spending their Wedding Anniversary in such a beautiful location.
 
Governor George-Wout invites King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Amalia for a dinner with 21 special Curaçaoans, on the occasion of the 21th wedding anniversary of the royal couple today. The location: Cathedral of Doornen, art project by Herman van Bergen.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1621287488214994945
 
Hopefully they'll enjoy their days off on the island (I recommend hiking up to the highest peak which can be seen in today's pictures - that's a lovely hike but a bit strenuous when you get close to the top ?), so they are fully recharged for their final week visiting the windward islands.
 
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It seems that Alexandra van Huffelen is ready to fly from Willemstad to the next island all by herself.
 
Uh...I do hope the king is okay if he really swallowed that key.

That would be up there with the dumbest reasons for acceding, ever. (No pun intended on Max's famous statement, but hey.)
 
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To me, CA only rarely looks comfortable during this trip. For her start into royal events, I would have chosen something more serious and especially a shorter trip.
I can only judge from the photos, it seems like an endless holiday to me, beaches, sunglasses, outfits ... quite out of touch with what is going on in the rest of the world.
CA is mostly tagging behind her parents instead of having a kind of role during the tour, of course Maxima always absorbs the spotlight, what is not her daughters fault of course, and the lack of substance does not help.
I can't imagine all this will help with approval rates.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
To me, CA only rarely looks comfortable during this trip. For her start into royal events, I would have chosen something more serious and especially a shorter trip.
I can only judge from the photos, it seems like an endless holiday to me, beaches, sunglasses, outfits ... quite out of touch with what is going on in the rest of the world.
CA is mostly tagging behind her parents instead of having a kind of role during the tour, of course Maxima always absorbs the spotlight, what is not her daughters fault of course, and the lack of substance does not help.
I can't imagine all this will help with approval rates.
Click to expand...

This is a very serious trip. She cannot help it that some people associate nice weather and Caribbean islands with holidays... She will be queen of these islands, so, just like her father and grandmother before her, she is making a trip to meet the governments or local leaders of each of the 6 islands and to get to know some of their highlights.

Not sure what is non-substantial about government meetings, visits to locations related to the history of slavery (a very prominent theme this year with the recent apologies by the PM of the Netherlands and the expected apologies by the king on the first of July) as well as a university class about this topic, a day on a marine ship to learn more about their role in defending the national integrity/securiry of the islands and visiting various nature conservation projects. In addition to that, on each island there is indeed also at least one cultural event, which is about showcasing their island's identity that might include food or dance.

And of course, while this might be her first multi-day trip (which is rightly made to other countries within the kingdom and includes all islands instead of skipping some of them), it's not her first royal activity by far.
 
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I think part of the problem is anyone would look uncomfortable next to Maxima who is so OTT, even royals who have been doing royal engagements for decades would look stayed and shy next to her.
I get the impression, despite how it might have been sold to the public, this was a tour for WA and Max and it just worked out that Amalia could attend. They should perhaps have made her first visit like this more specialised with specific events / activities designed just for her.
 
tommy100 said:
I think part of the problem is anyone would look uncomfortable next to Maxima who is so OTT, even royals who have been doing royal engagements for decades would look stayed and shy next to her.
I get the impression, despite how it might have been sold to the public, this was a tour for WA and Max and it just worked out that Amalia could attend. They should perhaps have made her first visit like this more specialised with specific events / activities designed just for her.
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On each island they seem to have given Amalia a special role in one or two activities (releasing a turtle, baking bread, starting a sports competition) but it could have indeed been a bit more prominent.

However, it cannot be denied that especially in official meetings, it is the head of state visiting, so they get prominence.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
To me, CA only rarely looks comfortable during this trip. For her start into royal events, I would have chosen something more serious and especially a shorter trip.
I can only judge from the photos, it seems like an endless holiday to me, beaches, sunglasses, outfits ... quite out of touch with what is going on in the rest of the world.
CA is mostly tagging behind her parents instead of having a kind of role during the tour, of course Maxima always absorbs the spotlight, what is not her daughters fault of course, and the lack of substance does not help.
I can't imagine all this will help with approval rates.
Click to expand...

Queen Maxima seems to be one of those persons that is not afraid to show her joy and happiness in public, especially when meeting strangers that could feel a bit intimidated by her title or position of authority. Princess Mary of Denmark, Queen Letizia and Queen Margrethe are scaled down versions of Maxima's enthusiastic personality. And what's wrong with it anyway? Her personality is part of what sells this trip as a successful one, she enjoys every moment and every person she meets during her visit.

Amalia strikes me more of UK's QEII and Princess Charlene of Monaco's approach of hardly cracking up a smile in public photos or giving a sentiment of being distant.

But this seriousness at her age is concerning and could also be she is not shy but a bit introvert or possibly feeling alone surrounded by people who are so much older than her generation. Yet, in comparison to other crown royals like a young William, a young Frederick of today's Leonor of Spain, Amalia's seriousness it's a whole different level. Leonor is younger than Amalia and already commands the room with a smile as she enters it.

My impression looking at photos and videos of Amalia during this trip is like she is there, and she is not there too. :ermm:
 
Amalia has been under threats of kidnapping and violence and under house arrest because of that for months, and will probably have to resume the same routine when she returns. Leonor has been having a carefree time at boarding school in Wales.

If Amalia looks serious and like she has things on her mind, she probably does.
 
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Duke of Marmalade said:
To me, CA only rarely looks comfortable during this trip. For her start into royal events, I would have chosen something more serious and especially a shorter trip.
I can only judge from the photos, it seems like an endless holiday to me, beaches, sunglasses, outfits ... quite out of touch with what is going on in the rest of the world.
CA is mostly tagging behind her parents instead of having a kind of role during the tour, of course Maxima always absorbs the spotlight, what is not her daughters fault of course, and the lack of substance does not help.
I can't imagine all this will help with approval rates.
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The governments of the various islands organised the programme AFAIK. Should the palace have intervened and asked them to show more misery and sick people as that would be better for the palace PR? That would be an extremely cynical way of doing things and I am not sure if that kind of intervention would be appreciated on the islands at all. I agree with you that some may think that royals on a beach equates a vacation, but in that case the fault is with the onlookers who fail to look beyond their own preconceptions.

Amalia is doing exactly what her father did when he visited the islands with his parents in 1987. Beatrix visited the islands on her own in 1958, when she was 20 years old. The programme was more official then, including a tiara event in Willemstad.

Over the years Amalia has visited various parts of the Netherlands, on f.e. Kings Day. She has never visited the islands before in an official capacity. The islands are as much part of the Kingdom as Frisia or Limburg is. In short: it is high time that she visited the islands. The governments of the islands must have thought the same, which is why the invitation was sent.

The trip could have been shorter but what would have been the criticism then? A rushed visit as if the islands ar not worth any more time. Or six short visit to each of the islands at the time, resulting in more flights between Europe and the Caribbean, more days off from university and thus more criticism perhaps.

I certainly hope that not each and every public event is dictated by the need for an increase in approval rates. It would be very cynical if this is the main reason behind visits for the Dutch - or for any court. This is not a presidential system where they need to be re-elected each couple of years. It will give them more freedom to focus on things that are important to society instead of on things that are good PR alone. And one hopes that a good relation between the several parts of the Kingdom is indeed a priority for the governments and for the palace.
 
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I can certainly see Duke's point about the trip appearing to be one endless holiday.
It is interesting to note that only the positives of each island appeared to be showcased. There were no visits to sick and infirmed, the homeless or hungry, and victims of abuse or sexual violence. Every country has these elements of society, it would've been good to see them showcase one as a part of their visit.

I think Amalia is just Amalia. She can be very carefree and light-hearted and very serious and observatory sometimes. Perhaps a good combination of her parents?
For example, a cute little anecdote was when the family was making Aloe scrubs from freshly picked aloe- the king was baffled by what a "scrub" was. Amalia responded "How do you live with 4 women and not know what a scrub is?" Of course everyone around erupted in laughter.

All things considered, I think she is doing incredible for a young woman who has such a heavy future ahead and is currently living under stressed conditions with a drug mafia threatening to kidnap and assassinate her.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
To me, CA only rarely looks comfortable during this trip. For her start into royal events, I would have chosen something more serious and especially a shorter trip.
I can only judge from the photos, it seems like an endless holiday to me, beaches, sunglasses, outfits ... quite out of touch with what is going on in the rest of the world.
CA is mostly tagging behind her parents instead of having a kind of role during the tour, of course Maxima always absorbs the spotlight, what is not her daughters fault of course, and the lack of substance does not help.
I can't imagine all this will help with approval rates.
Click to expand...

I wonder what Princess Beatrix is thinking about their trip .
 
Princess Beatrix has made very simular trips with very simular elements. The islands are very dear to her. She supposedly is very popular there as well. She was there two years ago. And in 2018 -also on a beach in Bonaire- to visit a turtle project. Nobody on this forum complained about it then.

In the Netherlands the only complaints -apart from the usual group anti-monarchists on twitter- that I have seen were some raised eyebrows about the minister Van Huffelen, who seems to overshadow even Queen Máxima.
 
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Alisa said:
I can certainly see Duke's point about the trip appearing to be one endless holiday.
It is interesting to note that only the positives of each island appeared to be showcased. There were no visits to sick and infirmed, the homeless or hungry, and victims of abuse or sexual violence. Every country has these elements of society, it would've been good to see them showcase one as a part of their visit.

I think Amalia is just Amalia. She can be very carefree and light-hearted and very serious and observatory sometimes. Perhaps a good combination of her parents?
For example, a cute little anecdote was when the family was making Aloe scrubs from freshly picked aloe- the king was baffled by what a "scrub" was. Amalia responded "How do you live with 4 women and not know what a scrub is?" Of course everyone around erupted in laughter.

All things considered, I think she is doing incredible for a young woman who has such a heavy future ahead and is currently living under stressed conditions with a drug mafia threatening to kidnap and assassinate her.
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Another thing that I find it interesting is that, while the issue of slave reparations is often raised in royal tours of the British Caribbean islands, it doesn't seem to be an issue in the Dutch Caribbean. Why?


Importation of slaves into the Americas (1519-1867)





  1. Portuguese America/Brazil: 38.5 %
  2. British West Indies: 18.5 %
  3. Spanish Empire: 17.5 %
  4. French West Indies: 13.6 %
  5. English/British North America/United States: 9.7 %
  6. Dutch West Indies: 2.0 %
  7. Danish West Indies: 0.3%
Source: Wikipedia
 
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The discussion about repairs is being held in the other part of the former Dutch West Indies, Suriname. A commission there has calculated that the country should ask for 10 billion Euros in repairs.

https://dagbladdewest.com/2022/08/1...issie-verwacht-euro-10-miljard-van-nederland/

I am not familiar with any discussion on the islands about it, though groups of Antillians living in the Netherlands may feel that repairs should be paid.

Both in Bonaire as on Curaçao the topic of slavery was included in the programme. The royal party visited the slave houses on Bonaire and on Curaçao they visited the Knip estate, where the slave leader Tula started a revolt in 1795. Afterwards visited an exhibition about the revolt and talked to descendants of enslaved people. On the same day they visited Hòfi Mango, a former suger plantation that has been transformed into a project to train Curaçao youngsters about agriculture and gardening. On Wednesday in Sint Eustasius there will be another moment -in Oranjestad- to draw attention to slavery.

I don't understand the hullabaloo in this thread of the visit being "too festive". It is just the normal King's Day-like festivities we see at every Official Visit in a province, now just in a tropical setting:
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I suppose unconcious bias may play a role and the white savior complex. People may expect to see the royals in that role, though fortunately the local authorities decided otherwise and have created a very different programme that suits them and brings attention to projects that they want to highlight. There is especially a lot of focus on programmes for the young & their eductation and futures.

For the next visit the palace can perhaps propose a new-style Potemkin village, to please the palace PR department. Scenes with burned down palm trees, beaches covered with coal and ashes. Actors dressed in rags, shooting make-belief heroine and selling their infants, wailing and covering their heads with ashes. Reminiscent of biblical scenes from ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. The royal family - dressed in surgical robes and face masks- will be handing out water, food and medicine. Great pictures for the national newspapers and great PR for the palace, surely.
 
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Marengo said:
The discussion about repairs is being held in the other part of the former Dutch West Indies, Suriname. A commission there has calculated that the country should ask for 10 billion Euros in repairs.

https://dagbladdewest.com/2022/08/1...issie-verwacht-euro-10-miljard-van-nederland/

I am not familiar with any discussion on the islands about it, though groups of Antillians living in the Netherlands may feel that repairs should be paid.

Both in Bonaire as on Curaçao the topic of slavery was included in the programme. The royal party visited the slave houses on Bonaire and on Curaçao they visited the Knip estate, where the slave leader Tula started a revolt in 1795. Afterwards visited an exhibition about the revolt and talked to descendants of enslaved people. On the same day they visited Hòfi Mango, a former suger plantation that has been transformed into a project to train Curaçao youngsters about agriculture and gardening. On Wednesday in Sint Eustasius there will be another moment -in Oranjestad- to draw attention to slavery.



I suppose unconcious bias may play a role and the white savior complex. People may expect to see the royals in that role, though fortunately the local authorities decided otherwise and have created a very different programme that suits them and brings attention to projects that they want to highlight. There is especially a lot of focus on programmes for the young & their eductation and futures.

For the next visit the palace can perhaps propose a new-style Potemkin village, to please the palace PR department. Scenes with burned down palm trees, beaches covered with coal and ashes. Actors dressed in rags, shooting make-belief heroine and selling their infants, wailing and covering their heads with ashes. Reminiscent of biblical scenes from ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. The royal family - dressed in surgical robes and face masks- will be handing out water, food and medicine. Great pictures for the national newspapers and great PR for the palace, surely.
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There are serious current issues happening in the islands just like in the rest of the country. They could have mixed in a few spots like any other royal visit, along with making the tour so pleasant and festive. But as has been said, it's their choice for the program, not the visitors. I'm not sure why this level of sarcasm and political bias is necessary (..)
 
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:previous:

They visited and will visit various nature preservation projects, various education projects. They attended discussions on poverty. As mentioned, the slavery past of the islands has been and will be highlighted. They visited an art project. They visited an exhibition on a WWII resistance hero from Aruba. They visited various industries. They were informed by the defence department and anti-drug operations. They visited a sports project. Today they will visit a hospital and they will look at the rebuilding efforts after the hurricane Irma. Tomorrow they will visit a housing project for elderly and handicapped people, etc. etc.

In short: they did mix these serious issues into the +/- 70 different functions/events of this visit. But I suppose they may have been overshadowed by the more festive parts of the visit, which are more interesting for photographers to share and for us to comment upon.

And although you can't, I do hope that others can forgive me my sarcasm to some extend. It has been caused by my exasperation to see this visit portrayed as a beach holiday or a never-ending party. And by the suggestion islands should be making a caricature out of life there by displaying a stream of misery to suit a supposed cynical PR angle for the palace. I am among this first to critisize the King and Queen when -in my view- they make mistakes. They certainly have given us ample opportunity to do so these past years. But in this case I really do not think it is true or fair.
 
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Marengo said:
For the next visit the palace can perhaps propose a new-style Potemkin village, to please the palace PR department. Scenes with burned down palm trees, beaches covered with coal and ashes. Actors dressed in rags, shooting make-belief heroine and selling their infants, wailing and covering their heads with ashes. Reminiscent of biblical scenes from ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. The royal family - dressed in surgical robes and face masks- will be handing out water, food and medicine. Great pictures for the national newspapers and great PR for the palace, surely.
Click to expand...




Brillinat ironic comment Marengo!
 
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