Their Royal Highnesses Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands are currently on holiday at the lovely Villa La Angostura in Argentina. This afternoon the royal couple along with their three daughters posed for photographers at the “… gardens of El Messidor on the Nahuel Huapi, situated in the residence of the Governor of Neuquen…”
On December 18, 2012, His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje visited the Stichting Move (Foundation Move) in Utrecht. The Stichting Move “… encourages students and young people from Utrecht, Leiden, Delft and Amsterdam to become socially involved in their district … ” according to RVD.
Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands along with His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje, Princess Margriet, and Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven hosted a luncheon/reception for the medal winners from the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games on December 18, 2012.
Held at the Paleis op de Dam in Amsterdam today’s reception also celebrated the:
“… 100th anniversary of the Dutch Olympic Committee. In addition to the medal winners present at today’s luncheon there are also representatives from the NOC, NSF and National Paralympic Committee.”
On December 15, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands along with His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje attended the 7th Koninkrijksconcert in Rotterdam.
According to RVD, the concert “… aims to show the relationship between the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Today, there are more than 124,000 people from the Caribbean are living in the kingdom.”
On December 13, 2012, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands hosted a luncheon at Paleis Noordeinde for:
“… a select group Dutch individuals who have distinguished themselves by a special achievement. The 27 invitees have recently received a prize or other award for their achievements in various sectors such as sports, arts & culture, media and journalism, music, literature, education, science and industry.”
Meanwhile, in Middelburg, Her Royal Highness Princess Laurentien gave a speech during the 2012 Bibliotheektweedaagse. The princess is Honorary Chairman of the Public Library Association in the Netherlands. According to RVD, the princess spoke about “… the role of libraries in language development, reading and writing.”
On December 12, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands along with Their Royal Highnesses Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, and Princess Mabel attended the 2012 Prins Claus Prijs held at the Koninklijk Paleis in Amsterdam.
The recipient of the 2012 Prins Claus Prijs went to the Argentine non-profit publishing house, Eloísa Cartonera. The company produces:
“… handmade books made of recycled materials. The materials are collected by Cartoneros, or “cardboard people” who are unemployed and survived Argentina’s political and economic collapse in 2001. Drawn to Eloísa Cartonera’s social solidarity, emerging and established Latin American writers donated their short stories, novels and other forms of literature to the company. The collective, small-scale method produces books that are cheaper than conventional paperbacks.”
Her Royal Highness Princess Maxima of the Netherlands was in Rotterdam on December 11, 2012, to attend the official closing ceremony “… in celebration of the 400 years of relations between the Netherlands and Turkey …” according to RVD.
Guests in attendance included the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, Mr. Ali Babacan and the Mayor of Istanbul, Mr. Kair Topbas, to name a few.
The Royal Correspondent 