On July 4, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was at the Muziektheater in Amsterdam to attend a gala in honor of the 80th birthday of famed Dutch ballet choreographer, Mr. Hans van Manen.
According to RVD, during tonight’s gala event the Dutch National Ballet Company will present “… eight new works…” by Mr. van Manen with the “… musical accompaniment by the Holland Symfonia conducted by Mr. Ermanno Florio.”
Sources: RVD and Het Nationale Ballet
The Prince and Princess at ‘Hoe Duur Was de Suiker’ performance.
On June 30, 2012, His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje was in Den Haag to participate in Veteranendag 2012 (Veteran’s Day). The prince was accompanied by Dutch Prime Minister, Mr. Mark Rutte.
According to RVD, Veteranendag is:
… a tribute to the more than 100,000 Dutch veterans-of the second world war to the Mission in Afghanistan-who have deployed in the service of peace. The goal of Veteranendag is to promote recognition and appreciation for the veterans.
In the evening, the prince accompanied Her Royal Highness Princess Maxima of the Netherlands to attend a “… theatre performance…” entitled, Hoe Duur Was de Suiker, held at the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam.
The performance is based on the historical novel ‘Hoe duur was de Suiker’ by Surinamese author, Ms. Cynthia McLeod. The presentation talks about the role of the Netherlands in historical slavery … which was abolished in the Dutch colonies in 1863.
Source: RVD/HKH
On June 28, 2012, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands attended the opening of the new exhibition, ‘Koning Lodewijk Napoleon & zijn Paleis op de Dam’, at the Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam.
According to the official website for the Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam and RVD, the exhibition:
… focuses on different perspectives of the story of the first king of Holland. Here you will discover the special legacy of his government’s policies. On the basis of mini-documentaries, art objects and attributes on the building itself is a picture of the way King Louis Napoleon lived at that time.
The town hall turned into a Royal Palace on 20 April 1808, when it became the residence of the first King of Holland, 29-year-old Louis Napoleon (1778-1846) of France.
Two years later it served briefly as the palace of his brother, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. This period under French rule was a turning point in the history of the building and indeed the Netherlands as a whole.
If you are interested in viewing the exhibition, ‘Koning Lodewijk Napoleon & zijn Paleis op de Dam’, it opens to the public on June 29, 2012, and ends on September 16, 2012. For more information please visit the official website for the Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam here.
Sources: Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam and RVD
On June 26, 2012, His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje participated in the reopening of the newly restored fortifications of Hellevoetsluis. According to Historiek.net, the restorations of the complex began in 2010 and were funded:
…jointly between the municipality of Hellevoetsluis, the National Service for Cultural Heritage and Europe at a cost of six million Euros.
RVD notes that the construction of the fortress began in the seventeenth century:
… to protect the then naval port Hellevoetsluis. The works were then further developed and expanded. In addition to defensive work, the fortress offered 1,800 to over 4,000 port staff with comfortable housing. The fortress also played a role during the first and second world wars.
Sources: Historiek.net and RVD
On June 25, 2012, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands were at the Ridderzaal in Den Haag to attend the TEDxBinnenhof Catwalk for Innovation meeting.
According to RVD:
TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment & Design and began in 1984, is an international non-profit platform where entrepreneurs and researchers from the three sectors present new ideas for solving social problems.
At present TEDxBinnenhof consists of ten people discussing their innovative solutions to social problems in areas such as energy, water, agriculture and nutrition. The ideas all meet the criteria that they are cutting-edge, focus on Dutch problem and accessible to a broad audience. Audiences include entrepreneurs, policy makers, researchers and young people.
Source: RVD
On June 20, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was in Utrecht to open a new provincial house. According to RVD, the house, designed by architect, Mr.P.G. Vermeulen, was a former bank building and the decor:
… reflects the new way of working… Employees have no personal workspace, but choose a place that suits the work that they do at that moment. The building has a contemporary and open look, with many meeting places.
And, finally, Her Majesty received credentials from ambassadors from the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Cyprus, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The event took place at Noordeinde Palace in Den Haag.
Source: RVD/HKH
On June 19, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was at the Koninklijk Paleis (royal palace) in Amsterdam to present the Zilveren Anjers (silver carnation) of the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund to Mr.Wim Statius Muller.
According to PPE, the Zilveren Anjers is “… awarded annually to individuals who voluntarily worked for culture and nature conservation.” Mr. Muller, from the island of Curaçao, received the Zilveren Anjers for his:
…contribution to preserving the musical heritage of the Caribbean islands, especially the classical music of Curaçao. Mr. Muller is also a mentor and inspiration for young musicians in the Caribbean…
Sources: RVD and PPE
The Royal Correspondent 