This evening at the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg Their Royal Highnesses Grand DukeHenri, Grand DuchessMaria Teresa and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume hosted a gala dinner in honor of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands state visit to Luxembourg.
On March 20, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands arrived in Luxembourg to begin her three-day state visit to the lovely grand duchy.
Upon her arrival, at the Grand Ducal Palace, Her Majesty was greeted by Their Royal Highnesses Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa as the Dutch and Luxembourg national anthems played. After meeting local dignitaries, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix, Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume attended a private luncheon in the Grand Ducal Palace. Afterward, Her Majesty participated in a wreath laying ceremony held at the Monument National de la Solidarité Luxembourgeoise along with various government officials.
Soon, it was time to return to the Grand Ducal Palace whereupon Her Majesty held a meeting with government officials and local dignitaries. According to the official site for the government of Luxembourg, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix along with Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume participated in:
…a round table entitled “Strengthening Business Climate in Europe”, in the presence of the Minister of the economy and foreign trade, Etienne Schneider, and his Dutch counterpart Maxime Verhagen, as well as of a large number of business leaders.
Tonight there will be a gala dinner held at the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg.
Click the links below to watch a video as well as to view photos.
Sources: Cour Grand Ducale de Luxembourg, Gouvernement Luxembourgeois, and RVD/Het Koninklijk Huis
On March 17, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands attended the première of the play, Ongezien, in Wolfheze, on the “… occasion of the 100th anniversary of Het Schild, a center for the blind and visually impaired elderly.”
Meanwhile, it was recently announced that Their Royal Highnesses Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands will attend a memorial service in Lommel, Belgium on March 21, 2012, for the victims of last week’s bus crash in a Swiss tunnel. Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, will also attend the service.
Sources: RVD, HoogenLaag.nl, and PPE
On March 16, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands along with Their Royal Highnesses Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands participate in NL Doet, National Volunteer Day.
The purpose of NL Doet, organized by the Oranje Fond, is to encourage people to “…become involved in volunteering and to make a difference…” in their community.
Her Majesty along with her sister, Princess Margriet, Prince Bernhard, Prince Floris and Princess Aimée, Princess Annette were at the Stichting Assistentiehond Nederland (Assistance Foundation Netherlands) to lend a hand for several hours. According to NOS, the AFN:
…specializes in the training of assistance dogs to help those with mobility impairments. The Assistance Foundation Netherlands receives no structural subsidy and is run by 25 volunteers.
Meanwhile, Their Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima were in Leidschendam were they helped paint, clean, and restore a clubhouse for the scouting group, Satoko Kitahara.
Click the links below to watch videos as well as to view photos.
Sources: RVD and NOS
Photo courtesy of Het Koninklijk Huis
On March 16, 2012, His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje opened the 15th Annual National Career Fair held at the RAI in Amsterdam. After the opening, the prince had a chance to mingled with attendees on the trade show floor. The purpose of the National Career Fair is to gather “… career orientated students and professionals to get in contact with 160 employers.”
Sources: RVD and PPE
On March 14, 2012, His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje boarded the new Dutch Royal Naval ship in Amsterdam, HMS Holland, to travel to Greenwich, England.
According to RVD, there is a special as well as priceless artifact on board, “…the historical decoration of the stern of the 17th century English flagship Royal Charles. The prince will deliver the item to the National Maritime Museum.”
Click here for more information. (in Dutch)
Click here to watch a video news clip. (in Dutch)
Source: RVD/HKH
On March 12, 2012, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco along with His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje are currently in Marseilles, France where they attended the opening of the 6th Annual World Water Forum.
As I previously mentioned, the event, organized by the World Water Council, will gather 800 speakers from around the world, and 25,000 international leaders are expected to attend this important forum/conference. The purpose of the event is to:
…tackle the challenges our world is facing and to bring water high on all political agendas. There will be no sustainable development while the water issues remain unsolved. Everywhere on the planet, for all and everyone, the Right to Water (recognized by 189 states at the UN one year ago) must be guaranteed and implemented.
During today’s opening of the World Water Forum both Prince Albert II and Prince Willem-Alexander gave speeches in front of hundreds of guests including Prime Minister, Mr. François Fillon, and the former Soviet Union President, Mikhail Gorbachev.
To learn more about the 6th Annual World Water Forum please visit their official website here.
Sources: WWF, Palais Princier de Monaco and RVD
The Royal Correspondent 