King Willem-Alexander News

[Principessa]

In the Dutch province of Limburg, people have been dealing with considerable flooding (overflowing rivers; heavy rainfall) in recent days. Just like several other countries in central and western Europe. Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg, among others.

King Willem-Alexander wishes residents of Limburg strength

King Willem-Alexander called acting governor Remkes van Limburg. In that conversation, he expressed his support and wished the inhabitants of the province "with the difficult circumstances in which they find themselves due to the major flooding as a result of the heavy rainfall in recent days". This is reported by the Government Information Service.

During the conversation, Remkes informed de Koning about the current situation, the damage and the expectations for the coming days. It is not clear whether the king plans to travel to the province. Today State Secretary Van Veldhoven will visit the province.

[anastasia beaverhausen]

I’m not surprised at all -I bet we won’t see many celebrities or royals. I feel so bad for the Japanese to foot the bill for these spectator-less games.

[Cordelia Fitzgerald]

I’m not surprised at all -I bet we won’t see many celebrities or royals. I feel so bad for the Japanese to foot the bill for these spectator-less games.

Agreed!  There's already a sense of celebrities and royals (of all countries) having a different set of rules/restrictions during this pandemic, so I think they'd face a LOT of backlash if they went (even in their official roles).

This is going to cost Japan an unfathomable amount of money.   

I also feel for the competitors...you know how much they feed off the energy of the crowds and a chance to "show off" in front of people; I'm sure it will be so hard to work up that level of energy and motivation.  Kinda makes me wonder why they're going ahead with all of this, when nobody really benefits.

Although I'm sure the athletes who will be there will just be glad to compete and say they were in the Olympics.

So, to wrap up this rambling thought  I'm glad for the competitors, sad for them as well, sad for the Japanese, and bummed for we royal dishers!

[Principessa]

https://nos.nl/artikel/23...t-loo-woensdag-opnieuw-af


September 11 - King Willem-Alexander will close part of the Crown Estate Het Loo again for three months to the public next week. The Government Information Service confirms this after reporting from RTL Nieuws.

Yesterday it was announced that the nature reserve may not be closed from 2022, if the king wants to keep a five-year subsidy of 4.7 million euros for maintenance. From then on, the same rules apply to the head of state as to other subsidy applicants for nature reserves. This means that the park may only be closed for one week per year.

The Crown Estate can still be closed this year, because the new rules will not take effect until January 1, 2022. The king therefore does not anticipate the new situation, despite criticism from nature organizations and politicians.

Almost all parties in the House of Representatives demanded clarification about the closure last year. Prime Minister Rutte emphasized at the time that the forest is private and that the king, as a large landowner, is free to do what he wants with the area.

New subsidy application
If the king decides not to apply for a new subsidy, the nature reserve may be closed to the public for months. The Government Information Service does not yet want to say whether the king will waive such a new million-dollar subsidy. Applications can be submitted until the end of the year.

The park on the Veluwe is closed annually from September 15 to December 25. It is suspected that the royal family then hunts for game.

[Principessa]

https://nos.nl/artikel/24...htoffers-toeslagenaffaire

loosly translated as:

King Willem-Alexander receives victims of allowance affair

King Willem-Alexander will talk this afternoon with some victims of the allowance affair. The RVD has confirmed this after questions from the NOS. It concerns five women who told their story in the NPO documentary Alone against the State. It is the first time that the king has spoken to victims of government failure.

The five wrote a letter to the king in September asking for his help and an apology. In the letter they emphasize that their problems are far from being solved.

The cabinet is still working on financial compensation for parents who were wrongly labeled as fraudsters by the tax authorities and who often had to repay large amounts of childcare allowance. 1.1 billion euros has been set aside for dealing with the abuses.

In the name of the king
The victims say letters, subpoenas and writs with the king's name have been pasted "on the front door". "In our view, you are also responsible for the suffering that has been caused to us and our children," their letter said.

The Government Information Service does not want to say anything about the conversation. Not even if the king will apologize.

In the Speech from the Throne on Prinsjesdag, King Willem-Alexander also discussed the allowance affair. The king said: "In the allowance affair, the government has wronged people literally and figuratively. In both cases, mistakes must be corrected and those who are entitled to compensation should receive them as soon as possible."

At the beginning of February this year, Prime Minister Rutte, Finance Minister Hoekstra and State Secretary Van Huffelen already spoke for five hours in the Catshuis with a group of the aggrieved parents.

[Principessa]

https://nos.nl/artikel/24...-voor-kroondomein-het-loo

Loosely translated as:

King applies again for subsidy for Kroondomein Het Loo

King Willem-Alexander is again applying for a subsidy for the maintenance of Kroondomein Het Loo for next year. He said this in the press interview at the end of the state visit to Norway. What this means for the accessibility of the nature reserve to the public is still unclear.

The area on the Veluwe is closed to the public every year throughout the autumn, officially because of the protection of the "personal life" of the king. It is suspected that this has to do with hunting. According to the Government Information Service, the king hunts one half-day every year.

Willem-Alexander has been receiving a subsidy for the management of the nature park for years, but Minister Schouten announced in September that the rules are changing. If the king wants to maintain the current annual closing, he must waive the subsidy in question.

jigsaw puzzle
In the press interview in Trondheim, the king said when asked that he would indeed apply for a subsidy, but he did not comment on the consequences. He emphasized that there are four categories of subsidies, only one of which is subject to opening.

"It's quite a jigsaw puzzle," said Willem-Alexander. "We are still looking at how this can best be solved." He emphasized that this is a rest and nature area and not a recreation area. "That means people are welcome there, but not primarily."

worry about corona
Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima also discussed the corona situation in the Netherlands. The king said they are very concerned about the rising numbers and sympathize with the employees in care, who "deserve the greatest appreciation".

"We had hoped that we would have a winter without corona," said Máxima. "It really sucks." According to her, people should "build together on an exit from corona. We need each other."



Kroondomein Het Loo is an estate on the Veluwe, in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is the largest estate in the Netherlands and covers approximately 10,400 hectares. It extends northwest of the city of Apeldoorn. A visitor center and wildlife park has been set up in the Aardhuis near Hoog-Soeren, a former hunting chalet of the Royal House. Kroondomein Het Loo consists of the Koninklijke Houtvesterij Het Loo (almost 9700 hectares) and the Palace Park of 650 hectares, including castle Het Oude Loo.

According to the Dutch Wikipedia of Kroondomein Het Loo: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroondomein_Het_Loo

[Principessa]

https://nos.nl/artikel/24...ed-blijft-in-najaar-dicht

loosely translated as:

King waives part of Crown domain subsidy, hunting area will remain closed in autumn

King Willem-Alexander is not applying for a subsidy for the part of the Crown Estate where he now occasionally hunts in the autumn. By forgoing subsidy, this part of the Kroondomein near Apeldoorn can remain closed to visitors for a few months in the autumn. This is apparent from the subsidy application for the nature reserve published by the Government Information Service.

This concerns an application for the next six years for a total of 4.2 million euros (previously the subsidy amounted to approximately 4.8 million euros). An explanation states that the king "continues to hunt on average for half a day a year under the supervision and one-on-one supervision of professional fauna managers because of their knowledge of the game population and the terrain".

A fuss for years
The subsidy is intended for agricultural nature and landscape management. The money for fauna management comes from the king's budget.

It was already known that King Willem-Alexander would again apply for a subsidy for the Crown Estate. Minister Schouten had already said in September that the king will no longer receive a subsidy if he wants to continue to close the 'hunting part' of the nature reserve.

For years there has been a fuss about the subsidies for the Crown Estate and there have been protests against the closure in the autumn.

[Princess MS]

Seems all is not happy.... oh dear

[Principessa]

WA will not be present at the (winter) Olympic Games in Peking, China


https://www.nu.nl/sport-o...nterspelen-in-peking.html

[Principessa]

https://www.ad.nl/formule...panning-gevolgd~ab00b01d/

loosely translated as:


Royal congratulations to Verstappen: "Like the whole of the Netherlands, we followed the race with great excitement"


King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are also full of praise for Max Verstappen's performance. On Instagram, the couple congratulates the new Formula 1 world champion.

,,The all-deciding race in Abu Dhabi was the climax of this exciting season. Verstappen kept his patience during the race. Tactically strong, his team played round after round. Until the blood-curdling final phase. He took his chance and made the difference: Max Verstappen is Formula 1 world champion!", said the king and queen.


https://www.instagram.com/p/CXY4e5aspsQ/

[Principessa]

https://www.koninklijkhui...s-in-den-haag-en-rijswijk

Loosely translated as:

King visits vaccination locations in The Hague and Rijswijk


His Majesty the King paid a working visit to two vaccination locations in The Hague and Rijswijk on Friday afternoon, December 10. Location Westeinde in The Hague is one of the injection locations where people can be vaccinated against the corona virus without an appointment. The Broodfabriek in Rijswijk is one of the places where booster vaccinations are given.

In The Hague, the King spoke with employees of GGD Haaglanden about the logistics and organization of injections without an appointment at temporary vaccination locations, about the neighbourhood- and target group-oriented approach to inform people about the corona vaccinations and about the questions people have about the vaccines and vaccines. vaccinating. During a tour, the King received an explanation of the vaccination process at the temporary injection sites.

In Rijswijk, a set-up has been made for the booster vaccinations in which the elderly can sit in a waiting room and are also vaccinated there, so that they can remain seated in one place. De Koning visited this new set-up for the elderly and the regular injection line for healthcare workers who receive a booster vaccination. Finally, the King had a meeting with logistics and supply staff and with employees of the GGD information team who provide information about vaccination in libraries, mosques and community centers, among other places. This concluding meeting took place in the warehouse where the supply of all injection locations in the region is coordinated.

GGD Haaglanden is one of the 25 GGDs in the Netherlands. The organization focuses on public health and carries out government duties to monitor, protect and promote the health of all. Part of this is the fight against infectious diseases, such as the corona virus.

[Principessa]

https://www.koninklijkhui...ntie-ambassadeur-portugal


Loosely translated as:

Farewell Audience Ambassador Portugal
News item | 10-12-2021 | 16:20

His Majesty the King received today in a farewell audience at Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague the ambassador of the Portuguese Republic, H.E. Rosa Maria Bettencourt Amarante de Ataide Batoreu Salvador e Brito.

[Principessa]

https://www.koninklijkhui...-bolivia-ierland-en-qatar


Credentials Ambassadors Bolivia, Ireland and Qatar
News item | 07-12-2021 | 10:45

His Majesty the King will receive the ambassador of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Z.E. Roberto Calzadilla Sarmiento, the Ambassador of Ireland, Z.E. Brendan Gerard Rogers and the Ambassador of the State of Qatar, Z.E. Nasser Ibrahim Allenqawi.

The ambassadors are collected and accompanied by a chamberlain of the King. To this end, the King makes available to each ambassador a gala carriage and, if applicable, a so-called blue carriage for the embassy staff. The carriages are drawn by two horses. The gala carriage is preceded by two co-drivers in gallates. In front of and behind each procession, two riders of the Mounted Marechaussee ride in ceremonial dress. The dress code for the ambassadors is tailcoat or national dress.

A guard of honor and a military chapel have been erected at Noordeinde Palace. The guard of honor consists of a commander and two detachments from the Army Command. The music is provided by the Royal Military Band Johan Willem Friso. At the rear of the Palace is a double post in ceremonial dress of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. After a salute of four drums and the national anthem of the ambassador's country, an inspection of the guard of honour, after which the ambassador enters. When the ambassador leaves, he again receives four rolls of honor.

During the handovers, the guidelines to combat the corona virus are observed: the military ceremonial has been adjusted. The credentials are not handed over directly to the King, but are placed on a table by the ambassador.