Dutch Royal News

[Principessa]

https://nos.nl/artikel/25...g-nog-niet-echt-zichtbaar

Loosely translated as:

NOS News

Tuesday, 11:12

The new design of Prinsjesdag is not yet visible for the time being

The plans to make Prinsjesdag more of a crowd-puller have been considerably watered down. At the next edition, on September 17, there will only be differences in emphasis, a spokesperson for the Senate said. We are working on a "Democracy Week" for next year, with a possible day off on the third Tuesday in September, but that is also far from certain.

In April, ambitious plans were released to overhaul the start of the parliamentary year. This included performances by popular artists, theater and food trucks in the city and a call for all visitors to wear a hat that day. People should be able to take a look inside the royal palaces.

There should also be more contact between the members of the royal family, politicians and the public. In recent years, fewer and fewer people have attended the traditional tour through The Hague, and there have even been protests where the Oranges were booed.

More difficult than expected
Parliament, the cabinet, the municipality and the royal family then entered into consultations to reverse this trend and make Prinsjesdag more attractive again, but that turned out to be more difficult than expected.

This year it is about differences in emphasis. For example, the organization will collaborate with the information center ProDemos, which will create a special lesson program for students about Prinsjesdag. There will be a grandstand for 300 MBO students along the route. An animation will also be made for social media with an explanation.

In addition, on Open Monument Day, the weekend before Prinsjesdag, the Senate building in The Hague will be dedicated to Prinsjesdag. There will be an exhibition by parliamentary photographer Hans Kouwenhoven.

More changes should be visible in 2025, although no major change is expected then. A "Week of Democracy" around Prinsjesdag is being considered, with all kinds of activities. That is the "dot on the horizon", says the spokesperson for the Senate.

According to the spokesperson, the idea of ​​making the opening of the parliamentary year a day off is "still in the brainstorming phase".

[Principessa]

https://nos.nl/artikel/25...spoorwegmuseum-in-utrecht

Loosely translated

NOS News
•
Friday, 9:49 PM
Modified Friday, 10:22 PM

Royal train makes its very last trip to the Railway Museum in Utrecht

The royal train made its very last journey today. The carriage has been transferred to the Railway Museum in Utrecht, where it was received with great interest this morning.

The train has reached the end of its lifespan and is being 'retired' at the museum. The vehicle has no defects, but significant investments would be required to meet the new safety requirements. The train was actually used less and less.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima last used the train last year during a state visit to Belgium. The vehicle was also used for private events, such as the annual ski holiday to Lech.

The train, called Saloncoach 10, was put into use by the then Queen Beatrix in the early 1990s. It has two bedrooms, a lounge, kitchenette and bathroom.

Peter-Paul de Winter of the Railway Museum calls the interior of the train businesslike and sleek. "The designer calls it chic Italian, but it is mainly Beatrix's taste. He personally had a hand in this," he tells RTV Utrecht.

Pieter Heijnis was the driver on Salon carriage 10. He could regularly count on large groups of people when he drove the train into a station. “It's a very special thing to have experienced,” he says.

No new royal train
In consultation with the king, it has been decided that there will be no new train, the NS previously announced. This means that for the first time in 160 years there will no longer be a royal train. From now on, if the family wants to take a train trip, they will do so by regular train.

The train is being adapted so that visitors can also view the carriage from the inside. This is possible from September 20.

[Principessa]

https://nos.nl/artikel/25...e-zondagsrust-op-26-april

Loosely translated as

NOS News
•
Friday, 09:25
Modified Friday, 10:47

King's Day next year in Doetinchem, due to Sunday rest on April 26

King Willem-Alexander will celebrate King's Day next year in Doetinchem. He will be received together with members of his family on April 26, 2025 in the municipality in the east of Gelderland.

The king's birthday is on April 27, but because that day falls on a Sunday next year, the festivities are a day earlier.

It is not yet clear what the program will look like. That will be announced later.

The municipality is happy with the news. "The flag can go out."

This year the royal family celebrated King's Day in the Drenthe municipality of Emmen. In 2023 it was in Rotterdam.

It is the second time since he became king that Willem-Alexander has not celebrated his birthday on the actual day due to Sunday rest. The first time was in 2014, the year after his inauguration.

[Principessa]

https://www.nu.nl/konings...g-2025-in-doetinchem.html

Loosely translated as:

King Willem-Alexander and his family celebrate King's Day 2025 in Doetinchem

By our entertainment editors
Jul 19, 2024 at 9:21 am
Update: 2 days ago

King Willem-Alexander will celebrate King's Day next year in Doetinchem. The royal couple will visit the Achterhoek on Saturday, April 26. Normally King's Day is on April 27, but because that date falls on a Sunday next year, the celebration will be brought forward one day.
This year Willem-Alexander, Máxima, Amalia, Alexia and Ariane celebrated King's Day in Emmen.

A year earlier the party was in Rotterdam. The king's tenth anniversary was also celebrated then. Princess Alexia was not there at the time because she was studying in Wales.

The king has never celebrated his birthday in Gelderland before. Queen Beatrix did this five times during her reign. The last time was in 2009 in Apeldoorn. That Queen's Birthday ended in tragedy when Karst T. drove into the audience. Eight people were killed and several injured.

It will be the twelfth time that King's Day is celebrated. In the 128 years before that, the celebration was called Queen's Day or Princess Day.

It is not yet clear how exactly the king will celebrate his 58th birthday. The program will be announced later.

[Principessa]

RED:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doetinchem

Doetinchem (Low Saxon: Deutekem) is a city and municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the Oude IJssel (Old IJssel) river in a part of the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek.

[Miss Marple]

Did they not bother going to the Olympics, being one of the nearly neighbouring countries of France? Weird. They missed the EM and they missed that?

[loveofenglishtradition]

Did they not bother going to the Olympics, being one of the nearly neighbouring countries of France? Weird. They missed the EM and they missed that?

But they were at the Olympics, I even saw them on TV. Maybe the pics are in another thread.

[katymc2]

Did they not bother going to the Olympics, being one of the nearly neighbouring countries of France? Weird. They missed the EM and they missed that?

They are there and having fun.

https://x.com/koninklijkh...;t=ENkw24aHZVDI93sLwNEBrg

[Lady Liebe]

Did they not bother going to the Olympics, being one of the nearly neighbouring countries of France? Weird. They missed the EM and they missed that?

But they were at the Olympics, I even saw them on TV. Maybe the pics are in another thread.

I saw Wax on TV, but it was a fleeting glimpse  - as Royalty is not high on the priority list to most US sportscasters. I made a remark on this deficiency to TKotB.  

I also saw Fred and Mary and Mathilde. No sight of any of the Swedish royal family but there's always time. I hope Hakkon comes to support Norway as I expect he'd like the distraction.

[Larzen]

Carl Gustav and Silvia comes on august 5th and Haakon and Mette-Marit on the 6th. Both countries has their biggest stars and gold chances the athletics competitions. Karsten Warholm on 400 meter hurdles and Jakob Ingebrigtsen on 1500 and 5000 meter for Norway and Duplantis in polevault is the closest to a certainly gold medal for Sweden. Daniel Ståhl in diskus is also a good chance. Both countries also has good chances to advance in the handball competitons, esp for women which have very high tv Numbers and are very popular.

[loveofenglishtradition]

here are some pictures of them during the opening

https://www.gettyimages.c...2C%202024&sort=newest

[Maria]

I thought they looked very enthusiastic when they say the boat with the Dutch contestants.

[Principessa]

So crazy enthusiastic....


There are also clips of them dancing on 'naar links, naar rechts' (to the left, to the the right) with the Dutch female field hockey team.

The song became well known as being used by football fans during championships where the Dutch national female or male team participates.

Alexia and Amalia were also present

[loveofenglishtradition]

Yesterday they visited the Olympic Village and watched a hockey game, Holland vs. South Africa , Amalia and Alexia are there too

https://www.gettyimages.c...2C%202024&sort=newest

[Principessa]

Loosely translated as:

Olympic Games 2024

NOS Sport
today, 14:44

Olympic champions knighted and photographed with the king: 'Given the Netherlands a club feeling'

The Dutch medal winners of the Olympic Games in Paris were honored in The Hague. They were addressed by Prime Minister Dick Schoof, State Secretary for Sport Vincent Karremans and Chef de Mission Pieter van den Hoogenband.

The Olympic champions were knighted. Some gold medal winners, such as Sifan Hassan and Harrie Lavreysen, already received a ribbon after the previous Olympic Games in Tokyo. They now received a statuette in recognition of their achievements.

Afterwards, all medal winners also met with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. They then appeared together with the athletes on the steps of Paleis Huis ten Bosch for a photo moment.

"It was great fun," said 3-3 basketball player Worthy de Jong from the Glazen Zaal, where the ceremony took place earlier in the day. "It is very special what kind of impact the sport has had on our society, on athletes and non-athletes. I have received many messages from people who did not know my sport at all, but who are now in love with it."

Schoof
Prime Minister Schoof praised the Olympic team. "It took a while, but then the medals kept raining down. Femke Bol's phenomenal sprint, the first Dutch basketball medal, Harrie's hat trick, Sifan Hassan's gold."

You have reached the highest possible. The top of Olympus. Praise, praise, praise. You have given the Netherlands a club feeling. Paris was Orange."

Yesterday, Dutch athletes returned from Paris by train. In Scheveningen, a party with friends and family followed in the beach volleyball stadium.

Hassan enjoyed family
Physically tired, but fortunately Hassan underwent the celebration. She had already enjoyed the reactions of her family in the last few days.

"I've had a lot of successes, but after this gold medal I got a lot of reactions from my family," Hassan said. "They are super happy. I've never seen them so happy. They don't know much about top sports, but after the marathon they called me to tell me that they were celebrating." Hassan is going to rest for the time being. "I'm going on vacation. The focus was completely on Paris, so I didn't make any plans at all. Now I'm going to rest and then we'll see."