Princess Margriet and Pieter van Vollenhoven attended the annual NAF Gala in New York on Friday evening via a video message. In the video, the couple delves into the history of the Netherland-America Foundation’s anniversary and they both share a personal link with the foundation.
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In the video played during the gala, Pieter is the first to speak. He congratulates the NAF on its centenary and says he wonders whether he will also reach that age. “But with 82 years behind me, I’m definitely on my way,” he jokes. He then talks enthusiastically about the origin of the NAF. And it turns out that one of the Dutch people involved in the establishment is Professor Cornelis van Vollenhoven. “Obviously a family member”, Pieter says proudly.
In the second part of the video, Princess Margriet also highlights a personal relationship with the founding of the NAF, namely that with former president Franklin D. Roosevelt. “One of the co-founders is Franklin Roosevelt, my godfather. That’s my claim to fame,” the princess jokes. Then she tells how sorry they are not to be there tonight in New York, but that they did not think it appropriate to come to New York given the current measures. “It was not an easy decision, especially because it is such a special anniversary,” says Margriet.
It is the second consecutive time that Princess Margriet and Pieter van Vollenhoven are not physically present at the gala due to the corona pandemic. Formerly called the Peter Stuyvesant Ball, the NAF Gala is an annual event of the Netherland-America Foundation, of which the princess and her husband are patroness and patrons. The NAF is at the basis of many cultural, scientific and educational activities.
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