King Willem-Alexander’s 57th Birthday Celebration in Emmen Draws Crowds

King Willem-Alexander’s birthday will be celebrated this year in Emmen, in the south-east of the Dutch region of Drenthe. The family arrived in the morning and it is now ready today. The three princesses are present, which was not the case last year.

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Then Alexia wasn’t there because of exams at her school in Wales. This year it was a question whether Ariane would be there, she is at school in Italy. Prince Constantijn, Princess Laurentien, Prince Floris and Prince Pieter-Christiaan, among others, will also attend the celebration. Older family members such as Princess Beatrix and Princess Margriet have been absent for years.

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Walk

King Willem-Alexander and his family were accompanied by a platoon of cyclists to the starting point: Noorderplein. The family walks through the Hoofdstraat to the Market Square, Rensen Park, the town hall, the skate park and past the Wildlands animal park. The day ends at the main stage on Raadhuisplein. In principle, the route is completed in two hours.

Hundreds of people joined the route to catch a glimpse of the royal family or shake hands with Willem-Alexander. There is joy and lots of pictures being taken. People also watch from balconies as the royal procession passes by. For the first time in more than twenty years, the Oranges are celebrating King’s Day in Drenthe. The last visit was in 2002: Queen Beatrix visited Meppel and Hoogeveen on 30 April. Beatrix often chose two different venues on Queen’s Day, usually in the same region.

Amalia

In Emmen, Crown Princess Amalia looked back on her study year in Spain. There she found “more freedom” than was possible in Holland. Amalia lived and studied in Madrid for a year because of threats in the Netherlands. The news broke earlier this month. In the meantime, the princess lives again in Holland. The time in Spain has “made life here possible again,” says Amalia. “I’m glad to be back.”

Queen Máxima said on Saturday that Amalia is an “independent and very smart girl”, “so she can handle it well”. The queen “gave a girl the freedom and wings you need to give a child to develop himself.” However, there were “tears and laughter” at each departure.