I already discussed Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla in the USA, and now it’s time for the second round of royal tour highlights, this time from King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. I already covered the State Banquet and Reply Dinner earlier this week, so this post is for their other outings in Denmark and Germany.
On March 17, Willem-Alexander and Maxima landed in Copenhagen and were greeted by the adult members of the Danish Royal Family: Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim, and Princess Marie. I love the curtsies and the hug. Maxima’s grey, bejeweled coat is by Claes Iversen, a Danish-born designer working in the Netherlands. I’m not a huge fan of the slit in the sleeve, but I think the bejeweled design is fun. I hate the peep-toe shoes, though; I don’t ever need to see people’s toes. Mary accessorized her peach-y coat with purple hat, gloves, and bag, and a nice brooch. This outfit looks great and the purple adds a great pop of color. Marie wore a cream coat and a fedora; and Margrethe wore blue and black.
On their second day of the visit, March 18, Willem-Alexander and Maxima were joined by Frederik and Mary for a visit to the island Samsoe in Denmark where they visited a continuation school and took a ride on a ferry boat. Maxima wore a taupe Claes Iversen coat and a fedora, while Mary wore a half-poncho/half-coat thing and fedora. I actually like Max’s outfit, but I’m not keen on Mary’s.
Max also visited Bispebjerg Hospital.
On March 19, Willem-Alexander and Maxima visited Draeger Medical GmbH.
W-A and Max scratched their names into the window of Fredensborg Palace in Denmark to mark their State Visit. Apparently that is a tradition.
Per tradition, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima scratched their names into a window of Fredensborg Palace. pic.twitter.com/spni9vgcq9
— Scandinavian Royals. (@crownprincely) March 21, 2015
Also on March 19, Willem-Alexander and Maxima moved on to Germany, visiting the Thuenen institute and touring the facility, and planting a tree.
In the evening, W-A and Max attended “Offshore Wind in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark”, a renewable energy exhibition, at the chamber of commerce where W-A gave a speech.
He spoke about why cooperation between the three countries (Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark) is essential in fighting climate change, saying in part (full transcript here): “The fight against climate change is urgent. And offshore wind energy is one of our main assets in that battle. The answer is blowing in the wind. Precisely our three countries have many offshore wind expertise. Therefore, it is good that we join forces.”
On March 20, W-A and Max watched the solar eclipse in Hamburg.
W-A and Max visited the Fish Market. Maxima wore a beautiful red dress and wrap, with matching red gloves, hat, and clutch (and shoes). She wore a gorgeous diamond moth (?) brooch.
W-A and Max visited Hamburg townhall, where they signed the Golden Book of the City of Hamburg – after viewing W-A’s parent’s signatures. Then they met the crowds outside the hall.
That concludes the tour, but in more Max news, she and Willem-Alexander attended the last concert by conductor Mariss Jansons at the Royal Concert Hall Orchestra in Amsterdam on March 20 after arriving back from Germany.
Then today, March 21, Max was in Tricht painting the walls of a cultural center as part of the national voluntary event NLdoet. W-A joined her in Tricht, painting the floor of the sports area. NLdoet is organized by the Orange Fund, and many members of the Dutch Royal Family take part in the volunteer days.
I just love the photo of Princess Mary curtsying and the way she is looking up at Maxima, I think they must have a very warm relationship, that is reflected in the looks they give each other (just an observation). Agree with you about the sleeve and split on Maxima’s coat I am not keen on that bit either, peep shoes I can also leave, just love enclosed smart shoe, but I do love her outfits on this trip she looks polished and stunning in every photo. The red dress/ outfit is a real knockout, right down to the brooch ( I am very partial to them!) That red outfit is so well put together and it suits her perfectly. Her hair, makeup and accessories are spot on. She is incredibly well groomed and has such charisma, flair and a terrific personality, she gets right in amongst it all, seems to enjoy what she does and it shows. What an asset she is to the King. Both ladies have a excellent work ethic, they make a real difference.
I love the red dress and the brooch. I too feel a lot of love there between Maxima and Mary.
You just said everything I am thinking. Except…I even love Maxima’s coat-thing with the slit and her peep-toe heels! She is stunning!
Kmr you need to see this news in dm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3005940/The-Spook-Cambridge-Wills-makes-secret-visit-GCHQ-spy-base-Royals-warned-computer-hacking.html?
Who william think he is?a kind of god?good job kate!the power up in william’s head!and what he is doing in kensington palace and anmer hall???
WOW, if that is true that is a outrageous amount of taxpayer money to spend on a helicopter trip for whatever reason, was there no other way for him to get there did he have to fly? whatever for? I am sure a charity in need of financial assistance would have benefited from that way better.
But grandmother bought him the helicopter so he can use it when he wants…yeah right. She bought the thing so they could fly from Anmer into London to WORK!! He’s becoming increasingly paranoid and wanted to see firsthand what they had uncovered. I’m wondering which one of them will crack first – William from the constant vigilance over his privacy or Kate from the terror of having to work.
I hope it’s William.
He could have taken a car, but it would have taken a lot longer to get there if he had. I doubt there was really even a reason for him to go, let alone take the taxpayer-funded chopper.
It is late so I’ll just give a few short comments.
It is indeed a tradition for visitors staying af Fredenborg Castle (which has a gorgeous garden!) to scratch their names in a windowpane (traditionally done with a diamond!). It originates back to the late 19th century during the reign of Christian IX who was known as Europe’s father-in-law. Two of his daughters married into the Russian and the English RF and one of his son became king of Greece. Almost every summer the whole family (with spouses and children) would gather at Fredensborg – Edward VII and his wife Alexandra would sail to Copenhagen as would the Zar of Russian and his Danishborn Zarina. The zar really liked these visits because he had a lot more freedom than in Russian where he was the target for assassination attempts. There are stories about how he like to give his bodyguards the slip and just enjoy his relative anonymity.
The Danish painter made a huge familu portrait of the entire extended royal family in the Garden Room at Fredensborg:
http://joachimetmarie.j.o.pic.centerblog.net/o/Kongehus–LauritsTuxen_KongefamilienFredensborg_fotoThorkildJensenCIX_-1.jpg
Samsø is a really lovely place – it has some gorgeous natural features and some really idyllic villages. The best potatoes are also grown on Samsø.
I just love how Maxima and W-A aren’t afraid to put on some old threads and help out with some genuine paintwork – not for them a pretentious symbolic squiggle made by a paintbrush presented on a silver platter! (I could help myself here)
I also live very close to Bispebjerg Hospital. I wish I had known they would be there.
I didn’t know that; that’s cool. I know the whole inbreeding thing is bad but I kind of think it’s a bit cool when the royal houses are related somehow.
I love the pic of the king on the floor with a paint brush. Something you don’t see everyday (especially from the Brits).
The inbreeding isn’t as bad today though both ex-king Constantin of Greece and ex-queen Anne-Marie of Greece (and Denmark) descend from Christian IX. She on her father’s side and him on both his father’s and mother’s side.
The worst case of royal inbreeding was the Spanish Haburgs – and that line died out in the late 17th century/early 18th century with a king who was so inbreed that he exhibited several severe genetic defects. He was practically deformed, which can be seen in portraits.
Charles II of Spain:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Charles_II_of_Spain#/media/File:Carlos_II.jpg
However, he was the very unfortunate result of about 250 years of inbreeding. The genetic legacy of Queen Victoria was even worse because she was the carrier of the gene for hemophilia – the result was a hemophilic heir to the Russian empire as well as a hemophilic heir to the Spanish kingdom.
Ah yes, the Hapsburg chin. It got so bad Charles could barely close his mouth.
He also had trouble speaking clearly and a problem with constantly dribbling saliva. poor guy.
Agree with you on the curtsey, done with so much respect vs a edict by a queen!! Lady in red, love the ensemble!!!
I quite like Max’s diamond dragonfly. She often brings out the glittering creepy crawlies – they are a fun touch.
She had two giant spiders on her outfit a few weeks ago.
I loved the giant spiders!
Itsy bitsy spider…NOT! Max always brings on the bling and she just looked phenomenal. I didn’t care too much for her arrival coat and the slit sleeves; the hem was uneven and the shape boxy, too. And it looks like she’s growing her hair longer.
She looked absolutely smashing at the return dinner. The orange dress she wore was by the same designer as the arrival outfit. His name is Claes Iversen – and he is a Danish designer living in Holland.
How can you not love Maxima? That woman is a queen in every sense of the word. I just live seeing the pictures of her and Mary; my 2 favorite royals by a long shot. Just so classy and larger than life, at the same time appearing to be down to earth and up for some fun!
Maxima is just wonderful! I haven’t been this excited about a royal state visit to Denmark ever! It was great to watch the bling, the warmth and the fun they had.
Next month is Daisy’s 75th birthday – so there’ll be a big birthday bash with tiaras galore.
The King and Queen of Sweden and Vic and Dan are scheduled to attend. And W-A and Max will be back for the b-day gala as well.
That curtsy! I am a hardcore Royal watcher and fan, so it is a delightful sensation to look at a picture of an elegant, sincere, respectful moment like that. You can see the genuine affection and respect CPM has for Queen Maxima (and I think it’s mutual). What a lovely and classy family.
I love the curtsy. So elegant, too. Not everyone can pull off an elegant curtsy.
I’ve noticed that both Mary and Marie really know how to do a deep and elegant curtsey – in very high heels!
And followed by a hugged. Genuine respect and affection.
I loved W-A’s expansive gesture when he descended the plane – and he and Frederik shared a big, back-thumping hug. They are close in age and I think they know each other very well. W-A is Margrethe’s godson and he mentioned how he had known her his entire life so I think that the two families see each other with some frequency. Margrethe also spoke directly to him as her godson and she really mentioned his many good qualities as a king so I get the feeling that she knows he really well. And they all seem to really like Maxima.
A funny pic of Mary and Maxima at Victoria’s wedding in Sweden:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/454441418622001899/
Thank you for sharing that pic ArtHistorian, that is precious, love it. From what you can see of that snap don’t both of them look stunning! Yes W-A is very demonstrative I loved what he did once he saw the group waiting for him, don’t they seem like a down to earth, really nice couple W-A and M! so refreshing even though they are King and Queen. A lot could be learnt here don’t you think?
Hehe – I can just imagine Maxima saying: “Aren’t we looking ab fab. Let me just whip out my camera and take selfie with you Maz” 😉
In the live broadcast it was also said that he is not all that finicky when it comes to people curtseying and using their titles when speaking to them. He seems to be a very down-to-earth person. I think the photos of him and Maxima painting proves that. i just loved that they didn’t mind digging in and getting their hands dirty. And they seemed to have a lot of fun doing it.
Yes, I do think the BRF could learn a lot from the Dutch king and queen. However, they do seem really entrenched in their own tradition of remoteness, for various different reasons.
I love that!! It’s great to see normal, human moments between the royals.
Smile for the selfie!
Once again another wonderful review of working royals. Maxima’s arrival outfit didn’t leave me swooning. I don’t mind open toe shoes, but I don’t like it when the toes are jutting out past the sole like hers were.
I absolutely loved her tan coat that she wore with the fedora. She really brought her A-game on this trip. I have a theory that Mary downplayed the dressing so that her guest could have the spotlight. Because seriously, had Mary wanted to compete she would have walked out looking like a peacock.
Also, I’d like to thank Max for bringing her hairdresser with her on this trip and letting him/her do their job. Her hair was great. Then she went home and got back to the “I lost my brush” look. 🙂
Either way, she looked great and both she and Willem looked like they had an amazing time.
I love the tan coat/fedora outfit, too. I really want a less expensive version of it. Maybe with a brown boot or something.
Re Mary downplaying her dressing, I could see that. It might explain why she went with her smaller wedding tiara v the big ruby parure.
I too loved Max’s tan coat and that jaunty fedora – that hat really suits her sunny personality. And the all seemed to have a grand time on that trip to Samsø – lots of big laughs.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/472807660856080469/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/394487248586042022/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/377880224960586151/
What I would like to know is why does the British Royal Family always get so much coverage when it is obvious that other Royal Houses of Europe have members who rise to any and every occasion with such majesty and utter finesse? The Scandanavian Royals are a cut above the Brits and Maxima is truly magnificent. Leti, too. These women dress so well, but are also working diligently on such wonderful causes. The photo of Maxi painting was amazing. Needless to say, in all her “dress-up” clothes, she is just splendid, but in that white blouse with the paint roller in her hand, she really could win anyone over. Long live these amazing members of such amazing families!
When I wrote of the other Royals not getting as much coverage, I was not referring to this site. I meant in the world-wide press.
Because they are not from English speaking countries, many of the small countries as well – it is really that simple! When I lived in England the news was really much more towards the US. The Brits don’t even consider themselves as part of Europe in the same way as the French, German, Dutch, etc. To them, Europe is the Continent. I lived in England at the time of CP Frederik and Mary’s wedding and it was not covered – at all, in any of the media outlets.
And Americans tend to be notoriously provincial, self-absorbed, and unsophisticated. We tend to speak only one language and our limited attention is toward that which is similar, i.e., Britain. I know this is a generalization and the people who post here are probably exceptions, but I believe it’s accurate.
When I studied in England many of my local friends were very impressed that I speak several languages – and quite a few did regret that they hadn’t spent more time and effort to learn at least one foreign language.
I think that it is very easy to be a bit “lazy” with foreign languages as an English-speaker because it is the modern lingua franca around the world. You can almost always find people who speak English. The last time if visited France it actually was a bit difficult for me to practice my French because when people caught on that I was foreign they really wanted to practice their English on me 🙂
Oh so well said, agree with all of what you said. I have wondered the same thing. Princess Mary works tirelessly as well and you never hear a mention of the causes of substance and importance that all the Royal Houses of Europe support and make such a difference. A lot of how these ladies and gentlemen behave and carry themselves with such class and dignity goes back to good old basic breeding, what else.
I’ll be honest with you, for a long time I didn’t know the other royal families existed. Like, I didn’t know Spain, Sweden, Denmark, etc even had monarchies.
As ArtHostorian said, I think that has something to do with the fact that the other royal families are not from English speaking countries. But I also think it has something to do, at least in America, with the fact that we as a country have no history with those other monarchies. The British Royal Family was brought up in school because we were a British colony and we fought George III to gain independence, but the other existing monarchies were never mentioned.
In terms of press coverage, in America the press pretty much only cares about Americans and the British (but not all British, just the ones famous enough to make it over here). And sometimes Australians and Canadians. But mostly people have to come to America and make it here for them to get coverage. We are pretty self-focused, and especially since the other monarchies are in foreign-speaking countries, they get very little coverage, if any at all.
Thanks to everyone who replied to my post. And, special thanks to KMR for always including the other Royals here. I love reading about what they are doing and how they live their lives. Much can be learned from them! And, I hate thinking that Americans are so self-absorbed. I don’t think that is necessarily true. A disaster happens anywhere in the world, and I am proud of the way Americans pitch in to help. We are a generous people. But, yes many are caught up in the world of stardom and some pretty shallow topics, as well.
Thanks mary elizabeth. I’m glad so many are enjoying the coverage of the other European royals.
Huh, I never thought that a visiting King and Queen would be curtsied to by the host royals? I thought that a King and Queen are only curtsied to in their own country. Someone enlighten me…? I’m confused. Did Queen Margrethe curtsy to King W-Alex and QMaxima?
Anyway, its nice to see grown women who know how to dress. I see QMaxima likes to wear sleeveless tops like Michelle Obama, it works when you have thin arms, I can’t rock the sleeveless until I do more triceps extensions lol.
Kings and Queens don’t curtsey to each other, anyone below that rank do curtsey as a mark of respect. It has nothing to do with who is the host but everything to do with rank. That’s why marie and Mary curtseyed to the Dutch king and queen – and QMII didn’t.
CP Mary and CP Frederik as well as P Marie and P Joachim are all of a lower rank than King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. The lower ranked royals always curtsy to the royals who outrank them.
Thanks for the info!
The two Dutch could maybe spare some time and come to Rome to repair the damage done by their hooligans to the Bernini fountain…
But then, they are barbarians, what would you expect?
What happened at the Bernini fountain?
Some drunk Dutch soccer fans rioted, trashed, and clashed with the police in Rome last month. A Bernini fountain was badly damaged. Disgusting. Soccer hooligans (from all countries) are just out of control.
Here’s a link to a news report:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0220/681730-dutch-soccer-rome/
OH NO!! What horrible people those idiot soccer fans are.
And the Dutch ambassador did not even apologized… The”king” was busy skiing… A real working royal could come at least to show regret… maybe they fear the rotten tomatoes and prefer to exchange pleasantries among fellow “royals”….
A terrible situation and I agree, Penelope. The ambassador needs to apologize and the Royals need to take action. Showing regret would be appreciated, but the offer to repair the fountain is what needs to be done, as well. Some sports fans are just too juvenile!
Personally I think the people who caused the damage should be forced to pay for any repairs.