Royals
Dutch people celebrate their future Queen Amalia
King Willem-Alexander and Princess Amalia of the Netherlands at a photo opportunity of the royal family in the Huis ten Bosch palace. Photo: Albert Nieboer / Royal Press Europe / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The heir to the throne, Princess Amalia, is celebrating her 18th birthday. There are no major public celebrations in the Netherlands due to the corona.
Order of knights, carillon and gold postage stamp: On Tuesday, the Dutch Crown Princess Amalia received high honors on her 18th birthday.
King Willem-Alexander (54) made the eldest of his three daughters Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Dutch Lion and Knight of the House Order of the Golden Lion of Nassau, as announced by the royal family.
She gets a seat on the State Council
The award of heirs to the throne has a long tradition in the Netherlands. In 1898, Queen Wilhelmina was the first woman to be appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Lions. Since then, all children of the head of state have been honored with this award on their 18th birthday. As an adult, the Crown Princess now has the right to succeed her father on the throne. The Princess of Orange now also has a seat on the Council of State, a constitutional body that advises the government. On Wednesday, King Willem-Alexander, chairman of the Council of State, will introduce her to this post in a special session.
Amalia received congratulations from all over the country, some in a very special way. For example, the Royal Glockenspieler Association had a special birthday song composed. The work entitled “Amalia Achttien” (“Amalia Eighteen”) is to be performed by carillon players in all parts of the country over the next few days. And the Dutch Post had 750 copies of a special postage stamp with a portrait of the future queen made – using 24-carat gold. Unit price: 50 euros.
Crown Princess Amalia’s day of honor was “a special moment for our country and a splendid milestone for her,” tweeted Prime Minister Mark Rutte. “I wish her a pleasant and, above all, festive day.” However, larger public celebrations had to be avoided in consideration of the corona protective measures. It was also unclear whether Amalia’s grandmother, Princess Beatrix, could congratulate her personally, as reported by the Dutch news agency ANP. The 83-year-old former queen had recently tested positive for Corona – even though she had already been vaccinated three times.