Today, April 27, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands turns 55 years old. The grand celebration today was preceded by a festive concert in Theater on the Vrijthof square in Maastricht, which the king visited together with his wife Queen Maxima two weeks ago.
The birthday of a king or queen is celebrated as a national holiday in the Netherlands. Since the coronation of Willem-Alexander on April 30, 2013, this date has become a holiday. In addition, the name of the holiday has also changed. Before Willem-Alexander, the Netherlands was ruled by women for 123 years, so the Dutch had to get used to what they now celebrate king’s daynot Queen’s Day.
Every year on this day, festive festivities take place throughout the country, and, given the anniversary of His Majesty, this time the scope of the celebrations amazed even the Dutch themselves. All the cities of the country were decorated with flags, ribbons and balls of orange, which is also the dynastic color of the Orange dynasty of the Netherlands since 1815 (the name of the dynasty comes from the southern French principality of Orange, inherited through the female line by Prince William I of Orange). Early in the morning the royal family arrived in Maastricht (last year the family visited the city of Eindhoven that day), from where they began their route.
First, they watched a mass start on boats on the river, visited a festival of local crafts and got acquainted with an exhibition that tells about the life of Limburg, a region whose capital is Maastricht. Also, the king and heir to the throne, Princess Catharina-Amalia of Orange, paid tribute to the Treaty of Maastricht, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and personally minted two commemorative coins.
Then the family talked with the local student community and farmers, trying not only different dishes, but also drinks. The culmination was a concert on the main square of the city, and the birthday man with his wife and daughters greeted the audience from the stage.
What you have shown is a real bridge between the past and the future, between locals and tourists, between the Netherlands and all of Europe. Thank you! the king said.
On this day, in fact, as always, the female part of the royal family was dressed very brightly and colorfully: Queen Maxima chose a bright pink dress and a cream coat, adding a wide-brimmed brown hat, clutch, shoes and gloves of the same range to the image; the eldest daughter of the spouses and the official heir to the throne, Katarina-Amalia, was in a beige pinstriped trouser suit, which echoed the bright green set of Princess Alexia. And the youngest of the sisters, Princess Ariana, dressed in a dark blue mini dress.
Source: Hellomagazine
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