Dutch Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima are enjoying the arctic cold of the British Antarctic Survey’s base Rothera on Adelaide Island off Antarctica for a three day work visit.
The royal couple arrived at Rothera from Punta Arenas, Chile, where they visited Torres del Paine National Park after a stop with Máxima's family in southern Argentina.
The Netherlands does not have its own research station on Antarctica. Dutch researchers are usually hosted by foreign stations, such as the British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera. Willem-Alexander and Máxima expressed a great desire to see the southern continent for themselves after visiting the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2006.
The International Polar Year, which comes to a close early March 2009, provided the Dutch royals with a perfect opportunity to see what researchers are doing near the South Pole. "Here you can feel the pulse of the world’s climate and see the effects of climate change", Dutch Science Minister Ronald Plasterk explained. He is travelling with the princely couple.
Prince Willem-Alexander is reporting daily from Antarctica in a special weblog published on the royal web site. The ‘blogger of Orange’ is showing great enthusiasm for this additional task, and tells with gusto about close encounters with pinguins and seals, as well as observing the work of the researchers.
Saturday afternoon and night the Dutch visitors left Rothera by snowscooters to go camping on the nearby glacier.
No media were allowed to cover the trip. © GPD; Photos by © RVD & NWO Hein Meijers
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