'Los Reyes', the King and Queen of Spain were warmly welcomed to The Netherlands Wednesday, as they visited The Hague to meet with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, and paid courtesy calls to the Dutch parliament and Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte.
There were kisses and hugs when the Spanish royal couple arrived from Rotterdam Airport at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, where the Dutch King and Queen had been patiently waiting in front of the Palace Gate. Both couples remarked on the beautiful Autumn weather. "It is always such nice weather here", Willem-Alexander boasted.
He than escorted his guests inside the Palace, where they were treated to lunch. King Willem-Alexander had a surprise in store for Queen Letizia - dressed in Felipe Varela. He awarded her the Crown Order, giving the newly minted queen her first royal decoration.
* Casa Real via Twitter, Borja Fotógrafios
The Spanish royals stayed just under two hours with their long time friends. In the Palace frontyard they said their goodbye's as King Felipe and Queen Letizia took a slight detour to reach the Houses of Parliament, where they were met by the presidents or Speakers of both houses. 'It is a great honour to receive you here in the democratic heart of the Kingdom of the Netherlands", Senate chairwoman Ankie Broekers-Knol said in welcoming the Spanish visitors.
She mentioned the shared history of hundreds of years, before the Dutch fought for independence from the Spanish Empire. "The resistance that was led by William of Orange laid the foundation for a strong and united Netherlands and irreversibly shaped the Dutch identity", Mrs Broekers-Knol said. "Since then much has changed, our countries are now allies. The relationship between our countries has become strong in recent decades", she added.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia were taken on a tour of the Chamber, but mention of a tribute to the Battle for Gibraltar was tactfully omitted in the explanations. Felipe though was shown a portrait of Holland's last Spanish king and count, Philip II.
* Images of the Dutch royals' 2013 visit to Spain and the 2014 visit from Spain to The Netherlands
Last stop on the barely three hour visit was the Dutch Prime Minister's Office, just a few steps away from the Senate. Prime Minister Mark Rutte personally welcomed his royal guests and took them to his peculiar shaped office, the small Tower or 'Torentje'. At the end of the meeting King Felipe told reporters waiting outside it had been a "good visit". At some point later in his reign he will return for a proper State Visit.
© Royalblog, Hans Jacobs; Photo by © RB Marius Cirtiu, HJ
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