News Summary R O Y A L B L O G. N L

Princess Carolina is living in Hong Kong

Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma, the youngest daughter of Princess Irene of the Netherlands, has moved with her husband Albert Brenninkmeijer to Hong Kong. A spokesperson for the royal family Bourbon-Parma confirmed the move Tuesday.

Mr. Albert Brenninkmeijer, scion of the famous C & A Brenninkmeijer family, was until this spring head of the Swiss branch of C & A and is now directing C & A's business in Hong Kong and further afield, in China.

Princess Carolina worked until recentlyas the  Swiss "representative for partnerships" of UNRWA, the UN organization dedicated to the support and development of the Palestinian refugees. The couple have two children. © RB

 

Dutch royal couple awaits Chinese announcement

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands are awaiting the official announcement by the government of China of their upcoming State Visit to the People's Republic. No dates have been officially released, although The Hague concedes the visit will be at the end of October, right after Chinese President's Xi Jinping's return from a State Visit to the U.K.

President Xi Jinping extended an invitation to the Dutch royal couple during his own State Visit to the Netherlands in March last year. King Willem-Alexander readily accepted. It is not often the head of state of a smaller country like the Netherlands is invited for a return visit so soon. The invitation therefore was a reflection of the warm relations, and how well the Chinese visit – unusually during the weekend – went.

Preparations for the Dutch State Visit are well under way and an itinerary has also been distributed, but not for publication as courtesy requires the Court to wait for the official announcement from Beijing. © RB;

Photos: The Chinese Visit to Holland, and Queen Máxima's 2014 visit to Hangzhou and Jack May.

Máxima and Willem-Alexander prepare for China

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are preparing for their State Visit to the People's Republic of China at the end of October. King Willem-Alexander has used his summer holiday to read up on Chinese affairs, and on China's National Day (October 1) the royal couple will attend a Chinese themed meeting in Leiden.

Both King and Queen are no strangers to China. Willem-Alexander especially has visited the country on many occasions. He accompanied his parents Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus in 1999 for the first ever Dutch State Visit to China. As Crown Prince he delivered two speeches involving water management. In 2005 he returned with again water on his agenda, giving a speech in Zhengzhou at the Yellow River Forum.

Willem-Alexander and Máxima attended the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and Queen Máxima visited China last year in her capacity as Special representative of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on financial inclusion. China's President Xi Jiping in March 2014 was the first Chinese President to make a State Visit to the Netherlands.

Details of the upcoming visit have not been released yet, but King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will depart for Beijing on October 24 to start their visit the following day. The ceremonial welcome and State banquet are scheduled for October 26. During the five day visit the Dutch royals will also travel to Yan'an in Shaanxi Province, Shanghai and finally Hangzhou, headquarters of Alibaba, which Queen Máxima already visited in November 2014.

© RB

Queen Máxima concludes China visit for UN

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands paid a 5-day visit to the People's Republic of China, in her capacity as the UN's Secretary-General's Special envoy on inclusive finance for development. The queen, who earlier this year also visited Colombia, Peru and India, had a hectic schedule. She visited the governor of the People's Bank of China - the central bank - and was hosted by First Lady Peng Liyuan at the State Guest House. 

The queen, obviously still concerned about the health of her father Jorge Zorreguieta in Argentina, held meetings with representatives of commercial banks, telecom companies and internet giant Alibaba. She travelled to Hangzhou to meet with Jack Ma on the campus of his company, which can help to make financial services accessable to all Chinese; 400 million people are still without such basic services.

Queen Máxima visited two rural communities on the outskirts of Beijing, where she met clients of various financial services and saw how development can be aided by access - be it to transfer money, savings or insurance. "People can be successful, but then when they get sick they loose all their savings and livelyhood to pay for the doctor's bills and are back at point zero", the queen said about the need for insurance. 

Máxima also learned how to knead noodles, and experienced Beijing's infamous smog and traffic congestion. In the village of Anyang the sheep farmer she was to meet all of a sudden only had goats: the local authorities didn't want her to see the poor housing of the farmer and made a last minute change of venue. "So they are not your animals?" the queen asked the farmer at the central animal shed of the village. No.

The Chinese offered an excuse: maybe there was a misunderstanding about the kind of animals. The Chinese word for sheep and goat being the same. The queen however was not fooled. She had read her notes. © Royalblog, Hans Jacobs; Photo: © RB & UNDP China/联合国开发计划署 

Video with Queen in China, English spoken too

Dutch Queen Máxima travelling to Beijing

November could easily be labeled 'Asia month'. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, who only 10 days ago wrapped up State Visits to Japan and the Republic of Korea, will travel to Beijing on November 23, for an one week visit as special representative for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for inclusive finance for development. 

Queen Máxima, who visits China by invitation of the People's Republic, is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and will hold talks with governor Zhou Xiaochuan of the People’s Bank of China, and with representatives of the China Banking Regulatory Commission and financial institutions. She will also give a speech at the National School of Development of the University of Bejing.

Queen Máxima met the Chinese leader earlier this year when he paid a State Visit to the Netherlands, a first by a Chinese head of state. The queen, who has been the UN's special representative since 2009, this year already visited Colombia, Peru and India to promote and to learn more about inclusive finance and making financial services accessable to all. © RB

Dutch CP and Máxima will go to Beijing

No question about it. Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Máxima will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing this Summer. The Dutch prince will travel to China early, to attend the IOC Congress traditionally preceding the Games. Willem-Alexander has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since February 1998.

The Dutch government has no objections to the presence of the princely couple in Beijing. The Danish and Norwegian governments and royal families have confirmed that they too will be represented at the Games. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark will attend, as will Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, along with his parents King Harald and Queen Sonja. A spokesman for the court in Luxemburg said Grand-Duke Henri - a member of the IOC - will also go.

The royal families of Spain and Sweden are expected to attend as well, as is Prince Albert of Monaco.

The earlier than usual confirmations of the royal itineraries was a result of the announcement that the Prince of Wales would not be going to China. Not that he usually attends Olympic Games, and not that he had been invited, but the confirmation of the Prince's absence was seen as a boycott by Charles. And as such hailed by human rights activists and the Tibetan community. © RB