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

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