The Diplomat
Their Majesties the King and Queen will make a visit to the Netherlands this week, which will be their first State trip in 2024. Invited by King William and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, they will arrive in Amsterdam tomorrow afternoon and will develop the official program on the 17th and 18th in that city and in The Hague, the Dutch capital.
Since last November when they visited Denmark, this will be the first State trip for Don Felipe and Doña Letizia, and number 16 since they came to the throne.
After their arrival in Amsterdam, the King and Queen plan to offer a reception to the Spanish community and on the 17th the official welcome by Guillermo and Máxima will take place, which will be followed by a wreath laying at the National Monument.
After a private lunch between the two Royal Families, Felipe and Guillermo will visit the Cruyff Foundation, a Spanish-Dutch association that gives space to children with disabilities or from disadvantaged neighborhoods to develop through sports such as soccer, basketball and kickboxing. It has more than 300 courses and 650 active trainers around the world. The monarchs will attend a soccer match for children with disabilities.
Afterwards, they will visit the facilities of the Port of Amsterdam, where they will speak with companies about the development of a hydrogen maritime corridor between that city and the port of Bilbao, remembering that in June of last year, King William visited Spain within the framework of several projects related to green hydrogen.
At night, the King an Queen of the Netherlands will offer a gala dinner in honor of Felipe and Letizia, which will include the previous Queen, Beatrice, who abdicated in 2013, and in which all eyes will be focused on the Crown Princess. Amalia, 20 years old, who will make her debut during a state visit by a foreign leader. Days ago, the Kings awarded William the collar of the Order of Charles III and Máxima the Grand Cross of that same Order. In addition, Princess Amalia received the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.
The Spanish sovereigns, who will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, already traveled to the Netherlands in October 2014, a few months after acceding to the Throne, in what was their first visit to a European Monarchy.
On Thursday, the 18th, Felipe VI will chair a Spanish-Dutch business forum in The Hague, in which companies from the cybersecurity and Fintech sectors will participate and which will focus on economy, innovation and technology. Afterwards, the King will visit the States General and meet with the presidents of Parliament and the Senate.
Meanwhile, Queens Máxima and Letizia will visit LAB6, a meeting place where sports and cultural activities are organized for young people aged 12 to 23 in the west of Amsterdam. They will speak with several of them and organizations about the importance of easily accessible services for youth mental health. Máxima is the honorary president of the MIND Us Foundation, dedicated to youth mental health. At the end of a tour of LAB6, they will attend the celebration of the tenth anniversary of a Spanish film festival in Amsterdam, where they will attend a discussion on the film Campeonex
In the afternoon, Deputy Prime Minister Rob Jetten will offer a lunch to King Felipe VI and King William, in which they will talk about the Spanish-Dutch bilateral relationship and European cooperation on energy and climate.
Subsequently, the Monarchs will talk with researchers from the Dutch institute of international relations Clingendael, which has collaborated in recent years with the Elcano Royal Institute to develop ideas related to economic and social resilience or innovation.
Don Felipe and Doña Letizia will then travel to the city of Noordwijk, which is home to the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC), the technological heart of the European Space Agency (ESA). The king an Queen will receive information on ESA missions in which Spain and the Netherlands collaborate, such as the European Galileo satellite navigation system and the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from space.
In the evening, Felipe and Letizia will offer a reception to the Dutch royal couple at the STRAAT Museum in Amsterdam, in which the four, accompanied by Princess Amalia, will inaugurate an exhibition of ten Spanish and Dutch muralists.
