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With Máxima and the princesses in FrieslandKing Willem-Alexander slides on the ice on his birthday
King Willem-Alexander slides across the ice on King's Day – Queen Máxima (middle) and Princess Ariane are there
Imago images/NL Beeld
Birthday on runners!
King Willem-Alexander celebrates his 59th birthday in Dokkum, Frisia, with a scene that immediately reminds many Dutch people of the past. Queen Máxima and daughter Ariane also venture onto the ice – but on the edge of King's Day there is also protest against the Dutch monarchy.
King Willem-Alexander spends his birthday on runners
He straps on his skates and grins. It was precisely at this moment that King Willem-Alexander crowned his King's Day in Dokkum. The Dutch monarch celebrates his 59th birthday in the Frisian city on Monday and takes to the skids. According to De Telegraaf and Algemeen Dagblad, this is not a coincidence, but a conscious reminder of his legendary participation in the legendary Elfstedentocht speed skating race around 40 years ago.
At that time, Willem-Alexander started out under the name WA van Buren so as not to be recognized immediately. This time too, the allusion does not remain symbolic. For his appearance on the ice, he wears a jacket that is based on the model from back then. It can also be given a stamp like it once was. The royal family receives their own stamp card upon arrival, which is continually filled along the route.
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Queen Máxima and the princesses Ariane, Amalia and Alexia are in the middle of it all
It's not just Willem who is clearly having fun. Queen Máxima and Princess Ariane also do their laps on the artificial ice rink. Crown Princess Amalia and Princess Alexia will also be accompanying the performance on site. The family is supported on the ice by, among others, speed skater Marijke Groenewoud and the brothers Jens and Melle van't Wout.
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As soon as they arrive, the family is a topic of conversation. As the “Algemeen Dagblad” reports, the outfits are coordinated with the city flag of Dokkum. Willem wears blue, Máxima appears in mustard yellow, Ariane in white, Amalia and Alexia in red. A fashionable greeting to the host city.
Frisian games and a small setback for King Willem-Alexander
The royals are received by Mayor Johannes Kramer and the royal commissioner Arno Brok. In his speech, Kramer recalled that Willem had already stopped off in Dokkum in 1986. The family then goes through the old town, past typical Frisian stations and hands-on activities.
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Máxima bakes Frisian cookies, the princesses grab the Polaroid camera, and games like Muurkaatsen and Korfball are on the program. Willem then suffers a small defeat in a Friesland quiz. When a sentence is supposed to be spoken in Frisian, daughter Amalia hits her father and mother.
Lots of cheering, but also protests against the Dutch royals
King's Day shows once again how great the sympathy for the royal family continues to be in the Netherlands. According to a survey commissioned by broadcaster NOS, 62 percent support the monarchy. Trust in Willem-Alexander has even increased slightly.
The day doesn't go completely without headwind. Outside the festival grounds, opponents of the monarchy draw attention to themselves with a ten-meter-high blue dinosaur with an orange crown. Some demonstrators hold up signs with the inscription “Willem de Laatste”, in German: Willem, the last. (jka)
Sources used: spot on news, dpa
