Royalty

A royal impression

On the one hand it was a relief not to be living in the Netherlands the past few months, because I think it would have been awful with all the royalty stuff going on and everything slowly turning orange. On the other hand it was quite a shame not to be living there, since the event that was happening is very likely not happening again any time soon, so it was a shame to miss it. Even if Norwegian tv covered quite a bit as well!

Dutch me in Norwegian surroundings

What I am talking about? Well, you know about Queen's Day don't you. The national holiday in the Netherlands where we celebrate our Queen's birthday (which is actually on January 31st, but it's a tad cold then). But this year it was going to be different. In stead of her and her family making the trek to one or two villages/towns/cities in the Netherlands, she had decided she had had enough. She was going to abdicate. Which by the way is not unusual in the Netherlands. Her mother and grandmother had done the same. 

Because she was going to abdicate, her eldest child would automatically become the next reigning monarch. In this case her oldest child is male (as are her other 2 children by the way), so we would get a king. And it would all happen on April 30th. Queen's Day. 

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, Princess Beatrix
Princess Alexia, Crown-Princess Amalia, Princess Ariane

I live in Norway, but I felt that I shouldn't let that hinder me in showing my respect for the Royal family and yesterday I turned up at work in my uniform and my fantastic orange hat. I got congratulated on 'our' new king, I got questioning looks and it was great fun. 

And now we have a king. The first in over 120 years. But as you can see from the photo of the royal family, the next monarch will be a queen again! Next year we will not have a Queen's Day. Next year we will have a King's Day. On a different day as well, because King Willem-Alexander's birthday is April 27th.

Long live the King! 

Confusion reigns!

Sometimes things get so confused don't they? I recently wrote a post which contained mention of the Queen. Of course I meant our Queen, Queen Beatrix, but not everybody cottoned on to that fact immediately. Not to worry though, I have some very clever readers and you all got there in the end. However, as a result of that post, I've had an e-mail conversation with Gattina, which had us both wondering about the other. Here's how it went:

On 8 January 2011 17:13, Gattina wrote:

I first misunderstood I thought you were talking about THE QUEEN, but you talk about your Queen! Because THE QUEEN is a big computer fan!

I don't know why, but I realized that I am the only one my age (67) who is an internet blogger etc freak except the 86 year old mother of my neighbor, lol! All the others think computers bite. Three people found me on Facebook, where I am only to see the pictures which my son puts there. A friend from 1968 living now in Thailand, another living now in Finland and the only cousin Mr.G. has! they saw each other when they were 6 years old, lol! and thanks to Skype I can see little grandson in Amsterdam!

On 9 January 2011 12:39, Mara wrote:

 

She is The Queen. Just our The Queen!

My mother is still computer illiterate, partly out of choice, partly because my dad is afraid to teach her: she won't be away from the computer anymore then, just spending every spare minute doing something or other. Or so my dad fears...

On 9 January 2011 16:33, Gattina wrote:

That will never work! Mr. G's profession was Computer and Programmer analyst, I didn't learn anything from him, we just started to fight. If she really wants she has to learn it with someone else and get her own computer. I have to admit that he showed me the basic things like how to use internet and send an email but all the rest I learned by myself.

On 9 January 2011 16:59, Mara wrote:

Right now she's not really interested in learning either. She prefers spending time making lace or watching television. She watches every single sport known to man! If it moves and there's a game element involved: she will watch it. She's worse than my Dad!!!

On 10 January 2011 09:20, Gattina wrote:

Lol! does she make the models for her fancy hats? she is worse than all Ascott together!

On 10 January 2011 18:48, Mara wrote:

???

On 10 January 2011 21:18, Gattina wrote:

I mean the hats that the High Society wears during horse racing in Ascott!

On 12 January 2011 00:08, Mara wrote:

Nope, still don't get the connection between the hats and my Mum. Unless it has something to do with the lace making. In that case: she did make a complete hat out of lace (or she's still working on it), which might look good at Ascott!

On 12 January 2011 07:45, Gattina wrote:

You were talking about your mom??? I thought you were talking about your queen! I mean Beatrix! Sorry I didn't get it, lol!

On 12 January 2011 10:45, Mara wrote:

Oh! The Queen, now it all makes sense! I love her hats (ahem), but I don't quite think they are Ascott material: not nearly flash enough.

On 12 January 2011 15:44, Gattina wrote:

Hahaha! now all is clear!

Queen

The Nutcracker Suite The regiment

Every third Tuesday in September (Prinsjesdag or Princes' Day) the Queen reads a speech written by the Minister of Finance. It's the Law! But just reading a speech filled with boring financial stuff is ehm... well... boring. So, they show a bit of history, by going towards the place where the speech is held (forgive me, I have forgotten where exactly) in the old fashioned way. Horse and carriage, accompied and surrounded by military personel and marching bands. You could call it the Royal Parade, but there is no Micky Mouse on a float in sight!

Anyway, I have been there once before in 2001. Only a few days after those horrid events in New York happened. The parade was sober then. Yes, the masses of people were still there, but there wasn't any music being played and the ordinary folk (from Flevoland that year, the province I hail from) had to make do with a parade that was very toned down. And the photo I took of the Queen that year? Click here to find out how it looked.

The Royal Marechaussee

So, this year I had another chance. After all, this year I was driving the marching band! So, the drums and tubas went into the hold of the coach and we drove towards the stable block of Paleis Noordeinde (the home of our Queen Beatrix). We stopped (four coaches in all) and let everyone off and then had to wait until Prince Willem Alexander (her heir) had driven past. I had the camera at the ready, but alas, he took a different route. So, we turned our coaches.

The (empty) Golden Carriage

Now I had the time to take a photo of the Queen. I walked towards the music and saw several carriages come out of the stable blocks. Plus lots of very uniformed people on horseback. And then finally: the Golden Carriage! EMPTY!!! No getting into a carriage in the stable block for her, she would be picked up from her front door.

So, no Prince Willem Alexander and no Queen Beatrix. Just a lot of horses' poo!

Q is for...

Queen

This is the Golden Carriage, which is used every year on the third Tuesday in September for Princes Day, the day when the new financial plans for the coming year are unveiled. The carriage is used by Queen Beatrix and (when he was alive) Prince Claus or (nowadays) Crown-Prince Willem Alexander.

If you look closely, you can see the Queen on the right hand side of the carriage. You don't? Disappointed? Well, so was I after I got back home and got these photos developed! The only reason I stayed and watched the whole parade of soldiers and airmen etc and got cold all over (it wasn't a nice September day) was because I would get to see the queen! So, imagine my surprise when I got the photos back and saw a bunch of fingers and no queen!

Anyway, we don't have a President, we have a Prime Minister and we have a Queen (does this sound like the commercial for a Canadian beer brand now?). We've had a Queen for over a century now, but it's coming to an end: our next leader will be a man! The Netherlands was one of the first countries where the eldest child would automatically become the reigning royal, be it male or female. We sure were emancipated!

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