Don Felipe and Doña Letizia left today for The Netherlands, destination of his first state trip of 2024. They will arrive in the capital, Amsterdam, where they will be received by the King William Alexander I and his wife Máxima Zorreguieta to begin his sixteenth trip since the start of his reign in 2014. It will also be the first trip of Camilo Villarino, at the head of the House of the King, since last February, replacing Jaime Alfonsín, who was the right arm of the king for three decades.
The visit of the Kings to the Netherlands is part of a context of “friendship” between the two countries, according to diplomatic sources, which translates into a rich and fruitful relationship in areas as diverse as economic, political or cultural. The trip responds to an invitation from Monarch William of the Netherlands to the kings and will continue the traditional relations of friendship between the two royal houses, as well as continue to strengthen, energize and consolidate bilateral relations. In this direction, The last state trip of the kings of Spain to the Netherlands took place 23 years ago, after that made by Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía in 2001, invited by Queen Beatrix. However, in recent years there have been reciprocal visits such as the one made by the kings of Holland in 2013 to Spain and the one made by Don Felipe and Doña Letizia in 2014 to the Netherlands. This last trip was in fact the first visit to a European monarchy after the proclamation.
Don Felipe and Doña Letizia land today in the Netherlands and unlike other state trips, They start their agenda with a meeting with the Spanish community of this country. Currently, around 37,000 Spaniards are registered, but it is estimated that there could be more than 50,000. There are essentially three profiles: unskilled workers, university students and qualified personnel, and finally second-class Spaniards. or third generation perfectly integrated into Dutch society. Don Felipe will send them a message this afternoon.
The visit officially begins on Wednesday with the traditional welcome ceremony on Dam Square in Amsterdam. It will begin with the rendition of the two anthems and later, the heads of state will review the National Guard troops. A group of schoolchildren from the prestigious Amsterdam High School will also be present. After the ceremony, the presentation of the delegations will take place inside the Royal Palace. Then, the monarchs will walk to the national monument while two soldiers will lay a wreath in front of the monument, before the sound of the bugle and the minute of silence for the traditional offering of crowns. In the afternoon, Felipe VI and Guillermo will visit the Cruyff Foundation, whose mission is to support disadvantaged young people through sport and games. They will then visit the port of Amsterdam to learn the details of the green corridor between the Dutch capital and Bilbao. This corridor is part of the European Union’s ambitions to create intra-European hydrogen export and import corridors to contribute to energy security, particularly after Russian aggression against Ukraine, which revealed the dependence of many countries on Russian gas.
In the evening, the highlight of the visit will take place: the gala dinner offered by King William and Queen Máxima to the kings of Spain. For the first time, Princess Amalia will be present, making her debut at an event of this magnitude. [[LINK:EXTERNO|||https://www.larazon.es/gente/casa-real/amalia-paises-bajos-cumple-20-anos_2023120765717d09d6703700019881c3.html|||Aparte de la heredera –de 20 años–, también asistirán la princesa Beatriz y la princesa Margarita.]]
On Thursday, the agendas will be divided. Don Felipe and King William will chair a meeting of Spanish and Dutch businesses in The Hague. For their part, Doña Letizia and Queen Máxima visit LAB6, a meeting place dedicated to mental health where activities linked to sport and education are organized. Later, they will attend the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Amsterdam Spanish Film Festival. At the same time, the King will meet the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and, at midday, he will have lunch with Deputy Prime Minister Jetten and the King at the Binnenhof. Already in the afternoon, The King will visit the European Center for Space Research and Technology of the European Space Agency where he will hold a meeting with different working teams from the agency.. The state visit will conclude on Thursday evening with a return reception, an event which will take place at the STRAAT Museum in Amsterdam, where an exhibition of ten Spanish and Dutch urban artists will be opened.
The government, in place since November
The trip will be influenced by the political situation in the Netherlands. In November, general elections were held and Geert Wilders won. A negotiation process began to form a government, but in March he decided to step down, given the impossibility of reaching agreements to form an executive. The country has had a government in power for five months and it is trying to find a technocrat to lead the country. To this, we must add that on Thursday there is the Council of Europe, so King Felipe VIHe will not have a meeting with Mark Rutte but with Deputy Prime Minister Rob Jetten.