There will be plenty of kings in the official home of the US President this month and the Dutch monarch was the first to cross the threshold.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, along with Queen Maxima, was welcomed to the White House by Donald Trump as they began an official visit to the United States.
The royal couple joined President Trump and First Lady, Melania, for dinner at their Washington residence on the first day of their trip.
And the significance of the visit wasn’t lost on the White House which took to social media to declare ”a royal arrival” as it shared images of Donald and Melania Trump welcoming King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.
As this wasn’t a State Dinner, the men were in suits and the women wore cocktail dresses which meant no tiara for the diadem loving Queen Maxima. Instead, she chose a suitably symbolic orange dress and added a sparkling diamond brooch for this first evening event of her visit.
The Dutch royal trip to the US had begun in Philadelphia where the couple touched down ahead of a busy first day. The trip will take them to the states of Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Florida.
It’s happening as the US prepares to celebrate 250 years since the Declaration of Independence and there was a real feel of history on this first day for the Dutch royals in the US with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima viewing the Liberty Bell.
The bell was ordered from a firm in the east end of London in 1752 and is cast with the words ”Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof”, a line from the Book of Leviticus. It has long been a symbol of independence and freedom and is also famous for the huge crack through it.
The Dutch royals are visiting in part to mark the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. King Willem-Alexander recognised that as he gave a speech in Philadelphia in which he recognised that ”this is historic ground, for us Dutch as well. With the birth of the United States in 1776, the world’s history changed course. Americans created a beacon of hope for all freedom-loving nations. And the Netherlands was one of the first countries that understood and embraced the signs of the new age.”
It was then time for King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima to embrace more signs of the changes brought by the US as they headed to the Philadelphia Eagles. They were given an overview of American football as well as shirts with their names on the back. The visit also has a focus on economic and cultural ties and during their stop at the Eagles, they heard about innovation in the sports sector.
They then headed to Washington where they were greeted by President Trump. He visited the Netherlands last year when Queen Maxima was later reported to have pulled a face during their encounter, something she dismissed later as controversy grew.
The Dutch royal visit comes days ahead of the arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla on a State Visit to the US.
