The Dutch Royal Household has announced that King Willem-Alexander will no longer take part in a planned working visit to the United States due to illness.
His Majesty, says the press release, is recovering from an episode of pneumonia, and air travel could hinder the expected full recovery.
Queen Máxima and all other State ministers that were scheduled to take part in the trip will still be going, and “will give substance to already planned programme components”, says the press release.
It is anticipated that Her Majesty will travel accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation; the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport; the Minister of Education, Culture and Science; the Minister of Economic Affairs, Communication and Sustainable Development of Aruba; the minister of Public Health and Tourism of Aruba; and the State Secretary of Infrastructure and Water Management.
Further details of the schedule for activities during the trip will be announced once arrangements have been made taking into account the King’s absence.
The trip will take place between the 6th and the 9th of September, and will take the Dutch delegation to California and Texas to discuss, among other things, climate change impact on populations, potential solutions to the energy crisis brought on by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions imposed, and transatlantic cooperation.
The announced programme reported visits in the San Francisco Bay area and Silicon Valley in California, and the cities of Austin and Huston in Texas. The latter in particular has the Netherlands as its largest EU trade partner, making this economic work visit an interesting cooperation opportunity for the future of both the Texan and Dutch economies.
Meanwhile, a parallel economic mission by private firms should take place in San Francisco and Los Angeles to discuss healthcare and mobility.
