King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima held a lunch on Tuesday at Noordeinde Palace for distinguished Dutch citizens to honour them for their success.
The King and Queen welcomed 16 people to the palace for lunch. The art, culture, media, science, sports and business sectors were represented at the meal the royal couple traditionally hosts twice a year. Each person invited had received some sort of award in their respective field.
Invitees included Professor dr. R.M. Letschert, the Top Woman of the Year 2019; E. Polman, the Best Player of the World Handball Championship; M.D. Hoogendoorn, winner of the 100% NL Award (Singer of the Year) and A.W.A.P. Bouman, holder of the World Record in Mental Arithmetic.
The Royal House explained that, through the meal, the King and Queen “want to express their recognition and appreciation for the people who have delivered a special performance.”
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, participants were seated around 1.5 metres away from their neighbour, and the event complied with all issued government and health guidelines.
One guest, actress Hannah Hoekstra, wanted to make an important statement during the lunch. Instead of dressing in more business wear, she chose to wear a black jumper with a statement against racism written on it: “Black Peter is racism.”
About her shirt, she later said: “I will continue to wear these kinds of shirts until we have a beautiful, inclusive future in which we are all equal and in which no one in the Netherlands is more in pain about these old traditions.”
She said that discussions at the lunch were pleasant and that the atmosphere was welcoming.
