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The Netherlands

Princess Beatrix and Princess Mabel to attend funeral of Kofi Annan

Princess Beatrix, the former Queen of the Netherlands, and her daughter-in-law, Princess Mabel of Orange are to attend the funeral of former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, who died on 18 August.

Now it has been announced that the former Queen of the Netherlands, Princess Beatrix will attend the state funeral of Koffi Annan, and she will be accompanied by her daughter-in-law, Princess Mabel. Both Princesses had close ties with Kofi Annan.

Princess Beatrix met with Kofi Annan on numerous occasions in his role as Secretary-General of the UN. However, the Princess and Mr Annan were also close friends in their private lives. Kofi Annan once said in an interview about Princess Beatrix: I think we have a bond that will last after my term of office as Secretary General has ended. That’s how I would like to see it, and she (Princess Beatrix) feels the same way.”

Kofi Annan was invited to the wedding of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima in 2002. Mr Annan and his wife, Nane Maria Lagergren were also invited to the abdication of Queen Beatrix and the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander as the new King of the Netherlands in 2013. Kofi Annan and his wife also supported Princess Beatrix and Princess Mabel when they lost their son and husband Prince Friso, respectively, in 2013.

Also, Princess Mabel is no stranger to the Annan family. The Princess was director of The Elders, a group of independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights while Kofi Annan was the chairman of the group. Thus, both have worked closely together.

The funeral of the former Secretary-General of the UN is to take place this coming Thursday on the 13th of September. Mr Annan died after a short illness at the age of 80 in Switzerland. The state funeral will be attended by Princess Beatrix, Princess Mabel, current Secretary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres, President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and several other world leaders. The body of Kofi Annan is expected to arrive in Ghana on Monday. After the state funeral, the burial will take place in private.

About author

Laura is from Belgium and has a passion for all things royal. She is Europe Correspondent for Royal Central since October 2016 and has contributed to other news websites. In her daily life she is a fulltime student in EU-politics and political communication.