Queen Máxima’s economic visit to the United States began on the west coast in San Francisco with a focus on LGBTQ+ rights and a message for King Willem-Alexander back home.
Queen Máxima began her American visit in San Francisco, meeting with Mayor London Breed before visiting the Castro District, a notable LGBTQ+ community in California.
Mayor Breed tweeted about the royal visit: “Today, San Francisco opened its arms to welcome Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. We were honoured to host her at City Hall and in the Castro, and to hold discussions on our shared values and to strengthen economic ties.”
In the Castro District, Queen Máxima visited the GLBT Historical Society Museum and spoke with community leaders about gay rights before doing a walkabout and meeting with drag performers and other community members.
Speaking of her visit to the Castro District in a speech at City Hall, Queen Máxima said: “I was struck by the atmosphere of openness, freedom and creativity. This positive vibe can be felt across California. It’s one of the reasons I am so happy to be here, together with a large delegation of Dutch business leaders, entrepreneurs and government representatives.”
In a speech on Tuesday evening, Queen Máxima said that the ties between California and the Netherlands mean that visiting there feels“like home” and added that both places have “a great affinity with each other, based on similar values when it comes to human rights, diversity, inclusion and equitable development.”
During a visit to the Salesforce Tower, Queen Máxima signed a cooperative declaration to commit to the Netherlands and California working together on climate and circular economy tasks. She said in a speech: “We Dutch are happy that we can speed up our cooperation in the transition towards a circular economy. During my visit to California, we are also celebrating our joint projects in the areas of climate adaptation, smart mobility and sustainable agriculture.
“The Dutch are excited to be teaming up with the best, and California has a lot of the best. Your start-up ecosystem is the number one ecosystem in the world. Dutch companies and institutions have a lot to offer as well. Our connections are growing stronger every year, to our mutual benefit.”
Queen Máxima’s other engagements on the first day of her American visit included a mission from sectors involved in life sciences, health, urban mobility and cycling; a seminar on ‘digital health’; and meetings with American CEOs to discuss the economic ties and shared challenges between both countries.
The Dutch Queen’s visit continues this week with engagements in San Francisco and Silicon Valley on Wednesday; Austin, Texas, on Thursday; and Houston, Texas, on Friday.
King Willem-Alexander initially planned to take part in this economic visit alongside Queen Máxima; however, the Royal House of the Netherlands announced last week that he would have to miss the visit as he is recovering from pneumonia.
