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European RoyalsSpainSwedenThe Netherlands

Spanish, Swedish and Dutch royals attend the Volvo Ocean Race

Royals from three nations gathered in The Hague in the Netherlands to attend the Volvo Ocean Race this past weekend. Swedish Prince Carl Philip, Dutch King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Infanta Elena of Spain and her father, King Juan Carlos of Spain were all present during the events.

King Juan Carlos waved off the seven participating teams in October, when the Volvo Ocean Race started in Alicante, Spain. Now he and his royal colleagues were present for the completion of the race in the Netherlands.

On Friday 29 June and Saturday 30 June, Prince Carl Philip, as patron, visited the Volvo Ocean Race in The Hague, The Netherlands. On arrival at Race Villiage, Prince Carl Philip met representatives of Volvo and Volvo Ocean Race at a lunch in Volvo’s pavilion on the site.

In the afternoon, Prince Carl Philip met the Dutch King Willem-Alexander, and in the evening, the Prince attended a dinner in Volvo’s pavilion together with representatives of Volvo and Volvo Ocean Race. On the morning 30 June, the Prince participated in a beach cleaning in The Hague in the fight against plastics in our environment.

At the awards ceremony, Prince Carl Philip, together with King Willem-Alexander, awarded the first prize to the Dongfeng Race Team. That day, Prince Carl Philip attended a dinner for the competition’s winner at the World Forum, The Hague. At the dinner, Infanta Elena, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and King Juan Carlos of Spain were also in attendance.

Prince Carl Philip hands out the first prize to the Dongfeng Race Team at the Volvo Ocean Race in The Hague. Photo: Pedro Martinez / Volvo Ocean Race

It was the Chinese Dongfeng Race Team who won the race. The Spanish team Mapfre finished second, the Dutch side, from team Brunel, took the third place in the final. The Volvo Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three years. Presently, the Netherlands holds the record of three wins, with Dutchman Conny van Rietschoten the only skipper to win the race twice.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.