Princess Ariane Joins Sisters at Openbare Bloemcampschool

Princess Ariane, the youngest daughter of the Prince of Orange, started in group 1A at the Openbare Bloemcampschool in Wassenaar yesterday. She was accompanied by her parents and two sisters. Boots were the footwear of choice for the day. Princess Máxima wore a patterned dress with thigh high suede boots. Ariane teamed her sweater and skirt with laced brown boots whilst Amalia and Alexia dressed up their outfits with black boots.

Ariane turned 4 years old on April 10th.

Photo: © ANP

Princess Alexia Becomes a Pupil at Openbare

Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, second daughter of the Prince of Orange, started her first day of school yesterday. She was enrolled into group1A at the Openbare Bloemcampschool in Wassenaar. Her older sister Amalia has been at Openbare since December 2007.

Alexia turned four on June 26th.

Photo: Lex van Lieshout

Queen Beatrix Consoles Her People after Apeldoorn Tragedy

Last week, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands issued the following statement via the Dutch Royal House website concerning the tragedy in Apeldoorn on Queen’s Day (April 30th).

“What began as a beautiful day ended in a terrible tragedy that shocked us all deeply. People who were there, those who saw the incident on television, anyone who witnessed it could only look on in stunned disbelief. We are left speechless at the idea that such a terrible thing could happen. My family and I, and I think everyone in the country, feel deeply for the victims, their families and friends, and all those who were affected by this incident.”

In the aftermath of the tragedy, seven people died and ten more were injured, some of the survivors were listed in serious condition.

The queen, along with the Prince of Orange, Princess Máxima and Princess Margriet, comforted the survivors and family members of the victims whilst visiting hospitals in Zwolle, Utrecht, Amersfoort, Tilburg and Arnhem last Saturday.

A memorial service was held for the victims of the Apeldoorn tragedy in the Theater Orpheus this evening. Queen Beatrix, several members of the Dutch Royal Family and Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende were in attendance.

Queen Beatrix Holidays in Lech

Whilst on her annual holiday in Lech, Queen Beatrix granted a photocall today. She was joined by her sons, Willem-Alexander and Constantijn, and their families. Amongst the various snow activities, five-year-old Amalia displayed some of her skiing prowess whilst being coached by her father, the Prince of Orange.

Photos: Frank van Beek

The Prince of Orange Speaks at Conference in the Philippines

In his capacity as Chairman of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, the Prince of Orange attended the 8th Asia Pacific Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production conference in Cebu, Philippines on Thursday. In his speech, the prince presented the goals of the United Nations to improve water resources and sanitation conditions globally and said, “water is life. There is no substitute. To achieve sustainable development, water has to be at the forefront. Water has a pivotal role in socioeconomic development and food production. Sound and sustainable management of water resources may reduce the effects of climate change.”

“What is more, water and sanitation make the greatest contribution to improving health and comprehensively reducing poverty…UNSGAB has received many positive responses to our call for action. Governments and organisations recognise water and sanitation issues and show their commitment to dealing with them by placing them high on the political agenda. This is one of UNSGAB’s most important objectives.”

The entire speech by the Prince of Orange at the 8th Asia Pacific Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production conference in Cebu, Philippines can be read here.

For more information on the Asia Pacific Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production, visit the official website.

Photo: © APRSCP

Willem and Victoria Participate in 2008 World Water Week

As Chairman of the UNSGAB, the Prince of Orange broke away from the excitement of the Beijing Olympics to support 2008 World Water Week in Stockholm on Monday.

Beginning on August 17th and ending on August 23rd, the theme for this year’s World Water Week is Progress and Prospects on Water: For a Clean and Healthy World with Special Focus on Sanitation. The prince focused his two speeches on IYS – Sanitation and Hygiene for All and Advancing the MDGs: The UN Watercourses Convention in the Hashimoto Action Plan. He attended a couple of seminars before returning to his other obligation as a member of the International Olympic Committee; observing the Beijing Olympics.

Meanwhile, his royal counterpart, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the 2008 Stockholm Junior Water Prize to Joyce Chai of the United States for her project 'Modelling the Toxic Effects of Silver Nanoparticles under Varying Environmental Conditions.'

The entire speech by the Prince of Orange which focused on IYS – Sanitation and Hygiene for All can be read here.

The entire speech by the Prince of Orange which focused on Advancing the MDGs: The UN Watercourses Convention in the Hashimoto Action Plan can be read here.

Photos: Pontus Lundahl, REUTERS

Dutch Royals Attend Quarterfinal of 2008 European Championship

The Netherlands football team got a royal cheering section in the stands yesterday when the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands attended the quarterfinal match between Netherlands and Russia in Basal, Switzerland. Despite the royal support, Russia triumphed with three goals to the Netherlands one goal.

For more information on UEFA EURO 2008, visit the official website.

Photo: Associated Press/Sergey Ponomarev

Queen Rania Addresses Conference in Amsterdam

Queen Rania of Jordan was a keynote speaker at the Amsterdam Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency yesterday. As she spoke at the opening plenary session entitled, The Critical Dimensions of Sustainability Reporting Today, the queen mentioned the establishment of the Arab Sustainability Leadership Group. (ASLG). According to Rania, the ASLG “will scale up efforts throughout [the Middle East] region… by liaising with business leaders…offering support…sharing ideas…and showcasing successes. It will be the region’s voice on the global stage, ensuring that the Arab world not only catches up, but keeps pace with the front runners in this field.”

Included in her conference agenda was a Royal Roundtable Lunch entitled, Climate Change and Adaption, which she attended with the Prince of Orange at the Okura Hotel.

The Amsterdam Global Conference was organized by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The GRI “pioneered the development of the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting framework and is committed to its continuous improvement and application worldwide. This framework sets out the principles and indicators that organizations can use to measure and report their economic, environmental, and social performance.”

Queen Rania's speech from the opening plenary session entitled, The Critical Dimensions of Sustainability Reporting Today, can be read here.

For more information on the Global Reporting Initiative, visit the official website.

Photos: Petra and Frank Barnhoorn

Princess Ariane Marks Her First Birthday

Princess Ariane Wilhelmina Máxima Ines, youngest daughter of the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, celebrated her first birthday milestone today. The little princess is fourth in line to the Dutch throne after her father and two sisters, Princess Catharina-Amalia and Princess Alexia. She is the eighth grandchild of Queen Beatrix.

Photo: RVD

AfricaSan 2008 Conference Receives Videomessage Welcome from The Prince of Orange

The Prince of Orange delivered the keynote address via videomessage to the delegates of AfricaSan 2008 Conference yesterday. The 2nd African conference on sanitation and hygiene is meeting in Durban, South Africa from February 18th to February 20th.

Below is some text from Prince Willem-Alexander’s videomessage welcome to the delegates of the AfricaSan 2008 Conference.

“WE’VE GOT IT!!!! We have a dedicated AU Water and Sanitation Summit involving the Heads of States and Government of this beautiful continent. It will take place in Egypt this July, at the next General Assembly of the African Union in Sharm el Sheikh. I would like to thank everybody who helped achieve that and as chair of UNSGAB, co-host of this conference, I would have loved to celebrate it with you in Durban.”

“In my days as a pilot for AMREF/Flying Doctors I learnt firsthand that medical NGO’s were longing to shift from expensive curative healthcare to an affordable preventive system and Sanitation just happens to be the best answer in the market.”

“This AfricaSan is a cornerstone meeting in the runup to the Summit. It provides a framework for identifying key political messages and designing roadmaps so that presidents, prime ministers and finance ministers can get Africa back on track to achieve the water and sanitation MDG. And, in its slipstream, six other MDGs aimed at eradicating poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating waterborne diseases.”

“Of course, all these MDGs cannot be achieved just by providing sustainable access to clean water and sanitation. But it is crucial to their achievement.”

The full text from the Prince of Orange’s videomessage welcome to the delegates of the AfricaSan 2008 Conference can be read here.

Winter Play for The Dutch Royals

Whilst enjoying their winter respite in Lech, Queen Beatrix gathered her sons, Prince Willem-Alexander and Prince Constantijn, and their families for a photocall over the weekend. The children were amiable throughout the session with the exception of the youngest in the clan. While she wept in her father’s arms, ten-month old Princess Ariane was comforted with a kiss by her older sister Princess Catharina-Amalia. When it came to demonstrating some winter sport skills, Amalia displayed her skiing adeptness with support from her father the Prince of Orange.

Photos: ANP

Queen Beatrix’s New Year Receptions

This week, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands held her traditional New Year receptions revolving around representatives of Dutch society and international organizations. She also met with foreign diplomats. She was accompanied by her son, the Prince of Orange and his wife Princess Máxima. Her sister, Princess Margriet and her husband, professor mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven attended as well.

The Prince of Orange Snaps Amalia, Alexia and Ariane

Inasmuch as the media has respectfully given space to the Prince of Orange and his family after the photo session in Buenos Aires on December 22nd, Prince Willem-Alexander released today some new family photos that were snapped by him at the Villa la Angostura, Argentina on January 5th. The prince and princess are grateful to the Argentinian media for leaving the family alone even when Princess Ariane was taken to a hospital in Bariloche on December 31st.





Photos: The Prince of Orange

The Dutch and Norwegian Royal Families Release Family Photos for the Christmas Season

The Dutch Royal House website released a wonderful portrait of the Prince of Orange, Princess Máxima, Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane from the photocall at the Dutch Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

From the Kongehuset website, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway posed for Christmas photos with their son, Crown Prince Haakon, and his family, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Ingrid Alexandra (3), Prince Sverre Magnus (2) and Marius (10) at Kongsseteren in Holmenkollen, Oslo.

First Day of School for Princess Amalia

At the behest of her parents, Princess Amalia started her first day of school with a minimum press contingent in attendance. The Openbare Bloemcampschool in Wassenaar welcomed the four-year-old royal pupil as she began her classes in group one today. With some help from the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, the little princess acclimated to her new surroundings. Befittingly, Amalia carried her school essentials in a Disney Princess toddler backpack.

Photo: ANP

Naruhito and Willem-Alexander Give Opening Remarks at Water Summit

At the 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit which was held in Beppu, Japan, the Prince of Orange and Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan spoke at the opening on December 3rd. For two days, forty-nine countries discussed specifically the water problems of the Asia-Pacific region.

In his speech, Prince Willem-Alexander recognized Crown Prince Naruhito and said: “It is a particular pleasure to be here with His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince of Japan, who has recently agreed to be the Honorary President of the UN Secretary- General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation. In doing so, His Imperial Highness proves Japan’s invaluable contribution to the Board’s work, which was first led by my predecessor, the late former Prime Minister Hashimoto…I whole heartily welcome and endorse the aim of this Summit to contribute to sustainable water management in order to achieve the MDG targets in Asia and the Pacific.”

Likewise, Crown Prince Naruhito acknowledged Prince Willem-Alexander and the tremendous responsibility he was undertaking as Honorary President and replied: “I have accepted the request of the United Nations Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon to serve on his Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation as its Honorary President. I am aware of the responsibility that comes with this honor. The Board, under the leadership of its late chairman Mr. Ryutaro Hashimoto, launched the Hashimoto Action Plan and is forging ahead towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. I will do my best to learn more about the global issues of water and sanitation, and to work with His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, the Board’s chairman, and its other members to contribute to its activities in my capacity as Honorary President.”

The entire opening speech given by the Prince of Orange at the 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit can be read here.

The entire opening speech given by Crown Prince Naruhito at the 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit can be read here.

Prince Willem-Alexander Awards the Erasmus Prize

This year, the Erasmus Prize was awarded to Hungarian filmmaker Péter Forgács for his contributions to European history. In a speech at Noordeinde Palace, the Prince of Orange congratulated him for his innovative documentaries and said, “you have created a remarkable oeuvre. We see European history revitalised and shaped by your artistic imagination and skill. Your work brings events to life that are easily forgotten, placing private lives in the context of the storms of twentieth-century history.”

The Erasmus Prize is awarded by the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation “to a person or institution which has made an exceptionally important contribution to culture in Europe.”

The Prince of Orange’s entire speech from the Erasmus Prize event can be read here.

Photo: ANP

Prince Willem-Alexander Launches International Year of Sanitation 2008

Yesterday, Princess Máxima of the Netherlands joined her husband, the Prince of Orange in New York to globally launch the International Year of Sanitation 2008. As chairman of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, the prince spoke of his concerns and said, “our prime aim is to provide as many people as possible with proper, sustainable sanitation facilities and to stress how to use them sustainably.”

In his speech, Willem-Alexander challenged the attendees to redress the matter of sanitation and focus on the plight of the many people that do not have the use of adequate facilities. “That is why we, as policymakers, opinion leaders and stakeholders gathered here today, must make a supreme effort to make proper sanitation accessible and available to everyone. Because everyone, and that means ALL the people in the world, has the right to a healthy life and a life with dignity. In other words: everyone has the right to sanitation,” he declared.

In part to galvanize his audience into action, the prince reiterated the goals of millennium development on sanitation.

“We want to raise awareness of the importance of sanitation and its impact on other Millennium Development Goals.”

“We want to encourage government and their partners to implement policies and take action aimed at meeting the sanitation target.”

“We want to mobilize communities, particularly women’s groups, to change sanitation and hygiene practice through campaigns on sanitation and health education.”

As he closed his speech, the prince reminded the guests to commit themselves to the sanitation project and said, “I would like to encourage you, with all my heart, to work together. It is of the utmost importance for us to undertake a long-term commitment today to reach our common goals and to work towards health, dignity and development for all.”

The Prince of Orange’s entire speech at the launch of the International Year of Sanitation 2008 in New York can be read here.

For more information on the International Year of Sanitation 2008, visit the following websites: The United Nations Division of Sustainable Development, Water for Life, and UNICEF.

Photos: ANP

Prince of Orange Delivers Speech in Bogotá

On November 16th, the Prince of Orange delivered a speech at the 9th Meeting of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation Inter-American Dialogue in Bogotá, Colombia. He advised shareholders of the Inter-American Development Bank and South American representatives to work toward the millennium development goals of the United Nations and said, “July 1, 2007 marked the half way point in our pursuit of the MDGs. Over seven and a half years have passed since 2000 when countries committed themselves to improving the lives of so many still in need. That means we have less than 7 and a half years to go. Our Board is dedicated to doing everything in our power to reach the water and sanitation targets. But, of course, we can only make progress if we work in concert with you.”

The Prince of Orange’s entire speech from the 9th Meeting of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation Inter-American Dialogue in Bogotá, Colombia can be read here.

Lush Bhutan Beckons Willem-Alexander and Máxima of The Netherlands

It was a wish that the Prince of Orange fulfilled for his father, Prince Claus of the Netherlands, when he accepted the invitation of His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to visit the kingdom of Bhutan. He and his wife, Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, officially toured from October 28th to October 30th. The visit further enhanced the friendly relations between the two countries. Some of the places included on their agenda were Thimphu and Paro, areas rich in religious, cultural and historical significance.

As they enjoyed the hospitality of their hosts, the couple had the chance to participate in a popular sport of the Bhutanese. As his wife cheered him on, Prince Willem-Alexander demonstrated some prowess with the bow and arrow at an archery competition organized by the Bhutan Archery Federation. The federation had received the Prince Claus Award in 2004 “for their role in sustaining and developing archery as a dynamic expression of local cultural values.”

At the Centre for Bhutan Studies, the prince and princess were briefed on the project “Gross National Happiness” which encourages social-economic growth, good administration and the preservation and promotion of the Bhutanese culture. As the trip concluded, the prince poignantly recalled his late father’s hope to visit the kingdom. “Sadly, he never managed,” the prince said.

Photos: ANP