Willem-Alexander and Máxima bring some royal splendor to the German capital. During the state visit you have a lot of appointments in Berlin. But one thing is different than usual.
The Dutch royal couple is expected to make a state visit to Berlin today. Willem-Alexander (54) and Máxima (50) stay in the capital for three days. There they want to visit various cultural and scientific institutions. But political talks at the highest level are also on her program, including with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).
To begin with, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomes the royal guests to Bellevue Palace. Berlin’s Governing Mayor Michael Müller (SPD) accompanies the royal couple on a visit to the Brandenburg Gate. Then Willem-Alexander and Máxima sign the city’s Golden Book in the Berlin City Hall.
For the king it is the first state visit to Germany since he took office in 2013. Nevertheless, the Oranjes are old acquaintances in this country. Because Willem-Alexander and Máxima from Argentina have already visited all federal states on a get-to-know tour since 2013. In 2019 they stayed in Brandenburg. At that time they visited Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, among other places.
The highlight should be the state visit to Berlin in 2020. But then Corona came – and the rounds were postponed. The pandemic is far from over, even if the number of infections is currently low. That is why the usual bath in the crowd of thousands of cheering fans is not intended for the Dutch royals. Many places Willem-Alexander and Máxima will visit in Berlin were not announced beforehand.
In the meantime, his German was a bit rusty, the king quipped shortly before the state visit. But there is hardly any noticeable of that. No wonder: after all, Willem-Alexander is closely connected to Germany through his father, the German Prince Claus von Amsberg, and his family. The Germans are best friends, big trading partners and good neighbors, said the monarch in a conversation with the German Press Agency in The Hague.
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