Closing a state visit, with four kings and a princess, in a street art center has its advantages. This Thursday night, before embarking on their return trip to Madrid, Kings Felipe and Letizia offered a farewell reception to their counterparts Guillermo and Máxima, accompanied by Princess Amalia, in an old shed in the port of Amsterdam, converted at the Straat Museum, where graffiti is exhibited and where some urban artists are invited to capture their alternative murals. More modernity, impossible.
Before the reception, the two couples of kings and Princess Amalia toured the warehouses where the murals integrated into an exhibition titled Duo in which five Spanish and five Dutch artists participated.
Among the Spaniards, there are some of the most prominent figures of muralism, such as Suso33, also curator of the exhibition, Okuda San Miguel or Irene López. One of the graffiti that the procession stopped in front of, the work of local artist Mick La Rock, was inspired by the Faculty of Information Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid, where Queen Letizia studied journalism. After touring the immense space, the kings of Spain and the Netherlands and Princess Amalia signed the poster for the exhibition, which will remain open until June 2.
Before chatting with the guests, most of whom were local artists and representatives of the world of culture, the King said a few words in which, as a farewell, he highlighted that the visit has served to “symbolize and reinforce the excellent bilateral relationship.” as well as to "encourage them to continue working together." With glasses in hand, Felipe VI toasted "the lasting friendship between our two nations, which grows stronger day by day." King William, who, on Wednesday at the royal palace, closed his words with "Long live Spain." ", highlighted the friendship that the two families profess: "You will always be welcome in the Netherlands. Until next time," he concluded before repeating the toast.
To attend the reception and, as she usually does on other visits abroad, the Queen chose a dress from a local designer. In this case, the chosen one was Mohamed Benchellal, a Moroccan living in the Netherlands, who has sometimes dressed Queen Máxima. Letizia wore an original midnight blue model with a shawl integrated into the neckline, which highlighted the diamond earrings borrowed from Queen Sofia's jewelry box. To walk through the exhibition and, later, chat with the guests, the Queen has worn low-heeled shoes that, unlike high-heeled shoes, do not make it impossible for her to stand still for a long time, as happens with high-heeled shoes. high.
The evening was not only the farewell of the two royal couples, it also marked their reunion with them, since throughout the day Queens Máxima and Letizia had a parallel agenda to that of Felipe and Guillermo. They, in their capacity as heads of state, carried out economic, institutional and scientific events in The Hague and Noordwijk, while they chose to support social projects in Amsterdam with their presence.
Queens Máxima and Letizia traveled in the morning to a district of Amsterdam where they visited the Lab6 premises, a kind of social center, where psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers help vulnerable adolescents with adaptation difficulties to whom they They provide tools for their social development. The uniqueness of the center is that it is open-door, anyone can access it without an appointment and it primarily serves drug addicts on the verge of relapse or young people in desperate situations for any reason. The Mind Us foundation participates in the initiative, as mental health problems are one of the growing focuses of concern, especially after the pandemic. Queen Máxima is honorary president of Minds Us and, like Queen Letizia, she has everything related to mental health awareness among her priorities.
The King spent the morning in The Hague where he attended a business forum and then visited the Estates General (Parliament) to later have lunch with members of the government. In the afternoon, always in the company of King William, he visited the European Space Research and Technology Center of the European Space Agency (ESA), in the Dutch town of Noordwijk, to learn about some of the projects being carried out. out in this center.
In addition to the Spanish Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, the visit was joined by astronaut Pedro Duque, who was also head of that portfolio and currently chairs Hispasat, the Spanish satellite operator.
Dressed in the blue jumpsuit of ESA astronauts, Duque has accessed with the kings the model of the European Columbus module, the scientific laboratory that is part of the International Space Station.
It so happens that Pedro Duque is the husband of the Spanish ambassador to the Netherlands, Consuelo Femenías, who on Thursday night accompanied the Kings to the airport where, around ten at night, they took flight. back to Spain.
