Of the last European kings to ascend the throne, and in the absence of the coronation ceremony of Charles III, the King of the Netherlands, William of Orange, is the only one who wore the traditional ermine cloak. Máxima, crowned with brilliants and sapphires, composed next to him the image of both traditional and modern kings, ready to take advantage of the reign.
This April 30 marks ten years since the proclamation of Guillem Alexandre d'Orange, the first-born son of the until then queen (now, princess) Beatriu. The event also had a special feature, as the new king was the first man in more than a hundred years to occupy the throne of the Netherlands. He was preceded by his mother, Beatriu, his grandmother Juliana, his great-grandmother Guillermina and his great-grandmother Emma, who was regent.
The three previous monarchs had not waited until they died to pass the throne. Beatriu, aged 75, Juliana, aged 71, and Guillermina, aged 68, had abdicated when they considered it necessary to make way for a new generation. The tradition was fulfilled again and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands signed her act of abdication in the morning of April 30, 2013, and in the afternoon the coronation ceremony took place in the new church in Amsterdam . For the occasion, Guillem wore a tailcoat and ermine cape, and Màxima, a striking blue klein Jan Taminiau dress with a chiffon bodice embroidered with rhinestones and covered by a matching cape placed over the shoulders. On the head, the diadem of sapphires and brilliants which King William III (to whom the new king, William IV, was named and followed in number) gave his wife, Queen Emma, who was regent between death of her husband and the age of majority of her daughter, Guillermina.
William's coronation was attended by the crown princes of Europe and Japan. It was one of the few appearances of the current Empress Masako, who for years visited Holland frequently, as her father was a magistrate at the International Court of The Hague. Letícia, who wore a gray lace dress, was just over a year away from becoming queen, and Matilda of Belgium, just over two months.
A few weeks before the coronation, Guillem Alexandre and Máxima invited the crown princes of Europe to a meeting at the old castle of Apeldoorn, a hundred kilometers from Amsterdam. Both when they were heirs and now, as kings, Felipe and Letícia maintain a close relationship with the kings of the Netherlands, whom, in the vicinity, they call Alex and Max.
In these years, Kings William and Máxima have consolidated the popularity of the Dutch monarchy. The Hispanic character of the queen, born in Argentina, has entrusted Guillem. His three daughters, the heiress Amàlia, the rebellious Alexia and the quiet Ariadna, were little girls who wore yellow dresses by the Spanish designer Pili Carreras on the day of their father's coronation, and now they are all young girls. The eldest suffers from movement restrictions after detecting a threat of an attack by the Dutch mafia, but, at 19 years old, she already accompanies her parents in institutional events and traveled with them on the journey they made for the Caribbean islands of Dutch sovereignty.
This year, April 27 (Guillem's birthday, who turned 56 yesterday) was a special commemoration of Orange Day, which they wanted to share with the public. Yesterday thousands of Dutch people took to the streets dressed in orange to compliment the royal family, and on Wednesday the kings of the Netherlands celebrated ten years on the throne with a lunch at their palace in The Hague in which a hundred citizens were chosen by lottery among those who were proposed by associations and collectives for their social activism in different areas.
