King Willem-Alexander expressed his thanks for a “fantastic” King’s Day over the weekend.
The King attended a sunny King’s Day in Doetinchem alongside his wife, Queen Máxima, and two of their daughters, Princesses Amalia and Alexia. Their youngest child, Princess Ariane, could not attend as she is studying for exams at the United World College in Italy.
During his remarks to those who came out to celebrate, the King thanked the city of Doetinchem and the many Germans who came out to the event.
He said, “My family and I are speechless. It was fantastic.”
Specifically speaking to the Germans in attendance, the King said, “We now see what eighty years of peace and freedom have brought us: friendship with each other. And let us work on this together every day.”
Photo by Netty at NettyRoyal.nl
His Majesty also thanked Doetinchem for being flexible, as the start of the celebrations had to be moved out of respect for the funeral of Pope Francis. He remarked, “That’s not a simple matter of changing a time in a script. Everything really has to be fundamentally changed for that.”
He later told NOS that there was “a lot of deliberation” regarding whether or not he and Queen Máxima would attend the late pontiff’s funeral mass. King Willem-Alexander said the celebration of King’s Day is to honour unity and love, both of which he said Pope Francis stood for.
The Queen, who chose to remain Catholic after her marriage, expressed that she would have liked to attend the funeral and recalled a 2017 meeting with her fellow Argentine, Pope Francis. She said: “In that spirit, it is good to be here together and that we celebrate moments together. Even in sorrow, that is incredibly important.”
The Royal Family spent the day in Doetinchem attending various celebrations, including a concert, football, and table tennis, and greeting the public.
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