The Kingdom of the Netherlands includes several islands in the former Caribbean colonies. These are three autonomous countries (Aruba, Saint Martin and Curaçao) and three particular communities (Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba) and the Dutch kings Guillermo and Máxima together with his eldest daughter, Princess Amalia, 19 years old. The heir to the throne of the Orange Dynasty is accompanying her parents on such a journey for the first time to introduce them to their residents. Marked by the memory of the colonial past and its legacy of slavery, the journey coincides with two anniversaries: the 21st marriage anniversary of the sovereigns, celebrated in Amsterdam on 2 February 2002, and the decade that has passed since the abdication The Queen has passed Beatriz, mother of the current monarch, and with it the 10 years since Guillermo’s accession to the throne.
In early January, the Dutch government apologized “for the role that the state played in trade and the exploitation of people during the 250-year colonial period”. According to the Royal Family Information Service, this past is “one of the central issues” on the agenda of the kings and the princess. In fact, one of your first stops will be to see the slave huts at Witte Pan, the natural salt pans on the island of Bonaire where they were forced to work. They are a historical monument and remind us that salt was extracted there in extreme heat and without protection. After the abolition of slavery in 1863, almost a thousand people were freed. Built in 1850, it is one of the few physical reminders of slavery in the world, as it was considered a commodity with no rights or personal possessions.
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On Curaçao, the royal entourage will visit the old colonial Knip house, located on a 17th-century plantation on the west coast of the country. A revolt broke out there in 1795, led by a slave named Tula, who was later executed. The uprising was the largest act of organized resistance in the former Netherlands Antilles, and the royal family will be speaking to the descendants of these slaves. The Dutch sovereign has not apologized as head of state, but a gesture is expected once two investigations have been completed. The first searches for colonial works in the Crown’s private art collection; It is conducted by an independent commission of experts and lasts at least a year and a half. The second deals with the House of Orange’s connections to slavery and will last three years. This was commissioned by the Dutch University of Leiden.
The Kings of the Netherlands, Guillermo and Máxima, with their daughter Amalia during the young woman’s first speech to the Council of State of the Netherlands on December 8, 2021 in The Hague.GTRES
The royals and Princess Amalia plan to stay in the Caribbean until February 9 next year. It is a long stay that involves contact with the population, visits to natural parks to show the effects of climate change and contact with the youngest citizens. Despite the protocol, the exit will allow the princess to escape from her daily reality for a few days. Since it was revealed that the future Queen of the Netherlands was allegedly a target of organized crime, she has been placed under special surveillance that prevents her from leading a normal life. The government has reduced its movements and is practically going to the University of Amsterdam, only to later return to the Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague. It’s the official residence she shares with her parents and her two sisters, Alexia and Ariana, but she wanted to enjoy an apartment with other students. This was one of his wishes while he is completing his studies in Political Science, Psychology, Law and Economics, which started in Amsterdam at the beginning of September.
The trip also includes time for tours, exhibits, education and hiking in AriKok National Park, which covers 20% of Aruba. In Saint-Martin, they will take part in efforts to rebuild the island, which was devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017, according to a statement released by the Royal Household. After her return to the Netherlands, Dutch public television (NOS) will broadcast a special about the Caribbean circles It is scheduled for February 10 and is entitled Amalia and the Dutch Caribbean. It focuses the history of the Orange Tour on the experiences gained by the heiress during her official performance in the Atlantic territories.