Looking forwards and backwards to say thank you

The King and Queen of the Netherlands have begun their first State Visit to Canada. And while this first official trip to the country marks a new step forward in the reign of Willem-Alexander and his consort, Maxima, the royal couple's focus has been on the past. The visit began by looking back and saying thank you to those who helped free the Netherlands from occupation in World War Two. And that will be the theme of their four day stay as the king and queen travel thousands of miles across Canada.

The King and Queen of the Netherlands with the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harpur, and his wife at the start of their Canadian visit

Willem-Alexander and Maxima were welcomed to Canada by its Governor General who threw open the doors of his official residence, Rideau Hall, for a ceremony to say hello. His royal visits planted a tree and then went on to the parliament buildings where they were shown historical records charting the relationship between their own country. But memories of a more recent time in their shared history dominated the afternoon.

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The royal couple went on to lay a wreath at the National War Memorial to remember Canadian soldiers killed in World War Two.

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  And then one of the most special moments of the whole visit took place as Willem-Alexander, whose own mother was evacuated to Canada during the war and whose aunt, Margriet, was born there met veterans who had helped liberate his country seven decades ago. It was a solemn and moving event, filled with memories and some laughter but a stark reminder of the reason the relationship between the Netherlands and Canada is so strong.
 

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  The evening of day one saw Willem-Alexander and Maxima as guests of honour at a State Banquet. The Queen of the Netherlands chose a bright pink dress with fringed skirt - her day outfit had featured a bright pink stripe across the top of the dress and was worn with a cerise bag and very pink lipstick.
 

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But after that brief interlude of modern state finery, a true combination of past and present was on the agenda for the first engagement of their second day in Canada. The King and Queen of the Netherlands visited the University of Waterloo where they helped inaugurate seventy scholarships set up as a joint venture between the Netherlands and Canada to say thank you for seventy years of freedom.

The King and Queen of the Netherlands at the Liberation Scholarship Programme at the University of Waterloo

The past will dominate parts of the coming four days as well as the royal couple make their way round Canada before heading to the United States for a special visit there as well. But arguably one of the biggest moments of this young reign has already taken place as Willem-Alexander, visibly moved and pensive, met soldiers who helped free his country in a land where his mother spent formative years because of the occupation of her homeland. It was a chance for this very modern king to look back and say thank you.