Royal support for Winter Olympics stars

The gold medal for royal support at the Winter Olympics 2014 at the moment is with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.  The royal couple has been perhaps more high profile than their country's athletes as the Sochi Games get under way. After lots of waving from the stands at the opening cermeony, the king and queen have now given us bicycling in the Olympic park, tea in the Olympic village and big excited grins at the ice skating.  They are running rings around other royals at the event.

Willem-Alexander and Maxima of the Netherlands get very excited about the ice skating in Sochi

Albert and Charlene of Monaco are putting in the royal support hours as well with plenty of appearances at different events around Sochi.  But while Albert is all smiles, he might be telling one too many stories of the time he was an Olympian as Charlene has looked a little distant at times.

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco at the Winter Olympics in Sochi

Princess Anne is still at the Games as is the Grand Duke of Luxembourg while the Norwegian and Swedish royals are expected to arrive later in the next few days.  But they are going to have their work cut out when it comes to regal flag waving.  Willem-Alexander and Maxima are looking strong in gold medal position at the moment.

Have bikes, will travel - the king and queen of the Netherlands on their tour of the Olympic village.  

Their Majesties of a century gone

In his New Year's Eve speech, King Harald of Norway spoke about his grandfather, Haakon, the first king of modern Norway and his work on the country's constitution which has given the country ongoing freedom and stability.  In one hundred years, the crown of his country has only moved on two generations but that piece of paper that the first Norwegian king worked on still stands strong, despite many threats in that century.  It shows the transience of kingship and the permanence of the society in which it now sits.  Which is perhaps precisely what Haakon of Norway wanted to achieve.

King Harald of Norway, flanked by Queen Sonia and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, at the state opening of the Norwegian parliament in 2013.  His New Year message focused on the role of his country's constitution in bringing stability to Norway

Most of Europe's monarchs are just two generations on from those who ruled a century ago.  Elizabeth II of Great Britain is the granddaughter of the man who wore the crown in 1914.  George V was never meant to be king, just as Elizabeth was never meant to be queen.  He had been the second son of the heir of Queen Victoria who only became an heir when his older brother, Albert Victor, died in 1892 at the age of 27. But his devotion to the duty placed upon him became legendary and his interest in constitutional matters and the peaceful settling of issues that affected his whole kingdom - and the wider Empire as it then was - occupied him far more than it had any monarch for centuries.  In many ways, Elizabeth II is very similar to the grandfather she eventually followed on the throne.

George V was king of Great Britain in 1914 - this photograph shows him in 1893, about a year after he became the heir of his father, the future Edward VII

Another monarch of 1914 was also deeply interested in the development of constitutional powers in the hands of a democratically elected parliament but unlike George V, King Gustaf V of Sweden saw much of his power as a monarch taken away during his long reign.  That process, arguably, began in 1914 when the approach of World War One led to the king exercising his powers and placing his own preferred candidate as Prime Minister, Hjalmar Hammarskjold, at the head of the government until 1918.  But the reaction to this and Gustaf's subsequent acceptance of the government chosen by his people at the end of World War One led to the Swedish monarchy losing many of its powers.  Gustaf V oversaw a massive period of social change, including votes for women, but his role in World War Two is still the issue of hot debate.  His great grandson, Carl XVI Gustaf, now holds the throne of Sweden and has his own place in democratic history as he has overseen the creation of a new constitution for the country which officially abolished all the monarchy's prerogatives.  

King Gustaf V of Sweden in the centre of an historic photograph of the three Scandinavian kings of 1914.   Haakon VII of Norway is on the left and Christian X of Denmark on the right.  They met in Malmo in December 1914

The man who ruled Denmark in 1914 had a slightly more topsy turvy relationship with the idea of the changing nature of monarchical powers in the early 20th century.  Christian X had only become king of Denmark in 1912 but by the beginning of World War One he had shown that he was determined to hang on to the considerable influence his country's laws gave him.  But after his decision to install his preferred cabinet caused widespread criticism and fears for the future of Europe's oldest monarchy became very real, Christian backed down and allowed the democratically elected representatives to take power.  His relationship with his people in World War Two changed his image forever and played a large part in his becoming one of the most popular Danish monarchs of all.  He became a symbol for resistance to Nazism and later revelations that he had funded the escape of many Jewish citizens saw the man who had started as authoritarian turn into an image for modern democracy.  The reign of his granddaughter, Margrethe II, which stated in 1972 has only exercised nominal powers and had focused on integrating the royal family fully into the social and cultural lives of Denmark.

King Christian X of Denmark rode, every day, through the streets of Copenhagen following the arrival of Nazis at the start of World War Two.  His appearances were hugely popular and became a sign of Danish nationality

In contrast, the attitude towards democracy shown by the Spanish king of 1914 and the man who sits on his throne a century later is very different.  Alfonso XIII had become monarch of Spain at the moment of his birth - his mother, Maria Christina, had been about three months pregnant when his father, Alfonso XII, died at the age of 27 in 1885.  His rule was marked by instability and dictatorship under the premiership of Miguel Primo de Rivera.  His decision to flee the country in 1931 as the Second Republic began left the monarchy in limbo and his decision to abdicate in favour of his only son with any remaining dynastic rights, Juan of Barcelona, in 1941 was a futile gesture as the family was in exile and Franco was all but in control of Spain which had been left devastated after the Civil War which had formally ended in 1939.  In contrast, his grandson, Juan Carlos I, inherited a dictatorship from Franco but quickly set about restoring democracy and is widely credited with playing a large role in bringing his country back to modern style government.  But, like his grandfather, he sees his throne rocked by criticisms.  And, like the grandfather he never knew, he has a love of football - Alfonso was responsible for several football clubs acquiring the tag 'Real' or royal in the early part of the 20th century.

Alfonso XIII, King of Spain, ruled his country from birth but fled into exile and eventually abdicated after years of dictatorial government led to revolts.  His grandson, Juan Carlos I, is widely credited with a large role in restoring democracy to Spain in the 1970s but sees his throne under criticism too but for very different reasons

The current king of the Netherlands is the great grandson of the monarch who ruled his country in 1914.  Queen Wilhelmina had been on her country's throne since 1890 and had already established a role which allowed her to express her opinions while her government continued with democratic rule.  A century ago, the monarch of the Netherlands was a free spirited, independent woman with an eye for money who eventually turned herself into a billionaire.   Her throne was perhaps the most stable in Europe, even if there were concerns that her small family - after several miscarriages, the queen had just one daughter to succeed her - might lead to absorption of the kingdom into the then German empire.  The end of that empire in the First World War and the continuing strong presence of Wilhelmina allowed the monarchy to develop into a deep rooted presence with a defined image of itself in the constitutional set up of the Netherlands.  A century on, a great grandson bearing the male version of her name has just begun his rule and in the eight months since Willem-Alexander became king, he has shown plenty of determination and strong presence of his own.

Wilhelmina was the Netherlands' first queen regnant and by 1914 she had established the pattern of her rule and also saw the succession guaranteed in her only child, Juliana, seen here with her mother

In Belgium, the king of a century ago had only been on the throne for five years but had already done a huge amount to improve the image of the still young Belgian monarchy which had taken several knocks during the reign of his father, Leopold II.  By 1914, Albert was already well into a programme of reforms in how the Belgian Congo was run but it was his image as a family man who, along with his wife, enjoyed a simple life not that dissimilar from many well off Belgians that really cemented his popularity.  The family's famously courageous actions during World War One cemented Albert I as a much loved monarch.  His great grandson, Philippe, occupies the throne of the Belgians a century on and five months into his reign is still establishing the nature of his rule.   

Albert I, King of the Belgians, was already a popular monarch in 1914 but his conduct in World War One would turn him into a national hero

Another Albert was enacting changes to the constitution of his nation in the south of Europe.  Albert I had become the sovereign prince of Monaco in 1889 and by 1914 had brought the country its first constitution even though it changed not that much at all about the way the country was governed.  One hundred years one, his is the only country with a sovereign of the same name on its throne.  And the two men share one thing - complicated romantic histories - with the first Albert marrying twice while the second Albert has admitted to illegitimate children born before his own marriage to Charlene Wittstock in 2011.

Albert I, sovereign prince of Monaco, brought in a constitution but was as well known for his complicated romantic life

Of course, there are many thrones that existed in 1914 which no longer rule today.  But those that survive all share a deeper involvement in the establishment of constitutional democracy and an erosion of monarchical powers - their ability to adapt to changing times is perhaps the main reason they all still exist.  

Royal Review of 2013 - a year of surprises

Europe's royals have had a busy year.  But when the dust settles and the ink dries on the history books, 2013 will be remembered for the arrival of a future king and the departure of two monarchs.  The impending birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's baby was known about as the year began but the abdications of Beatrix of the Netherlands and Albert II of the Belgians were both unexpected in their own ways and changed the royal landscape of Europe rapidly and decisively.

 

Memories of times now past - the reigns of Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands and Albert, King of the Belgians both came to an end in 2013

 

The abdications brought the continent two new monarchs, two new consorts and two new families of young princes and princesses.  Overnight, the average age of the continent's monarchs and heirs dropped by several decades.  But the events also changed attitudes towards monarchies and suddenly questions were asked about the ongoing reigns of just about every other European king or queen and the likelihoods of them, too, leaving their posts for a younger generation to fill them were raised.  Nowhere more so than in Spain where in a strange day in September the country was set abuzz with whispers, unfounded and wrong, that Juan Carlos I was about to leave his palace by a back door and his crown with his son and heir. 

 

 

Three generations of Spanish royalty together and, despite a day of fevered rumours, there was no change in the order of seniority in the family in 2013

 

The Spanish king did have to contend with ill health and with more controversies around his family.  If 1992 was an annus horribilis for Elizabeth II, 2013 is added to a list of similar bad years for the Spanish royals who spent the year experiencing the same turbulence that hit them in 2012 and 2011 as well.  It was a more peaceful year for the Norwegian and Danish royals with regular public appearances and some high profile overseas trips including King Harald's visit to Turkey and Crown Princess Mary's humanitarian trip to a camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan.

 

 

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark meets young Syrians in a refugee camp in Jordan earlier in 2013

 

And the personal part of royal life was in the spotlight as well.  Mathilde of Belgium began the year with her focus on her fortieth birthday, perhaps not knowing that within six months she would become the first Belgian born queen of her country.  In the Netherlands, the royal family was left devastated by the unexpected death of Prince Johan Friso.  The second son of Beatrix died of complications of the injuries sustained in an avalanche in Austria in 2012 - he had been unconscious since the accident and died in the Netherlands after being brought back there from treatment in London earlier in the year.

 

 

Prince Johan Friso, brother of the king of the Netherlands, died in 2013 at the age of 44

 

In Sweden the royal family was at the centre of the country's life for the whole of 2013.  Princess Madeleine's wedding, in June 2013, was greeted with widespread celebrations and the announcement of her pregnancy just a few months later brought more happiness.  But it was the year of events marking the 40th jubilee of King Carl XVI Gustaf that really focused the joy of a nation on the royal family.  The year ended with the 70th birthday of Queen Silvia and more national celebrations which topped a spectacular year for Sweden's royals.

 

 

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, with Queen Silvia at his side, toasts his people on September 15th 2013 - the 40th anniversary of his accession to the Swedish throne

 

But it was the birth of a future king in Great Britain that captured the most attention.  While Monaco had also welcomed a possible future ruler when Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo welcomed a son in March, it was the birth of George Alexander Louis of Cambridge that really caught the popular imagination around the world.  The arrival of a fourth generation of monarch in the British royal family secured the succession well into the 22nd century in the year that Queen Elizabeth II marked the 60th anniversary of her coronation.

 

 

The first glimpse of a boy who will be one of the most photographed in the world - George of Cambridge leaves hospital on July 23rd 2013 with his parents

 

Over the next few days, there's a chance to look back at these royal highlights and plenty more in the Royal Review of 2013.

 

Royal Christmas - speeches, Christmas Day

People were at the heart of the speeches made by European monarchs on Christmas Day 2013.  King Carl XVI Gustaf thanked his fellow Swedes for joining him to mark his 40th anniversary as king in widespread celebrations across the country in September.  But the main part of his fortieth festive message as king was his own personal celebration of the many people he had met when he and Queen Silvia toured Sweden to mark his jubilee.  He talked of the experiences he had had across the country and of the warm and open reputation that Sweden has across Europe and the world.

 

Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden addressed his fellow citizens as their monarch on Christmas Day 2013 for the fortieth time

 

Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands made his maiden monarchical Christmas speech on December 25th 2013 and asked his fellow citizens to help one another to overcome the difficulties that many are now facing.  Like Philippe of the Belgians and Juan Carlos of Spain he mentioned the devastating effect that unemployment and financial worries were having on many.  But he made reference to an African proverb - 'People are people through other people' - and he urged those watching to try to help those around them in an effort to eradicate loneliness.

 

 

Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands delivers his first Christmas message as king on

December 25th 2013

 

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg also dedicated part of his Christmas Day message to the sadness and hardship caused by the current economic difficulties being experienced by many across Europe and referred to the historically high number of people without work in his country.  And he made special mention of the frustrations of many young people who can't find work and have found their lives put on hold.

 

 

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg spent a long time in his Christmas speech talking about the sadness and frustrations experienced by those looking for work

 

All the European monarchs have spoken of hope in their Christmas messages as well but the focus on the still ever present shadow of economic problems and unemployment in so many of the festive speeches marks a moment in royal history where monarchs made sure their people knew they were thinking of them and aware of the difficulties they faced.

 

 

 

Royal round up, week ending November 30th 2013 - Belgium and the Netherlands

A round up of all the news from Europe's royal houses for the week ending November 30th...the focus now on Belgium and the Netherlands

Belgium

 

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians held a reception on November 27th 2013 for members of the B-Fast team who had been to the Philippines to help those affected by Typhoon Haiyan earlier in the month.  The members of the team - the Belgian First Aid and Support Team, set  up in 2000 to offer overseas emergency help - met the king and queen at the Laeken Palace.

 

 

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were joined by Belgian prime minister, Elio di Rupo, for the reception at the Laeken Palace on November 27th 2013 for members of the overseas emergency help team, B-Fast

 

The rest of the king's week was taken up with audiences.  On November 25th he held his regular meeting with prime minister, Elio di Rupo, who also attended the B-Fast reception later that week.  On November 29th 2013, King Philippe met the Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, at the Royal Palace in Brussels and later that same day the king held an audience with Belgium's employment minister, Monica de Coninck.  And Queen Paola made just her second public appearance since her recent operation when she attended a concert in Brussels on the afternoon of November 30th organized by the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel and Equinox. 

 

 

Queen Paola of the Belgians at a concert in Brussels on November 30th 2013

 

Princess Astrid spent most of the week in India on a trade visit where she carried out a series of engagements to promote Belgian business.  The trip, from November 23rd to November 29th, was made on behalf of the king and the princess was accompanied by several ministers.  And Prince Laurent and Princess Claire attended the 25th annual Caius de Promethea awards in Brussels on November 27th which celebrate cultural and architectural achievements.

 

 

Princess Astrid of Belgium writing in the visitors' book at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, in New Delhi during her five day visit to the country.  The memorial commemorates70,000 Indian soldiers who died in World War One fighting for the British army

 

 

The Netherlands

 

 

King WIllem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were present at the start of a series of events to mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of the modern kingdom of the Netherlands.  On Saturday November 30th they visited the spot at Scheveningen where Prince William Frederick of Orange landed on November 30th 1813, eighteen years after his father, William V, had fled to England to escape the French invasion.  Later on November 30th 2013, the king, queen and former queen, Beatrix,  took part in ceremonies in The Hague before the whole royal family attended the annual Kingdom Concert at the Circus Theatre.   

 

 

 King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima take centre stage at the end of the concert held on November 30th 2013, the day the Netherlands began two years of celebrations to mark the bicentenary of the formation of this kingdom

 

Earlier in the week, the king and queen had hosted a symposium at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on the genetics and the secrets of the human genome.  Princess Beatrix was also present at the event, one of two lectures organized every year by the Royal Palace Foundation.  On the same day, King Willem-Alexander was at the Nooreinde Palace in The Hague to receive the credentials of the new ambassadors form Japan and Lesotho.  Willem-Alexander's engagements for November 27th also included receiving a copy of the first permanent stamp to bear his image as a king.  The event took place in The Hague.

 

 

 The first stamp bearing the image of Willem-Alexander as King of the Netherlands was unveiled in The Hague on November 27th 2013

 

On November 28th, King Willem-Alexander was in Nieuwegen to see the work of a night school offering support to adults who need help with language and learning.  On the same day, the king attended the jubilee conference of  the Aedes Housing Association where he heard speeches and debates on issues including care and the price of housing.

 

 

 King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands at the housing conference in ’s-Hertogenbosch he attended on November 28th 2013 to mark the 100th anniversary of Aedes - an association of

housing associations

 

On November 29th the king held a farewell audience with the outgoing Turkish ambassador, Z.E. Uğur Doğan, at the Eikenhorst Villa in Wassenaar.  And later that same day he was back in Amsterdam, at the Nieuwe Kerk, to receive copies of the new biographies of his predecessors on the throne of the Netherlands, Kings William I, II and III.

 

 

 King Willem-Alexander receives biographies on three earlier Dutch kings at a ceremony in Amsterdam on November 29th 2013

 

Queen Maxima was in the Schipol district of Amsterdam on November 26th 2013 where she opened the new barracks of the Royal Military Police in the district - the building has been named after her.

 

 

The queen of the Netherlands opens the Queen Maxima Barracks in Schipol on November 26th 2013

 

On the dame day, Princess Beatrix attended the jubilee conference of PUM - an organization which channels voluntary work from managers and businesspeople in the Netherlands to areas of the world where expertise is needed.  It took place in Rotterdam.

 

 

 Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands at the conference held to mark the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the PUM organization.  The event took place in Rotterdam on November 26th 2013

 

Europe's ageing monarchies

Charles, Prince of Wales is the boy who waited.  The prince is the oldest person ever to be heir to the British throne and he's also held that position longer than any other.  And if his mother lives anywhere near as long as her own mother, the boy who became first in line to the throne at the age of just three will be a man approaching eighty when he becomes king.  But Charles is just the beginning of a generation of men and women who will assume their destinies at a much greater age than any of their predecessors.  Europe's monarchies are getting older.

Prince Charles is just the beginning of a new wave of older kings with Prince Frederik among a whole generation of monarchs unlikely to begin their reigns until their sixth or seventh decade

This new wave of blue rinse bods at the top is inevitable given the general ageing of the population.  Although royal families have had the best of everything from nice, warm places to sleep to top doctors to sort out their aches and pains, the general rise in living conditions all round also means they're getting healthier and happier along with the rest of the population.  Plus, all those pesky things that used to do for kings and queens in days of yore are gone.  The chances of dying in battle or revolutions is much lower as is picking up a strange medieval illness with no cure.  But healthier monarchs mean older heirs - will the ageing process bring wisdom with it or leave Europe with a generation of kings and queens too old to do the jobs for which they were born?

Edward IV survived battles, imprisonment and exile but wine, women and song added to stress and all kinds of infections with no cure led to his early death at the age of 41

After the UK, Monaco has the oldest heir to its top title.  In the absence of any legitimate children, Prince Albert II's throne will pass to his sister, Caroline, who is 56 and fast approaching 57 meaning she's second on the list behind Prince Charles when it comes to heirs packing the years.  She's also the only heir to the throne in Europe to be older than the person she could succeed.  Like Charles, she has a son and heir waiting behind her and, like the British royals, that child of the eighties became father to a son this year.  Of course, Caroline and her descendants could be moved out of the way with the arrival of a baby for Albert and Charlene but at the moment, the Princess of Hanover hovers at the foot of her country's throne. 

Caroline of Monaco got the film star looks of her mother but may yet inherit the throne of her father - at 56, she is the second oldest heir in Europe

And then we have the fortysomethings.  The honour of being the most senior of the middle aged monarchs in waiting goes to Prince Felipe of Spain.  Born in January 1968, he's reached the grand old age of 45 with still no sign of a throne.  While social media went mad, almost frenzied, in September with rumours that Juan Carlos I was about to abdicate the reality is that Felipe will succeed in the most traditional of manners.  Only death will bring him a crown.  He has been his father's heir all his adult life and remains firmly in his shadow.  Even a higher profile in recent months as Juan Carlos undergoes treatment for a hip problem has left him clearly as the second man in the Spanish royal house.  Of all Europe's heirs, he perhaps faces the hardest battle to be seen as a king - not least because of the problems facing the family he will one day rule.

Heir to the throne since the age of seven, Prince Felipe of Asturias has been one step away from his country's crown through his youth and into middle age

The Spanish king is 75, approaching 76, and will celebrate his 40th jubilee in November 2015.  Felipe is looking at remaining next in line well into his fifties.  As is Frederik of Denmark who is just a few months behind his Spanish cousin, arriving in May 1968.  His mother is 73 and descended from a mother who lived to ninety years of age.  Like Juan Carlos, Margrethe has indicated she will never abdicate her throne which means Fred could be running Charles a close second in the wait he has to be king.  Should Margrethe match Queen Ingrid then Frederik will be over sixty by the time he takes his country's throne.

He might not be doing the Copenhagen Iron Man by the time he becomes king - Frederik of Denmark is keeping on running as middle age approaches but might well be a pensioner by the time he takes his country's throne

Prince Haakon Magnus has just joined Felipe and Fred in the forties club but like them faces a wait to be king.  While the Crown Prince of Norway is named regent more often than his counterparts, his role is still the junior one in the regnant relationship.  King Harald of Norway, now 76, shares many of his political responsibilities with his heir but is still very far from handing over power meaning that Haakon is in line to be another older king

.

The beard might well be grey by the time it's topped with a crown - Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway in an official portrait to mark his 40th birthday earlier this year

Sweden's future queen, Crown Princess Victoria, is now 37 years old.  Her father may have just celebrated his fortieth jubilee but he is among the youngest of his generation of European kings, aged 67, and descended from kings who have regularly lived beyond the age of 90 in the last few generations.  Victoria might not take the throne which was made hers by her modern thinking father until she is over sixty.  

Victoria of Sweden on her wedding day as her proud father looks on

The fact that being a monarch is a job for life means the wait is likely, and hopefully, very long for all of them.  In cases of abdication, it becomes easier to predict when a crown might come a prince or princess' way.  The Netherlands now has the youngest monarch in Europe and the youngest heir to the throne and Catharina-Amalia, the Princess of Orange, knows that her father will most likely step aside for her at some point but not for a couple of decades at the earliest.  She will, like him, probably be around 40 when she becomes her country's regnant and is likely to pass her own crown on in a similar way.

The youthful king - Willem-Alexander is Europe's youngest monarch and has the continent's youngest heir.  By the time he is ready to hand on the throne, his daughter will be around forty

Another abdication is less certain in Belgium.  The country's new king, Philippe, was 53 on the day he became monarch and until earlier this year may well have expected to be much older as his father, Albert II, is 79 and wasn't top of anyone's abdicating monarchs list.  Whether this decision to step aside, and the smooth transition which followed, becomes customary as it has in the Netherlands can't be known for decades.  But with the heiress to the throne, Elisabeth, twelve years old the chances are that without an abdication she may join the European trend and start looking forward to being an older monarch.

Elisabeth of Belgium may well lead her country as an older monarch, following the trend being set across Europe

New kings on the block

There's always one friend who will never quite let you get away with anything.  If you get a new car, they get one a few months later.  If you move, they find themselves upping sticks not long afterwards.  You become king of your country following the abdication of a long serving monarch, they grab a crown of their own a few months later.  We got to see the newest crowned heads in Europe together for the first time today - and let's not split hairs about neither of them actually having a coronation.

 

The king and queen of the Belgians drop in for coffee with the king and queen of the Netherlands.  Luckily, they rang ahead so everyone had their best clothes on

 

Queen Maxima and Queen Mathilde made up for that with some pretty spectacular hats for their indoor chat.  The meeting marked the end of the introductory tours that both couples have been undertaking since then took over their country's monarchies earlier in the year.  Willem-Alexander and Maxima finished their getting to meet you tours of the European royal houses three weeks ago while Philippe and Mathilde completed their Joyeuses Entrees into major Belgian towns and cities a week ago. 

 

 

Leading politicians were also present at the meeting between the kings of Belgium and the Netherlands at the Noordeinde Palace on November 8th 2013

 

And with this brief meeting between old friends, it was almost as if the introductory periods of their respective monarchies came to an end.  Pretty soon, Willem-Alexander and Maxima were off to Moscow for their first major state visit since becoming monarchs and Philippe and Mathilde return home to a full agenda.  After the excitement of the handover from one era to another, the pageantry of the ceremonies and the writing of chapters in the history books, the day to day duties of being king and queen now rule once more in Belgium and the Netherlands.

 

 

The Dutch tour of Europe

The new Dutch king and queen have finished their tour of European royal courts where they've been introducing themselves as monarchs for the first time.  The tour has been dotted amongst their other engagements over the last few months and started back in June before coming to an end on October 14th 2013.  They kept things simple at every turn with a spot of lunch with the royals before an afternoon chat with leading politicians.  Here's a look back at how the new Dutch monarchs said hello to some familiar faces.

 

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands on their first introductory tour - Luxembourg.  They met the Grand Duke, Henri, and the Grand Duchess, Maria Teresa, on May 24th 2013 at the Grand Ducal Palace. 

 

 

The next stop was Denmark on June 25th 2013 where they had lunch with Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik at the Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen

 

The visit to the UK was slightly shorter with a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on July 10th 2013

 

 

The first visit after the summer break was to Spain on September 18th 2013 where the royal couple had lunch with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid

 

 

King Harald and Queen Sonja welcomed Willem-Alexander and Maxima to the Royal Palace in Oslo on October 2nd 2013

 

 

The last stop on their tour was Sweden where they spent the day on October 14th 2013, starting with lunch with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at the Royal Palace in Stockholm

 

Earlier in the summer, the Dutch Royal House said it would announce a visit to Belgium after the long holiday.  But with their fellow new king and queen on the block in the middle of their Joyeuses Entrees around their own country, it might be some time before these good neighbours and friends get to say hello to one another officially for the first time since their respective successions.

More royal hellos for Dutch king and queen

The new king and queen of the Netherlands are continuing their 'pleased to meet you as a monarch' tour of Europe and the latest stop is Norway where they have been spending the day with the royal family and leading politicians. 

 

Two kings, two queens - Willem-Alexander and Maxima of the Netherlands and King Harald and Queen Sonia of Norway on October 2nd 2013 in Oslo

It's not the first time the new king and queen have met Harald since their accession but their last day together was much sadder.  The Norwegian king was godfather to Willem-Alexander's late brother, Friso, and attended the prince's funeral in August.  But today was a much happier occasion and began with a big hello at Oslo airport where they were greeted by the Crown Prince and Princess before heading off to the Royal Palace where they found King Harald and Queen Sonia just hanging about hoping they'd pop by.  They'd asked along some children from the Dutch school in Oslo to add to the welcome.

 

Willem-Alexander and Maxima are greeted by children from the Dutch school in Oslo on their arrival at the Royal Palace on their getting to know you visit

 

A quick photo session with the royals was followed by meetings with the Prime Minster, Jens Stoltenberg, and the president of the Norwegian parliament, Dag Terje Andersen.  And then it was back to the palace for lunch and a new order membership for Maxima who was presented with the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav by King Harald.  But there will be no jealous glances on the way home - Willem-Alexander received the same honour in 1996.

 

 

The Norwegian king and queen with their heirs and the king's sister, Princess Astrid, at their meeting with the Dutch king and queen on October 2nd 2013

 

Just one more trip to go for the new Dutch king and queen before their tour is over.  Their last stop will be Sweden on October 18th 2013.

Royal rivalry on Spain visit

There was some serious competing going on as the new Dutch king and queen arrived for the visit to Spain.  It was nothing to do with who had the best shift dress, accessories or side to the camera.  This was a case of royal one upmanship that might not yet be done and it involved boys and their toys.  It's not clear who decided to start it but King Willem-Alexander flew his own place into the Torrejon air field scoring big points on the royal DIY charts.  Not to be outdown, Prince Felipe stepped behind the wheel of a very big, swish and powerful car and drove them all to the Zarzeula Palace for lunch with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.  Planes versus fast cars - now that's a royal rivalry.

 

Big smiles, big planes and big cars.  It's been a big day all round.