Royal Gala - Danish and Dutch Royals

 Tuesday, March 17, 2015. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark host a gala dinner at Christiansborg Palace on the occasion of the state visit of Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. The video shows the royal arrival to the palace.

Dutch Monarchy

Prince Johan Friso and Princess Mabel. Prince Friso died in 2013 after being in a coma after a skiing accident. He was the youngest child of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. They became sovereigns after Queen Beatrix abdicated.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.

Princess Mabel and Prince Friso.

Princess Laurentien, wife of Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands (who is one of the King's brothers).

Queen Maxima wearing a beautiful pearl and diamond parure. She has a huge variety of jewels to choose from as the Dutch queen.

Queen Maxima.

Queen Maxima.

Queen Maxima.

The three daughters of the King and Queen of the Netherlands. In this picture, Princess Ariane is 7, Princess Catharina-Amalia is 10, and Princess Alexia is 9.

The King and Queen.

The Royal Family of the Netherlands

Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

The new King and Queen of the Netherlands.

The smiling happy royal family of the Netherlands.

The King with his eldest daughter and heir, Princess Amalia, the Princess of Orange.

The Queen and King of the Netherlands with their three lovely daughters.

The Queen with her three daughters.

Princess Alexia, Queen Maxima, Princess Ariane, King Willem Alexander, and Princess Amalia.

The couple with one of their newborn daughters.

On a skiing holiday with their three daughters and Princess Beatrix, at right.

Willem-Alexander and Maxima with their two eldest daughters, Amalia and Alexia.

The young King and Queen with there three daughters.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands poses with the cast of the musical Hij Gelooft in Mij (He Believes in Me), after a benefit performance in Amsterdam.

A young King Willem-Alexander.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima

The King and Queen of the Netherlands with their three beautiful daughters.

The entire Dutch royal family, with Queen Beatrix at its center. The pic also includes Prince Johan Friso, who died last year after being in a coma, with  his wife Princess Mabel; Prince Constantijn and his wife, Princess Laurentien; with Princess Maxima and Prince Willem Alexander.

Willem-Alexander, Maxima and Beatrix, with Maxima's two oldest daughters.

Princess Alexia, King Willem-Alexander, Princess Amalia, Princess Ariane, and Queen Maxima.

The King and Queen with their kids, on a skiing holiday.

A beautiful group shot of the royal family.

King Willem-Alexander with his eldest daughter, Princess Amalia, and youngest daughter, Princess Ariane.

The Dutch royals on a train.

Willem-Alexander and Maxima at the time of their engagement.

Princess Maxima and Prince Willem-Alexander at the christening of their youngest daughter, Ariane.

I'm a twin, and it was bad enough being dressed like her, so I can't imagine how embarrassed Amalia is to be dressed exactly like her two younger sisters!

As with any person marrying into a famous family, Maxima must have faced challenges when she first married Willem-Alexander, but she has obviously become much more relaxed and comfortable in her role as the female figurehead of her country.

Sad News for Dutch Monarchy

Dutch Prince Johan Friso has died after a year and a half in a coma following an accident at an Austrian ski resort, officials say.

Princess Mabel with Prince Johan Friso

Prince Friso, who was 44, was moved from hospital in London back to the Netherlands last month, but had since suffered complications. He was hit by an avalanche in February 2012 and buried for 15 minutes.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are said to be on their way home from a holiday in Greece. "Prince Friso has died of complications related to the hypoxic brain injury, which he suffered as the result of his skiing accident in Lech, Austria on 17 February 2012," a royal palace statement said.

News of a royal death is usually accompanied by images of faithful flower-laden subjects, converging en masse at the most conveniently located royal residence.

The fact that I found only a scattering of smart-phone photographers at each of the three official palaces of the Dutch royal family in the Hague perhaps reflects the feeling of a country that has already come to terms with the idea that Prince Friso will not return.

"Most Dutch people are down to earth," one told me. "When there is no hope of recovery, we think it is better this way." And that seems to be the general consensus - a lot of sadness, less shock.

He died on Monday morning in The Hague, the palace added.

The prince's wife, Princess Mabel, is said to have spent her 45th birthday on Sunday at his bedside.

Shortly before becoming king on the abdication of Queen Beatrix, his elder brother, Willem-Alexander spoke in April of the "terrible situation" the family had lived with for more than a year.
Prince Friso's wife and Beatrix had been doing their best to be there for him every day "to give him a chance", he said.

The prince had been skiing off-piste with friends in Lech when the avalanche struck.
An emergency beeper he was wearing enabled rescuers to find him but medical officials in Innsbruck said it took some time to revive him and he suffered "massive" brain damage. They said he had suffered a heart attack lasting some 50 minutes. He was later flown to London for treatment at the private Wellington Hospital, which has a specialist neurological unit.

He was eventually discharged in July 2013 but remained in a "state of minimal consciousness".
At the time, officials said he would spend the summer with his family at the royal palace in The Hague, with medical treatment provided by a specialist team.

Prince Friso was Beatrix's second of three sons, but was no longer in line to the throne after his 2004 marriage to Mabel Wisse Smit, because of her earlier involvement with a notorious Dutch drug criminal.

The prince had worked for several years in London and the couple moved there after their marriage. He took up his last job as chief finance officer at Urenco in 2011, having worked previously in investment banking at Goldman Sachs.

The couple had two daughters, Luana and Zaria.

The prince's death had been unexpected, Dutch correspondents say, not least because the king had been away on holiday with his family.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was also to return early from his annual holiday, said it was a "black and sorrowful day" for the royal family. "Despite everything this news still comes as a shock," he said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23669317

Wonderful Royals

 And now, for a completely random assortment of royals!

Princess Madeleine and her husband, being greeted by well-wishers at their wedding.

Princess Charlene of Monaco.

Charlotte Casiraghi, daughter of Princess Caroline of Hanover, and granddaughter of Princess Grace.

The ever stylish Queen Silvia of Sweden!

The christening of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel's first born, Princess Estelle, with godparents Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, unidentified woman (is it Mette-Marit of Norway?), King Willem-Alexander, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark,  and Prince Haakon of Norway.

Princess Grace and Princess Charlene of Monaco looking remarkably similar.

Hereditary Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and Princess Stephanie de Lannoy at their wedding.

Princess Iman of Jordan at her wedding.

The Dowager Queen Noor of Jordan with her daughter, Princess Raiyah.

Princess Marie and her husband, Prince Joachim of Denmark.

Crown Princess Marie-Chantal and Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Princess Martha Louise of Norway.

Princess Martha Louise of Norway with her husband, author Ari Behn.

Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.

King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima looking out at the Dutch people after they were sworn in as king and queen.

Crown Prince Pavlos and Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece.

Chantal and Pavlos of Greece.

Princess Mette-Marit and Prince Haakon of Norway.

Queen Silvia of Norway and Princess Mette-Marit.

The fairy princess, Mette-Marit of Norway.

American teen fiction writer Carina Axelsson, dressed very much like a royal.

Best royalty picture ever: Prince Harry, Princess Kate and Prince William at Leavesden Studios in England, at the Harry Potter set. They are seen holding wands in Diagon Alley.

Queen Silvia and Princess Madeleine of Sweden with some dignitaries from a Middle-Eastern country.

Queen Sonja of Norway.

Prince Edward and the still young and lovely Countess Sophie.

Prince Edward of the United Kingdom with his wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, at the abdication of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Crown Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark.

Princess Benedikte, Prince Joachim, Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik of the Denmark.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark with her husband, Prince Henrik.

Princess Martha Louise of Norway with a young admirer.