The Royalty Nerd

It’s state visit season! The royals are out and about, travelling and creating deeper connections between countries. Let’s take a look at the Dutch state visit to South Africa which just wrapped up.

Day 1: October 18th- Pretoria

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The visit kicked off in Pretoria, where the royals landed at the Waterkloof air base. King Willem-Alexander is actually a pilot and he does fly the family around from time to time, although for this trip, I’m quite certain he was just a passenger.

For the first part of the day, Queen Maxima wore a Jan Taminiau dress, Fabienne Delvigne hat and Natan heels, which she traded in for Salvatore Ferragamo flats.

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There was no time to waste; the King and Queen immediately headed to the Blesbokspruit wetland reserve, where they learned about water quality and water access in South Africa. They also learned more about two partnerships aiming to improve these areas: the Blue Deal and Wetskills.

The Blue Deal is a programme formed between the Dutch Water Authorities and Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Infrastructure and Water Management. This programme is meant to share water management support and information between countries. Seeing as the Netherlands is known for their canals, surely they’ve got some good info!

Wetskills is pretty cool too. The programme is for younger folks and students that gather for challenges around the world. The aim of the challenges is to collaborate and come up with solutions to real life water management problems. A fun way to create realistic and feasible fixes.

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They next visited the Apartheid Museum.

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Along with a tour of the museum, the King and Queen spoke with local activists, judges, and members of the community about equality in the legal system. There was a major focus on the rights of women and LGBTIQ+ rights during this meeting as well.

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After a quick outfit change for Queen Máxima to a Zeus + Dione dress, the royals visited the Innovation Village. This will be a place for South African businesses, institutes, organizations, and other groups to come together to support their economic and knowledge based missions. Honestly, a lot of what this place is meant for seems vague to me, so it’s something I need to look up to learn more.

They also spoke with students, as well as business owners and educational institutions about the high unemployment rate among youths.

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Later on, they met with Dutch nationals that are living and working in South Africa for a reception at the Dutch ambassador’s residence in Pretoria.

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They also got a few shots amongst the beautiful Jacaranda trees. Seriously, what a gorgeous view!

Day 2: October 19th-Pretoria and Johannesburg

Day two started off with an official welcome ceremony by President Ramaphosa.

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They had a private meeting with the President and also attended a delegation meeting.

During this time, they attended the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between South Africa’s Minister for Higher Education and Training and the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science. This signing marked an agreement to work on cooperation in higher education.

After a press conference and private lunch with the President, the King and Queen visited Freedom Park.

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As the name might suggest, Freedom Park is a memorial site for South Africans that lost their lives fighting for freedom and justice.

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They walked along the Wall of Names, and placed a wreath at the eternal flame in park.

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In the evening, the King hosted a return concert in a show of thanks for the hospitality of the President and South Africa. A ‘return’ event is quite common during state visits, where the visiting royals will hold a night of entertainment or a dinner for their hosts. For this return concert, the King, Queen, and President attended a performance by Dutch musicians and South African dancers.

For day two, Máxima first wore a bright purple Natan dress and Gianvitto Rossi heels. For the evening fun, she changed into a Natan top and skirt.

Day 3: October 20th- Cape Town

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Day three, and the final day of the visit brought the royals to Cape Town! They were welcomed by the mayor and the premiere of Western Cape province.

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They first visited the Iziko Slave Lodge, where they watched a performance by various artists about the history of slavery in South Africa through dance, poetry, and music.

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Upon leaving, they were faced with a group of protestors. The Netherlands and South Africa have a long and sometimes complicated history. I am by no means an expert and I am not going to try to explain everything in a blog post. So here is an extremely short and extremely simple history lesson: The Dutch East India Company established a colony in South Africa in what is now called Cape Town, in 1652. Shortly after, the Khoikhoi-Dutch war began and lasted for almost twenty years. The Dutch colonizers began expanding the colony after the war and this lead to the Dutch farmers, called Boers, coming to South Africa. They are the forefathers of the Afrikaner people.

While there is absolutely a lot more to it, in short, it doesn’t surprise me that they were met with protestors during their visit. The King and Queen did stop to speak with some of the people gathered as well.

After the visit to the Iziko Slave Lodge, the King and Queen visited the Guga S’Thebe Cultural Centre. They spoke with many South Africans about gender based violence.

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There was also this fantastic portrait of them in the centre. I haven’t seen anything about an artist or the context of the portrait as I’m sure it doesn’t hang their full time. Either way, I loved it.

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King Willem-Alexander then visited the Botanical Gardens while Queen Máxima made a solo trip to the HortiDemoCentre, which is a Dutch-South African collaboration located in Stellenbosch. She spoke with farmers and students about growing healthy food using less resources.

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In the evening, it was time for another reception for Dutch citizens living and working in Cape Town. And with this, the visit concluded.

Queen Máxima wore another full Natan outfit, along with a Fabienne Delvigne hat. For the reception, she changed into another, you guessed it, Natan dress.

As the royals began their trip home, they posted a parting message on Instagram:

“Without forgetting the past, we are here to embrace new opportunities in our partnership with you. We are delighted to have made a state visit to your magnificent country. Thank you so much, Baie dankie, Ri a livhuwa, Siyabonga kakhulu.” – King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.