Crown Princess Catharina Amalia of the Netherlands will attend her first state banquet this month, Dutch media reported, as her family welcomes King Philip and Queen Letizia of Spain to their country on a state visit.
The occasion will mark the 20-year-old’s first participation in a state banquet alongside her parents, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.
Royal fans will note it’s another step forward for the future queen of the Netherlands, after she joined her mother and father on a state visit to the Dutch Caribbean islands last year, during which she gave a speech before their hosts.
As she takes baby steps toward the big world stage before one day ascending the throne, her parents have carefully prepared her for the role of a lifetime, ensuring that her eventual transition to Queen is as seamless as possible.
When it came to raising the princess, the King and Queen of the Netherlands did their best to keep her upbringing as realistic as possible in a bid to keep her feet on the ground even though she would one day become monarch. . .
Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands will participate in her first state banquet next week alongside her parents, Dutch media report.
He attended a state primary school near his family home in The Hague and rode his bicycle every day, like his classmates. After this, he went to a Protestant high school.
The princess’s childhood friends told the bbc When she turned 18, Amalia was like all the other students when she was a schoolgirl, with the only difference that at the end of the day, when she returned home on her bicycle, she would head back to the Huis ten Bosch Palace.
Her parents set an example when raising Amalia, and King Willem-Alexander previously revealed that he and Argentinian-born Queen Máxima are happy because they are “open and honest” with each other.
Perhaps the reason the young princess doesn’t seem intimidated by the responsibilities she will one day take on is that she has been taught to prioritize her happiness.
The Princess of Orange, 20 (pictured with her father in 2022), has been groomed for her eventual role as Queen.
As a student at the school, the princess attended a state institution and rode a bicycle to and from school every day.
An authorized biography published on her 18th birthday quoted the princess about choosing her husband one day and her willingness to renounce the throne if Parliament deemed her partner unsuitable.
She said: ‘I can’t choose on my own. So I can’t give the best for our country.’
The future Queen also revealed a candid look at her love life as a teenager, claiming that she had briefly dated a fellow student when she was in high school, before learning that he had only gotten involved with her as a bet.
Elsewhere in the biography, the princess expresses her progressive opinions and reveals that she participated in school events of solidarity with the LGBT+ community.
King Willem-Alexander said his three daughters “see everything” that is posted about them on social media. Pictured from left to right: Princess Ariane, King Willem, Princess Alexia, Queen Máxima, Princess Amalia
She said she has “very open discussions” with her three daughters Catharina-Amalia (centre), Alexia (right) and Ariane (left), who are encouraged to share their feelings about online trolling.
King Willem-Alexander spoke to Edwin Evers yesterday about his reign so far on the Through the Eyes of the King podcast.
She also took a part-time job as a waitress at a beach club to take on early responsibilities and reportedly makes a decent drink that earned her the nickname “cocktail queen.”
Although the King and Queen have taken it upon themselves to ensure that Amalia can enjoy her childhood, the monarch has previously revealed that he and his eldest daughter have had serious and private conversations about when he will decide to abdicate and she will assume power.
Speaking on the Through the Eyes of the King podcast last April as she marked a decade on the throne, Willem-Alexander said she hopes her eldest daughter can enjoy spending time alone and with her family before becoming monarch in the “future far”. ‘.
He said he wished the heir apparent plenty of time to prepare for the role so she could start a family or do whatever she wanted.
He then revealed that he will sit down with his daughter to decide together when he will ascend to the throne, but added that it was a decision that would be made “between Amalia and me.”
He also revealed that he and Queen Máxima do not protect her, or her younger sisters Alexia, 18, and Ariane, 16, from the “reality” of their lives as public figures.
‘They are not blind or deaf, they see everything on social networks, they read everything, they hear everything. We don’t separate them from anything. And they talk about it,’ he stated.
“It affects them,” he added, saying he also had to learn to deal with negative comments on social media during his time in the public eye.
The monarch explained that he encourages his daughters not to view criticism on social media as a personal attack and said it was “very upsetting” for children growing up to see criticism posted online.
“Children don’t have a filter in that sense, but it’s reality and they have to learn to deal with it.”
He said it’s important to teach his kids not to take things personally since, for the most part, he believes online trolling is not personal.
Of course, despite the best plans of the King and Queen, they have not always managed to maintain Amalia’s normal life.
When she moved to Amsterdam to study her degree at the city’s university in 2022, the Princess of Orange went to live in university residences to live a life very similar to that of her classmates, something she had always done throughout her life. his education so far.
However, within weeks she was forced to leave the student accommodation after receiving kidnapping threats.
A few months after the terrifying incident, Amalia spoke about “missing normal life.”
Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS, she said: “I’m going to be very honest, I’m still going through a very difficult time.”
‘I miss normal life, the life of a student. Walking the streets, being able to go to a store,” he added.
Her uncle, Prince Constantijn, spoke of the princess’s “very restrictive” existence.
A Dutch magazine has linked Boris Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, 26, with 20-year-old Crown Princess Amalia of the Netherlands.
According to RoyalCentral, while speaking on NPO 1 she said: “If you are a young woman, you want to be able to live freely during your time as a student and that is not granted to you.”
Speaking candidly about her daughter’s situation during a state visit to Sweden, Máxima was quoted by the Dutch news agency ANP as saying: ‘She can hardly leave the house.
‘The consequences are very hard for her. For her there is no student life like the one others have.’
Despite going through a difficult time, last year the Princess of Orange grew even more into her role as heir apparent as she continued her studies from the safety of the royal residence.
She may also have finally found her Prince Charming, as Dutch media has linked the princess to a Spanish-born sculptor who is heir to the defunct Belgian throne.
Privé suggested that Amalia may have found love with Boris of Bulgaria, also known as the Prince of Turnovo.
Boris, 26, born in Spain, is the son of the late Prince Kardam of Turnovo, who died in 2015 at the age of 52.
The sculptor, who studied at the London School of Fine Arts in Wimbledon, is the heir to the defunct Bulgarian throne.