King Willem-Alexander also made the journey that his daughter Amalia is now making through the Caribbean part of the Kingdom 35 years ago. Together with his parents, the then prince visited the various Caribbean islands in 1987. A different time, but the two journeys are not that different from each other.
“De jongen moet natuurlijk wel weten waarover hij praat”, schrijft Trouw in 1987 over de reis de prins dan gaat maken. “Het is een deel van zijn opvoeding voor zijn toekomstige taak.”
Voor Willem-Alexander is het de eerste keer dat hij de toenmalige Nederlandse Antillen bezoekt. Net als bij Amalia is de reis bedoeld als kennismakingsbezoek. Als toekomstig staatshoofd moet je wel de landen kennen waar je hoogstwaarschijnlijk later koning(in) van wordt.
“Een informele rondreis, die is bedoeld om de koningin en prinsen op een opgedwongen manier in contact te laten komen met zoveel mogelijk Antillianen en Arubanen”, staat in de aankondiging van het bezoek, dat twee weken duurt. Net als de rondreis die Amalia nu maakt.
Verboden postzegels
- Ter gelegenheid van het bezoek dat Willem-Alexander, prins Claus en koningin Beatrix aan de Antillen brachten, werden speciale postzegels op de markt gebracht. Een lang leven waren die niet beschoren: op de zegels stond vermeld dat het om een staatsbezoek ging, maar het was een werkbezoek. Daarom werden de postzegels weer uit de handel gehaald (en vervangen door nieuwe exemplaren).
One hundred visits and activities
Willem-Alexander and his parents have planned about a hundred visits and activities on the programme. A full program, therefore, within a period of two weeks. The Volkskrant describes the agenda as “simplicity”. “No parades, no shows and relatively few official dinners.” In total, the visit costs about 250,000 guilders.
According to Don Martina, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles at the time, the money is more than worth it. “It will certainly strengthen relations,” he says Volkskrant. “This increases mutual understanding and willingness to assist each other.”
All rolls of film sold out
The royal family is warmly received everywhere, as can be read in newspaper articles from 1987. But large crowds of people do not flock to it. “The interest is not very great,” the newspapers write about the visit. “The Queen, her husband and her son are awaited with great enthusiasm, but many people are not excited by the royal visit.”
The streets are decorated and portraits of Queen Beatrix and the princes hang in the shop windows. “But no orange bows, flags and ribbons. A spontaneous one Orange above is not used.”
Smartphones are not there yet, of course, so people have to be ready with their camera to take a snapshot of the Oranjes. On Bonaire, all rolls of film are even sold out. “More than ten thousand residents have only one day to photograph the high guests,” it writes General Journal.
The residents are only not satisfied if their long wait is not rewarded. They are only given about two minutes to take their desired snapshot.
No crowds of journalists
The journey the royal family makes in 1987 is actually very similar to the visit of Willem-Alexander, Máxima and Amalia now. They visit local projects, dive into the history of the islands and observe the local nature.
Willem-Alexander would only have had an eye for the coral when visiting parrotfish. A lady-in-waiting therefore ensures that a washed-up piece of coral is taken home (something that has since been banned).
They also do a tour through an area with flamingos, something that animal organizations would now raise their eyebrows about. Actually, the peace of the birds should not be disturbed, but an exception is made for the young prince.
The visit will conclude with a moment for the press. Where there are now almost forty journalists traveling with the Oranjes, at the time only the NOS and press agency were allowed ANP asking questions. “A modest set-up, to gradually get the prince used to these kinds of meetings,” writes NRC.
The crown prince sees the journey as the beginning of his future kingship. “It is an incredibly small part of a very long preparation that started with this journey,” says Willem-Alexander at his first press conference. “I thought it was a highlight.”
1:53Ontvang meldingen bij nieuws over het Nederlandse koningshuis
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