Less than a week before Charles III’s coronation in London, many guests from royal families have confirmed their presence, including the kings of the Netherlands. But exactly 10 years ago it was the other way around and it was Carlos and Camila who attended the investiture of these new monarchs in Amsterdam. Since we are in royal party mode, we take the opportunity to mark a decade of the reign of Willem-Alexander and Máxima, remembering the celebrations of their investiture.

The abdication and farewell dinner at the museum.

It all started on January 28, 2013, when Queen Beatrix, then 75, made a televised speech announcing that she would abdicate the throne. The news will not have come as a surprise, as she became sovereign when her mother, Queen Juliana, also abdicated 33 years earlier. Who followed in the line of succession was the eldest son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, 46 years old and married to the popular Argentine Máxima. He became the country’s first king since 1890, as the last male monarch had been his great-great-grandfather, King William III, and he was also the youngest king in Europe.

After three months the change occurred. They were two days of celebrations with pomp, circumstance and many guests. On April 29, Queen Beatrix hosted a dinner at the Rijksmuseum for members of the Dutch royal family, members of other royal families, and international guests. EITHER dress code it called for ball gowns and gaudy family jewelry for the ladies. The museum, probably the most famous in the country, had just been reopened by the Queen a few days earlier, on April 13, after an extensive refurbishment. The dinner took place in the gallery of honor of the museum, under the watchful eye of well-known works such as “The Milkmaid” by Johannes Vermeer or “The Night Watch” by Rembrandt.

An unused crown and other symbols of the ceremony.

On April 30, a complete agenda was reserved, which was made public on the website of the royal house. At 10:30 in the morning, the abdication of Queen Beatrix was scheduled at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. The process included the signing of some papers and was attended by the monarch herself, members of the royal family, the presidents of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Council of Ministers and the Governors and Prime Ministers of the Dutch territories. in the Caribbean: Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. The Queen said goodbye to her from her post of more than three decades on the balcony with a farewell to her subjects and accompanied by the future kings.

The inauguration ceremony for Willem-Alexander and Máxima was scheduled for shortly after lunch, at 2:00 p.m., in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church). The new kings were paraded on a blue carpet and while the King wore a cloak of his ancestors over a formal suit instead of a military uniform, the Queen dazzled with her usual elegance and a showy tiara, but here we go.

Inside the temple the oath and investiture of the King took place. “I swear that I will defend and preserve the independence and territory of the state with all my might,” Willem-Alexander said. “That I will protect the general and individual liberty and rights of all my subjects and will use all means available by law to preserve and promote general and individual prosperity as a proper good King…so help me God Almighty.”

The scenery installed in the church had two chairs assuming the role of thrones and, on display, were the symbols of this monarchy on red pillows. The King did not wear a crown, but he was present to represent the sovereignty of the country and the dignity of the monarch, the scepter symbolized authority, the orb represented the domains of the kingdom and the constitution. The crown was created for King Willem II by the Bonebakker jewelers in 1840. It is a silver jewel covered in gold, in 1898 it was altered and 24 of the 72 false pearls that adorned it were removed and the colored stones are not precious, but in glass Tradition dictates that the crown the sovereigns of the Netherlands are not crowned, but sworn, dating back to 1815 when King Willem I was sworn in as monarch of the newly created kingdom of the Netherlands, the BBC explains.

The queen emeritus, now princess Beatriz, sat in the front row with the granddaughters and daughters of the kings, Catarina Amália, Alexia and Ariane. All dressed in electric blue, like Queen Máxima.

Royal guests including Carlos and Camilla from the UK.

For this ceremony, more than two thousand guests dressed in formal wear and the ladies provided a parade of head accessories. Carlos and Camila were the representatives of the British royal house in these days of events and the Duchess of Cornwall wore a light blue dress signed by Bruce Oldfield, a designer from whom she commissioned the dress for her own coronation as Queen Consort. On her head was a Philip Treacy creation, like some kind of arching foliage of the same hue, a pattern very similar to the headdress she wore on her wedding day to Prince Charles. From her jeweler, she chose a necklace and pearl earrings and a Family Order was placed on her shoulder, a jewel with a photograph of Elizabeth II that was also a gift and an important distinction that her mother-in-law gave her. . For dinner at the Rijksmuseum, Camilla wore another Oldfield gown, this time a black and white creation topped off with the Greville tiara, a jewel borrowed from the Queen’s jeweler, which is a creation of the houses of Boucheron and owes her named after Margaret Greville, a socialite lady for whom the jewel was created.

Charles and Camilla, then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, in 2013 © Getty Images

As a princess, Máxima achieved the status of a fashion reference for her daring choices and for making her wardrobe always work for every occasion. For her first look as queen, she donned a dress by designer Jan Taminiau in a vibrant shade of Klein blue with embroidery and sheer detailing on the torso, sleeves and hem, and a long cape draped over her shoulders. Máxima wore a tiara with sapphires and diamonds that belonged to Queen Emma, ​​​​the great-great-grandmother of the new King. For a parade on the river, which included around 200 boats, the queen opted for a creation by the same Dutch designer, but this time an embroidered dress in shades of Bordeaux and with a mermaid silhouette.

The royal guests on these two holidays were mainly crown princes of the same generation as the new kings, and some of them would ascend to their respective thrones in the following years. Like for example Philippe and Mathilde from Belgium, as well as Felipe and Letizia from Spain and princes Naruhito and Masako, who are now emperors of Japan. Princess Mathilde opted for a dress in a very bright pastel pink, while Letizia wore a tube silhouette dress with layers of embroidered fabric and gray tones. Princess Victoria of Sweden was accompanied by her husband, Prince Daniel, although she opted for a dress in a discreet beige tone, she made up for it with an exuberant hat with flowers.

Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco wore a typical green costume richly embroidered in gold. Also present were Princes Haakon and Mette-Marit of Norway and Crown Princes of Denmark Frederik and Mary. And also Prince Albert of Monaco, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser al Misned of Qatar and royal representatives of Liechtenstein, Jordan and Brunei. And still other illustrious figures such as the former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan with his wife Nane Annan and the President of the European Commission José Manuel Durão Barroso with Margarida Sousa Uva. The then and current Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was always present at all ceremonies.

In the middle of the afternoon there was a reception at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam for high dignitaries and, after a change of clothes, the guests embarked on a boat procession in the late afternoon. Among the many and varied celebrations of this day there was also a concert conducted by the maestro André Rieu on the museum square. The public was an essential part of the festival and took to the streets filling the streets to congratulate the new monarchs.