The Dutch Crown Princess Amalia (19) has embarked on her first official trip abroad. Together with her parents, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, she is visiting the Caribbean part of the kingdom. On Friday they were initially expected on the island of Bonaire, as the palace announced.
Since her 18th birthday, Amalia has been taking on more official duties – and that includes the traditional get-to-know-you tour in the Caribbean. The Oranjes visit six islands in two weeks: Bonaire, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint-Maarten, Sint-Eustatius and Saba. The islanders are big supporters of royalty.
The journey in the former colonies is mainly characterized by the history of slavery. The Oranjes will visit old slave huts and talk to descendants of enslaved people, the royal family officially announced. Among other things, they will visit the former sugar plantation on Curaçao, where a slave uprising was brutally suppressed in 1795.
This year the Netherlands commemorates the end of slavery in their colonies 150 years ago. Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized for the crime on behalf of the country in December. The king also confirmed this message in his Christmas speech.
Amalia has been under particularly strict surveillance for months. After threats from organized crime, the student from Amsterdam had to move back to her parents’ palace in The Hague.
