The royal family visits the Caribbean islands.
His Majesty King Willem-Alexander, Her Majesty Queen Máxima and Her Royal Highness Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, will pay a visit to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from Friday, January 27 to Thursday, February 9, 2023. They will visit Bonaire, Aruba and Curaçao before continuing to St Maarten, St Eustatius and Saba. The visit is intended to introduce the Princess of Orange to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. The islands have created a program covering topics such as culture, nature, colonial history, sports and defense operations, and meetings with island residents. The royal family will be accompanied by the State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Digitalisation, Alexandra van Huffelen.
Bonaire visit from January 27 – 28, 2023.
The royal family will arrive in Bonaire on the afternoon of Friday, January 27th, where Governor Edison Rijna will welcome them. On Saturday morning, the governor will receive the party at his official residence, together with members of the island council and island executive.
The King and Queen and the Princess of Orange will visit the slave huts, which are reminders of the history of slavery in Bonaire. Then, they will travel along the west coast and attend Nos Zjilea at Cultural Park Mangazina di Rei, an event highlighting Bonaire’s cultural and historical heritage. The party will view an exhibition on the island’s history. Young people will tell them about their local area, a family of four generations will bake bread in a stone oven, and primary school children will perform with their learning orchestra. A lunch will follow this with Bonaire residents at Arawak.
In the afternoon, the party will watch a windsurfing demonstration in Sorobon Bay. Bonaire is known for its good windsurfing and the talented windsurfers it produces. The King and Queen and the Princess of Orange will then talk to junior rangers from the STINAPA national park foundation about coastal nature conservation, especially of the mangroves which protect the coast. The party will tour the bay and mangroves by boat.
The visit to Bonaire will draw to a close in Kralendijk with a trip to Taste of Bonaire, a cultural market with local products, culinary offerings, and musical performances.
(Source: OLB)
