4/13/2007 - Another royal baby

Life on nationwide TV this morning: Crown Prince William Alexander of the Netherlands went to the registry at Wassenaar town hall and declared the birth of his third daughter, Ariane, sister of Princess Amalia (3), and Princess Alexia (2). She's the fourth in line to succeed Queen Beatrix. Crown Prince William Alexander himself is the first in line, followed by Amalia.

It's nice to know the name of the baby, but it's a bit over the top that all this has to be on live TV. With Princess Amalia's birth it was different, because she will one day be the Queen, but Alexia and Ariane most likely won't. As soon as Princess Amalia gives birth the rights of Princesses Alexia and Ariane are voided. In other words, to the monarchy they don't matter, only the tax payer is going to feel their presence.

In case someone reads this, who is actually interested in the Dutch Royal Family, here's a short summary of the important members:
* Queen Beatrix, the titular head of state
* Crown Prince William Alexander, her eldest son, and first heir to the throne, married to Princess Maxima
* Princess Amalia, eldest daughter of the Crown Prince, second in line to succeed the Queen



There used to be an image here, but since this entry isn't on page 1 anymore, I've decided it could go.

4/13/2007 - Fascinating!

I'm embarrassed to say that I've never heard anything about the Dutch Royal Family or even thought about it. I will definitely have to do some reading on the subject. I can't wait to see your pics. My daughter had a teacher who's first name is Amalia. I'd never heard the name before. Maybe she's Dutch. She has dark hair, though. Thanks for the education, DB! We do have a suburb named South Holland, where many Dutch settlers lived and many people of Dutch descent still supposedly live there. It's an interesting place. Stores don't open on Sunday as I believe that the community in general is very religious. "Faith, Family, and Future", is the town motto.

Edited by Fightingfemale on 4/13/2007 at 4:05 PM

4/13/2007 - Dutch immigrants

Yeah, I know of it. Other places that have attracted lots of Dutch settlers are Holland, MI (and surrounding towns), London, Canada, and Linden, WA. There are also quite a few Dutch town names in Texas (most notably Harlingen), but that has little to do with Dutch settlers. There were simply a few rich Dutch businessmen in who invested in Texas railroads in the 19th Century.

Also, we used to own most of what is now New York state, including Manhattan, and um, did you know: When it was time to vote which language would be the prevailing language of the recently founded United States, Dutch lost to English by only one vote!

Edited by dutchboy on 4/13/2007 at 4:15 PM

4/13/2007 - G'day From me Dawnie in Australia.

How are you? Have you figured out the cricket yet? Are you still watching and learning? My eyes are falling out of my head, trying to watch a bit of all the games. Just so I get a feel for who's playing well etc. Thanks for the interesting snippet on your Royal Family I am well aware of them but missed that they had a beautiful new addition to the dynasty. I always take an interest in Royal Families of the world. Must fly so Hooroo for now, take good care and stay safe.
Love and ((((HUGS)))) from Dawnie.