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A royal milestone! Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander ’s eldest daughter gave her first public speech the day after her eighteenth birthday. On Wednesday, Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands addressed the Council of State at Kneuterdijk Palace after being introduced by her father, who is chairman of the Council.
“Thank you, Chairman, if I may call you that for once, for your warm words. It is an honor to be received by you,” she began. “Since yesterday I have, as our constitution solemnly puts it, ‘as of right a seat in the Council of State’. And that has everything to do with the office that awaits me. In the distant future, I hope. Although there is always the realization that it could be tomorrow.”
“In order to fulfill my task and to work for the Kingdom, I will have much to learn. I realize how little I know about the tasks of the government, the assessment of laws, the functioning of the administration and the function of the judge. My grandmother and you too, Mr President, have already benefited from the clear insight that the Council offers in this regard. In that sense, I hope to attend the meetings regularly after completing my studies,” the Princess of Orange continued.
Amalia went on to quote her paternal grandmother Princess Beatrix , who was Queen of the Netherlands for 33 years. “I repeat here with conviction the words of my grandmother from 1956: ‘For a very long time, members of the Council of State, I will regard myself as your student. I will try – conscious of my responsibility – to be a good student,’” Maxima’s firstborn said. “Thank you, President, for introducing me to the Council. And to you, Vice President, I thank the members for the kindness in which they welcomed me into their midst today. Thank you.”
The speech came one day after Amalia turned 18. Six portraits that were taken at Huis ten Bosch Palace in the autumn were released to mark the future monarch’s birthday on Tuesday, Dec. 7.
In honor of her birthday, the Dutch King made Amalia a Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands Lion and a Knight in the House Order of the Golden Lion of Nassau. The royal teen also received a flag.