The Netherlands is preparing for the biggest event in its royal calendar this year. With Crown Prince Willem-Alexander's inauguration just a month away, commemorative memorabilia honouring the occasion has now been released to the public.From scarves to iPad covers, mouse mats to mugs, fans of Queen Beatrix, Princess Maxima and her husband and king-to-be, Willem-Alexander, will be able to keep a souvenir of the momentous occasion.
The mementos have been manufactured and sold by Dutch company Pro Badge via their website. The Woerden-based business offer badges of the royals and their children for €2, iPhone cases for €9.95 and royal blue cushions for €14.95.Images of the royal couple and their 'triple A' daughters, Amalia, Alexia and Ariana, feature on money pouches, mugs and a framed title that could hang in the home of an enthusiastic royal watcher.Fans will also line the streets of Amsterdam come April 30, when Willem-Alexander officially takes over his mother's title as head of the Dutch monarchy. Details about the big day were released by the Royal Household in February, a month after Queen Beatrix announced her abdication.
The hour-by-hour running order of events reveals that proceedings will begin at 10am in Amsterdam's Royal Palace, and after the formalities Maxima's daughters will make an appearance on the balcony to watch their parents address crowds in their first official act as King and Queen.Maxima and Willem-Alexander's eldest daughter, Amalia, 9, will then be styled as the new Princess of Orange, heir to the Dutch throne, while her father is inaugurated as William IV of Holland. Amalia and her younger sisters have been given as normal a life as possible, but the family are increasingly aware of the role that Amalia will have to play in the future, and her presence at official functions will become increasingly common.