King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima's beaming smiles and brightly-coloured outfits were nowhere to be seen at their first official engagement as the new monarchs of the Netherlands on Saturday.Willem-Alexander, 46, and Maxima, his Queen consort, were in Amsterdam over the weekend to attend a memorial for Dutch soldiers lost during World War II alongside Prime Minister Mark Rutte.Maxima's eye-catching wardrobe, seen by the world during the national celebrations, was replaced with an all-black ensemble for the somber occasion, including coat, gloves, hat, clutch and shoes.
Her husband, who became Europe's youngest king in April, looked solemn in a dark suit with white handkerchief showing in his top pocket for the National Remembrance Day ceremony. The event was held at the Nieuwe Kerk, the same church where the king was inaugurated last week. After the ceremony the couple made their way to Dam Square where they placed a wreath at the National Monument to honour those who fought and died during World War II, as well as those who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since.The new king and queen stood silently side by side for the two minutes of silence that followed. Willem-Alexander's mother Princess Beatrice – who recently abdicated in favour of her son – was not present at the ceremony, opting for the new monarchs to attend their first public appearance alone. On Sunday though, Princess Beatrix did join the royal couple to celebrate Liberation Day, which marks the end of the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands during the war.
The important ceremonies come shortly after the hugely celebrated inauguration of King Willem-Alexander, when he became the country's first king in more than a century. Thousands of well-wishers were out in full force in Amsterdam dressed in the national colour orange to celebrate the new generation of royals. The festivities were brought to an end with a final gathering attended by those who had travelled from 18 countries all over the world to be there to welcome Willem-Alexander and Maxima to the throne. Willem-Alexander and Maxima were seen waving happily from the Royal Palace with their three daughters Amalia, 9, Alexia,7, and Ariane,6, bidding farewell to their guests.
