Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
For a history-making State Visit to Cyprus, Queen Máxima chose an appropriately historic tiara.
The Dutch Diamond Bandeau was fashioned from the diamonds in a necklace given to Queen Emma upon her marriage to King Willem III in 1879. In 1937, Queen Wilhelmina had the diamonds set into a bandeau that she only wore in public once, though subsequent members of the Dutch Royal Family have made this a popular bandeau—now it’s regularly worn by Queen Máxima.
At the state banquet, King Willem-Alexander shared how proud he and Queen Máxima were to be the first Dutch royals to pay an official visit to Cyprus which he said was where” the goddess Aphrodite was born from the foam of the sea. A country with thousands of years of civilisation, whose ancient traces are still visible all around. But also a country of impressive renewal, which is constantly broadening its economy. A strong partner for the 21st century.”
The royal couple arrived in Nicosia ahead of their two-day state visit, with its program focused on sustainability, security, culture and science. As the Dutch king said, “We are grateful for the support you provide when it’s needed most. In a crisis, we know that we can rely on you to provide emergency reception and help us repatriate our citizens.”
King Willem-Alexander added that President Nikos Christodoulides’s invitation “holds a mutual promise for the future. A future in which we will continue to support and strengthen each other as friends and equal partners in Europe.”
On the second day of their two day trip, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will visit the Old City of Nicosia, meet with Dutch and Cypriot alumni at the Dutch embassy, visit the Choirokoitia archeological site, host a reception for Dutch expats in Cyprus, and host a return reception and concert for the President of Cyprus before departing back to the Netherlands.