Royals in Arnhem
The relationship between the city of Arnhem and the Dutch royals goes way back. Let’s shine a light on a few times Royals visited Arnhem and why they were here.
Queen Wilhelmina visited Arnhem
Queen Wilhelmina visited Arnhem at least twice shortly after WW2. She visited in 1946 for the very first commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem but more poignantly, she received the Military Order of William from her daughter in our very own Sonsbeek park in 1948. The official ceremony took place in Arnhem on 7 October 1948, and Queen Juliana praised her mother as “Mother of the Fatherland”, who had strengthened the will of the people in the days of the occupation during the Second World War. It had been one of her very first official acts as Queen. In 1953, Queen Juliana unveiled the war monument which can now be found on the Audrey Hepburn square in a slightly altered state.
Photo source = the Gelders Archief.
Queen Juliana returned to Arnhem – Royals in Arnhem
Queen Juliana returned to Arnhem in 1962 with her husband Prince Bernhard. He had also visited the year before to help celebrate the jubilee of the AKU. Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard celebrated their silver wedding anniversary in 1962 and they did a tour of all the provincial capitals to celebrate the occasion. They were accompanied by their daughters and arrived by train from Zwolle in the afternoon. The following year Queen Juliana returned to Arnhem to mark the start of the building of Het Dorp, a community for physically disabled people, by placing a border marker.
Photo source = the Gelders Archief.
Princess Beatrix in Arnhem – Royals in Anrhem
In 1971, then Princess Beatrix came to Arnhem to open the new sporting facilities at Papendal and 2007 her son, then the Prince of Orange, came to open a new sports centre there. As a member of the International Olympic Committee, he would return to Papendal several times over the years. In 2011, the then Queen Beatrix opened the new CITO headquarters, and she arrived by helicopter, which landed in Sonsbeek Park.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima came to Arnhem in 2013
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima came to Arnhem in 2013 for an introductory meeting following his inauguration. During their visit, they walked the so-called “Walk of the Crown”, which introduced them to various people and organisations. On the same day, they also visited Duiven, Oosterbeek and Wageningen. That same year, Princess Beatrix came to Arnhem to open the new Rozet building, together with the then mayor Hermans Kaiser.
Princess Margriet is a regular visitor to the Market Garden commemorations, but she also visited the Open Air Museum for their Canadian exhibition in 2018. Princess Margriet was born in Canada during the war.
Photo source = the Gelders Archief and Moniek Bloks.
Queen Maxima opens Musis Theatre in Arnhem – Royals in Arnhem
In early 2018, Queen Maxima came to Arnhem to open the renovated Musis theatre, which she did by banging on a huge gong. She was then treated to a performance by the orchestra of Gelderland, together with over one hundred schoolchildren. The most recent royal visit was in November 2022 when King Willem-Alexander visited the hydrogen cluster on the Industriepark Kleefse Waard.
Photo source = ArnhemLife.
Prince Charles in Arnhem – Royals in Arnhem
Arnhem has also played host to one foreign royal. The then Prince Charles came to Arnhem to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem in 2022. He also placed a wreath on the Ginkel Heath together with Princess Beatrix before coming to Arnhem to see the renovated Eusebius Church. It was not his first time to attend the Battle of Arnhem commemorations, as he often came over for the special occasions, such as in 1984 for the 40th anniversary of the battle of Arnhem.
Photo source = the Gelders Archief.
Guest blog by Royal expert Moniek Bloks. Would you like to learn more about Royals from all over the world, make sure to take a look at her website ‘History of Royal Woman‘
