Pneumonia forces Dutch king to cancel U.S. trip; Queen will visit California, Texas
King Willem-Alexander will not participate in a working visit to California and Texas next week based on medical advice, government information service RVD announced on Thursday. Queen Maxima and participating Ministers will still go to the United States.
The King is recovering from pneumonia, and air travel could hinder that recovery, the RVD said. His work in the Netherlands can continue, albeit on a more limited scale. On Wednesday, for example, he visited asylum seekers at the application center in Ter Apel.
During that visit, Willem-Alexander had to pause repeatedly because of a cough. A nurse working with Doctors Without Borders there offered him a cough suppressant, and he replied he was recovering from pneumonia in his first week back after a summer holiday.
The working visit to the United States will happen from 6 to 9 September. The Dutch delegation will visit San Francisco and Silicon Valley in California and Austin and Houston in Texas. California and Texas are the fifth and ninth biggest economies in the world and attractive economic partners for the Netherlands.
In addition to Queen Maxima, the Dutch delegation will consist of Ministers Leisje Schreinemacher for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Henk Kuijpers of Public Health, Welfare, and Sports, and Robbert Dijkgraaf of Education, Culture, and Science. The Aruban Ministers Geoffrey Wever of Economic Affairs, Communication, and Sustainable Development and Danguillaume Oduber of Public Health and Tourism will also accompany them. As will State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen of Infrastructure and Water Management.
