New photos of Crown Princess Amalia released as she celebrates her 20th birthday
Princess Amalia celebrates her 20th birthday today, and the government public relations office, Rijksvoolrichtingsdienst (RVD), released new portrait photos of the crown princess to mark the occasion. The pictures were taken in Noordeinde Palace by renowned contemporary photographer, Gemmy Woud-Binnendijk, who specializes in creating photographs that appear more like paintings.
Woud-Binnendijk also posted photos from the shoot on her website. The images feature Amalia's father, King Willem-Alexander, and his mother, Princess Beatrix, who reigned over the Netherlands before him.
Princess Amalia, the eldest daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima has had a tough few years recently. Due to threats against her, Amalia wound up celebrating her 19th birthday privately with her family at home. The threats meant she was initially unable to live in Amsterdam and attend classes in person at the University of Amsterdam as she had hoped. Instead, she was forced to move back home and live under increased security. A suspect was arrested for the threats earlier this year.
In a podcast released earlier this year to mark his 10th anniversary as King, Willem-Alexander said that the threats had hit his daughter and their family hard. "The uncertainty, the lack of freedom, that is not the way you want to raise your children and not what you want to pass on to your children," said the king.
Amalia has done a good job by talking about it, "but it does not give joy in life or anything. That is why it must be over as soon as possible.”
On King’s Day earlier this year, Amalia said that she enjoyed their visit to Rotterdam to the fullest. “The sun is shining, the atmosphere is good, so I’m doing great. Everyone is here with a big smile,” she said. She touched on the threats that had her homebound in recent months. “It’s nice to be among people again.”
