MY VISIT TO THE HAGUE

My Photos

On October 12th I went to Palace Noordeinde myself to pay my respect to Prince Claus of the Netherlands. Together with Christine I joined the queue at the back of the palace at 9:00 in the morning. People from all ages, from little children to old people, surrounded us. Sometimes disabled or old people passed us, because they were allowed to go in right away. We thought the queue wasn't that long, but still we had to wait more than one hour before we could pass the gate to the palace garden. Just before the gate, where a few flowers had been placed near the wall, we got some hot chocolate that was very welcome, as it wasn't exactly very warm and we had started to get cold feet. Inside the first thing we noticed were the flowers people had laid down along the path together with drawings, personal notes, sweet children's letters. Following the path we entered the heathed tent where everybody could sign the condolence books. We didn't stay long and walked on only to reach another queue that went inside the palace, a queue in which people were much more silent than outside the gate. We had passed the fence there when we temporarily were stopped because the guards were changing. Interesting sight and everybody watched. We saw people come out of the palace.

Finally we could go inside. In the hall tens of wreaths and bouquets, most of them from organisations. Just around the corner we found some flowers from Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme and her husband Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn. Inside again we had to wait because the guards were changing. Waiting in front of the door going to the chamber where Prince Claus's coffin was lying in state, I noticed a camera in the corner of that chamber, covered by a very ugly big grey cloth. I don't know if it was a television camera or a security camera. Inside the room was the coffin with in front the wreath with ribbons saying Queen Beatrix, Alexander, Máxima, Friso, Constantijn, Laurentien and Eloise. On the left wreaths from the Von Amsberg family, I could read the names of his sister Rixa and her husband and one mentioning at least two names of the children (Friedrich and Georgia) of Joachim Jencquel, bridal page of Prince Claus and Queen Beatrix in 1966, and son of Prince Claus's sister Sigrid. On the right of the coffin in front the wreath of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Pieter van Vollenhoven and their children with spouses and children: Maurits, Marilène & Anne (as the ribbon said), Bernhard, Annette and Isabella, Pieter-Christiaan and Floris. Behind this wreath the one of Princess Christina and her children Nicolas, Bernardo and Juliana Guillermo; and behind that one the one of Princess Irene and her children Carlos, Margarita, Jaime and Carolina. Leaving the room we passed one of the rooms of the palace with some nice vases. On the way outside we passed the other half of the flowers and wreaths, among others from the King and Queen of Spain, the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Also wreaths from the family Moosbrugger from Lech and the mayor of Lech, Mr Muxel. After two hours we were outside the palace grounds again.

Later in the afternoon, after some shopping, we decided to lay some flowers at the Queen Wilhelmina monument in front of Palace Noordeinde. When we came there it was surrounded by tens of people and one tv-camera from the NOS. Around the monument people were almost fully silent and only whispered. We started reading messages, watching drawings, looking at ties ... The text on the monument 'Eenzaam maar niet alleen' (Lonely but not alone) we found very suitable for the present occasion. To my surprise I found being at the monument more emotional than queueing and going inside to pay respect at the coffin. In the evening I went back home, very happy that I had gone to The Hague. On Tuesday I will be in Delft for the funeral.