I was asked by several people if I wanted to tell more about the photo session. Here is the promised behind-the-scenes.
The posing moment was scheduled for half past twelve, so just before eleven I reported at the gate of the palace. There the military police checked my identity card and accreditation. When the club was complete around eleven o’clock, the gate opened and we could enter the garden. Immediately after the gate on the bezuidenhoutseweg we turned left. So you walk along the water towards the back of the palace. On the right, the path was flanked by tall bamboo, between which sculptures were hidden. After we were offered a bottle of water, we were taken to our spot behind the palace.
As you may have noticed, the conservatory curtains were down. Last time the photographers could see the king reading a newspaper in his living room with a sharp lens and they apparently wanted to prevent that this time. Because the photo session starts with a posing moment and as a reporter I only have to watch, I positioned myself on the side. With a laptop of course. so that I could update this website as quickly as possible. To ensure that the photographers could adjust their cameras correctly, the ladies from the Government Information Service stood where the Oranges would pose.
Around half past ten the family came walking from the basement (about which I have written before here). I don’t know whether the king had not read the instructions, but he ignored the agreed place. He did not pose in front of the borders, but between them. Immediately the photographers started shifting around, because guess what? There were a few high plumes in the middle of the platform, which were visible in every snapshot. “To the left, to the right,” the family shouted, but nothing produced a perfect picture.
One of the photographers gently asked if he could remove the plume. The king did not want that, so they moved once more to the left, once to the right and finally decided to stand in front of the border.
Dog Mambo brought – as expected and I think also hoped – a lot of life into the brewery. He ran from left to right, sniffed many bags and at one point also raised his paw to pee on Amalia’s pants. You understand: hilarity everywhere.
As the three princesses posed separately, I noticed a reflection of their characters. Alexia started and responded appropriately to all directions. Looking to the left, looking to the right, looking over the shoulder, etc. Then it was Ariane’s turn. There was almost silence from the press box, as if they did not want to question the somewhat shy princess. Then it was Amalia’s turn, who proactively approached the photographers. “Would you like another pose?”
There was a tactical reason why Amalia did not start with the solo portraits. After Amalia’s moment, the king was able to walk up to her and have the famous portrait of them taken together. The king with his successor. After the photo moment, the family walked back down through the basement. While the photographers were brought back to the fence, the radio, TV and writing journalists had to wait a while. Through the windows of the palace you could see the princesses watching the media and then walking to the living room.
Press talk
Before the press interview could start, we were taken to the other side of the palace. The rear of the Hague wing. The writing media, including me, were seated at a table and technical matters such as sound were arranged for the TV crews.
After waiting half an hour, Willem-Alexander, Máxima, Amalia and Alexia returned. They took a seat at the table where I was sitting to answer the pre-submitted questions. Or let me put it this way: the pre-submitted topics. First the conversation was about Prime Minister Rutte and his successor. Afterwards it was my subject’s turn, the implementation of Prinsjesdag 2.0. The king indicated that the Senate had visited him to discuss the activities of the day. Various topics had been discussed, but the plans he had read were provided with a ‘sauce of fantasy’. When I asked further, he indicated that a meeting with the public is not on the agenda.
After twenty minutes the press interview with the written media was completed and it was time for the cameras to roll. You have probably seen the result in various media, but I would like to highlight one answer from Alexia. When asked how she experienced a photo session, Alexia said she found it ‘terrifying’. “You want to do it perfectly, but no one is perfect.” I suggest we keep this comment in mind when we post a comment about the young princesses.
After a ‘goodbye’ and a ‘have a nice summer’, the royal family walked away and the photo session was over.
