Princess Lalla Salma arrived Sunday in Amsterdam, to attend the inauguration ceremony of Willem-Alexander, who will be proclaimed on Tuesday, King of the Netherlands, succeeding his mother, Queen Beatrix, who chose to resign after 33 years of reign.
On her arrival at the Rijksmuseum, Princess Lalla Salma was greeted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange, Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima and other members of the royal family of Orange-Nassau.
Several dignitaries representing royalty, governments and European and international institutions attended the dinner held in the gallery of honor of the National Museum of the Netherlands 'Rijksmuseum', a world renown building which has been recently reopened after ten years of renovation.
As tradition dictates, the enthronement ceremony of the new king of the Netherlands, attended by the distinguished guests of the Orange-Nassau family, will take place in the old church of Amsterdam "Nieuwe Kerk" bordering the famous "Dam".
Around 2,400 guests, including representatives of 18 royal families around the world will participate in this event attended by 1,100 journalists from around the world.
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, 46, becomes the first king of the Netherlands since 1890. He will be sworn in at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam in a secular ceremony. The inauguration takes the form of a meeting of the upper and lower houses of parliament, as set down in the constitution.
Married in 2002 to Argentine banker Maxima Zorreguieta, he has three children: Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia (9 years), Alexia (7 years) and Ariane (6 years).
After the inauguration ceremony, the distinguished guests of the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will be invited to a reception hosted by the royal couple at the royal palace in Amsterdam.