Dutch King and Queen Meet Donald Trump Ahead of King Charles' Visit to the US

JAKARTA - King Willem Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands met President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the White House on Monday, April 13. The Dutch royal couple's working visit took place a few weeks before King Charles III and Queen Camilla were scheduled to make a state visit to the United States in late April.

Citing a People report, Tuesday, April 14, Willem-Alexander and Máxima arrived at the White House after 7:00 p.m. local time for a dinner agenda. Although not a state visit, this visit comes amid public attention on another royal agenda that will follow soon, namely King Charles' official visit.

After shaking hands with Trump and Melania, Willem-Alexander said, "Thank you for receiving us."

Earlier on the same day, the 58-year-old King of the Netherlands and Queen Máxima, 54, first visited Philadelphia. There, they visited Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro in a series of commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States.

There is something striking in this visit. According to People's report, Willem-Alexander took part in flying the plane that took him and Máxima to Philadelphia on April 12. The King of the Netherlands is known to have a number of pilot licenses, including a military pilot license and an air transport pilot license. He has also flown as a guest pilot for KLM Cityhopper, a subsidiary of the Dutch national airline.

In a 2017 interview with De Telegraaf, quoted by The Guardian, Willem-Alexander said the most calming part of flying was the ability to focus fully. According to King Willem, a pilot is responsible for the plane, passengers, and crew, so they can't bring problems from the ground to the air. He also said passengers usually don't pay much attention to announcements from the cockpit.

The visit comes weeks before King Charles III and Queen Camilla make a state visit to the United States. It will be Charles' first state visit to the US since ascending the throne.

Buckingham Palace last month said the visit would celebrate the historic relationship and modern cooperation between Britain and the United States, as well as marking 250 years of US independence. President Trump also said a dinner on April 28 was on the agenda.