Dutch Princess baptised in royal ceremony
Princess Amalia, second in line to the Dutch throne, was baptised today in the presence of Queen Beatrix and her maternal grandfather from Argentina, who was permitted to attend a royal function for the first time.
The two grandparents sat next to each other during the Protestant service, as the six-month-old daughter of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander was sprinkled with water from the Jordan River.
Jorge Zorreguieta, an Argentine businessman, was barred from attending the wedding of his daughter Maxima to Willem-Alexander in February 2002 because he had served in the cabinet under the brutal military rule in Argentina under General Jorge Videla in the late 1970s. He was never accused of being a party to the regime’s abuses.
He was told at the time of the wedding he would be allowed to attend the baptism of his grandchildren.
The National Youth Choir sang hymns and Bach selections in the nationally televised ceremony, attended by friends of the royal couple from Argentina and around the world.
The marriage of the crown prince to the vivacious former investment adviser and the birth of Princess Catharina-Amalia last December has given a boost to the popularity of the royal family.
