The first stop was St Eustatius, on the afternoon of 30 November.
On 1 December, the King and Queen visited Saba to attend the festivities in connection with Saba Day and also received information about nature conservation projects.
Finally, the King and Queen visited St Maarten on 2 December. There, the focus was on the reconstruction of the island after the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in early September.
During this visit the RC wanted to meet as many people as possible to hear their stories about the aftermath of the hurricane and the consequences of it for those living on the islands.
The Dutch Red Cross as well as the Dutch forces have offered much help (they still do!) and this visit highlighted the way the inhabitants of the islands are trying to get their life in order again.
The dive - which caught much attention from various international papers - was meant to show the world how much damage the hurricane had done to the coral reef and was meant to be a helpful means of PR for the people at Saba. Drawing attention to a unique environment was the issue here! It was an important part of the royal trip, as such royal attention stimulates means for the local tourism.
BTW, the 3 princesses stayed at home as they had to attend their classes. No holidays yet !
More photos from the trip here, taken by Dutch royal photographer Albert Nieboer:
http://www.ppe-agency.com/show.php?start=100&zoektype=2&search=02-12-2017%20Antillen
Plus a link to an article in a Dutch news-paper explaining how much damage has been done to the coral reef:
http://www.telegraaf.nl/nieuws/1385171/willem-alexander-en-maxima-troosten-kinderen-sint-maarten
Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander diving with members of the Saba conservation foundation
at the Saba bank on the 2nd day of the 3 day visit to Saba on the Dutch Antills
© PPE/Nieboer
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