2023 in photos: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima visit South Africa

It was a wonderful visit, and educational too - sometimes painfully educational. The Dutch Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander paid a state visit to South Africa in October 2023.

The couple arrived at the Waterkloof military airport in Pretoria on October 18. Maxima's dress, resembling a blue trenchcoat, was designed by the Dutch house of Jan Taminiau. She combined it with bright orange accessories.

Photo: Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst / Government Information Service (RVD)

The royal couple would of course meet South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during their trip and speak with him at length. Queen Máxima put together a different look for every occasion. This copper-colored midi dress with shiny fringes was from the Belgian fashion house Natan.

Photo: RVD

In the wetlands of Blesbokspruit, in the province of Gauteng, King Willem-Alexander spoke with an employee of the Wetland Reserve about various partnerships between the Netherlands and South Africa. The two countries appear to have learned a lot from each other in the field of water quality and availability, the RVD states. More generally, the Dutch king has always had a special interest and education in water management.

Photo: RVD

Queen Máxima also spoke to local employees of the reserve about water policy in the Netherlands and South Africa. She is generally considered a very approachable and warm-hearted woman.

Photo: RVD

The two most important Dutch-South African cooperation projects in water management are called the Blue Deal and Wetskills. For the tour of the wetland areas, Máxima had substituted her high heels for orange ballet flats.

Photo: RVD

An important site for the state visit was the Apartheid Museum. As former colonists of South Africa, the Dutch people have had a special connection to the events of the Boer republics, white settlement in southern Africa, and the Apartheid state divided the country into 'Blanke' and 'nie-Blanke' people between 1948 and 1994.

Photo: RVD

The royal couple looked at photos of anti-Apartheid activist and President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. He spent 27 years in prison for his involvement in opposing racism and became president after his release from Robben Island and the abolition of the Apartheid regime in 1994. Mandela passed away in 2013.

Photo: RVD

Nelson Mandela had a special bond with the Oranges. As Willem-Alexander said in a speech during the visit: "I carry with me many special memories of South Africa, including of course the inauguration of President Mandela, almost thirty years ago. He celebrated our wedding in 2002. The only guest who invited himself!"

Pretoria is known for its rosewood trees, which bloom in spring and summer. The purple colors of the 'Jacaranda City' made for a beautiful photo of the royal couple. Queen Máxima wore an orange and white dress from the brand 'Zeus + Dione.'

Photo: RVD

Máxima must have been inspired by the purple color when she decided to wear this Natan dress with asymmetrical shoulders for a new day in Pretoria. President Ramaphosa took the couple to an official welcome ceremony with a guard of honor.

Photo: RVD

An important part of the journey occurred when Máxima and Willem-Alexander visited Freedom Park, which honors those who died in the fight against Apartheid. It is also a memorial to former president Thabo Mbeki. In this photo, they walk past the 'Wall of Names' on which all those who died for South African freedom are eternalized.

Photo: RVD

Later, the king and queen laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame, a monument to the struggle against Apartheid and oppression. In his important speech, Willem-Alexander said that the Netherlands and South Africa share a history "that was marked for more than one and a half-century by colonialism, abuse of power, and slavery."

Photo: RVD

"After our colonial ties were broken," the king continued, "a sense of kinship remained. But it was not until the 1960s that widespread awareness of the injustice against the black population was formed in the Netherlands. Our country joined the struggle against apartheid. A struggle that was successful thanks to people like you!"

The royal couple themselves organized a cultural program to thank their South African hosts. The Lloyds company and Dutch musicians gave the performance 'Unbreakable' together with South African dancers from the Soweto Skeleton Movers.

Photo: RVD

Afterward, the royal couple and President Ramaphosa spoke with the artists who had formed a beautiful collaboration between South Africa and the Netherlands.

Photo: RVD

Cape Town is the city best known to the Dutch public, because it was founded by the Dutch East India Company in 1652. As Willem-Alexander and Máxima arrived, we could admire the queen's floral midi dress from the house of Natan. Her red hat was designed by Fabienne Delvigne.

Photo: RVD

The couple visited the Slave Lodge museum, an important place as the Dutch used to be deeply involved in the enslavement and trade of African peoples. In the museum, actors gave performances to bring the painful history of slavery to life.

Photo: RVD

First Nation protesters had gathered in front of the museum to make it clear to the royal couple that the Netherlands must do more to recognize and address the consequences of colonization, slavery, and racism. For a moment, it looked like the disturbance would get out of hand, but the king and queen spoke kindly to a few attendees and were then led through the crowd by security staff.

The king has repeatedly shown that he recognizes and laments the role of the Netherlands in colonialism and slavery. He did so during his speech in Pretoria, although it was only through a brief remark. "The traces [of 150 years of colonialism, abuse of power, and slavery] are still visible and tangible in many places," he had said. "It is with humility that we reflect on this... in Cape Town, in the Iziko Slave Museum."

Image: RVD

While King Willem-Alexander went to the botanical garden of Kirstenbosch (previous photo), Queen Máxima visited the Horti-Demo Center in Stellenbosch. This initiative is a project of both public and private, Dutch and South African organizations. The center is trying to develop methods "to produce more healthy food with less input," according to the RVD.

Photo: RVD

Finally, the king and queen made time for the Dutch community in both Pretoria and Cape Town. At the last meeting of their state visit to South Africa, Máxima once again wore a design by Natan - this time a playful pink dress with a floral pattern.

Photo: RVD