Eight days after undergoing surgery, Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands joined her father King Willem-Alexander at an engagement. The monarch and the heir to the Dutch throne visited the Prince Bernhard Barracks in Amersfoort on Wednesday, where His Majesty presented the new standard to the Regiment Huzaren Prinses Catharina-Amalia.
“I am proud to be among you today, together with my eldest daughter, the Princess of Orange, as an expression of our bond with you. It is not the first time that we have marked this bond. Nor for my daughter, who during her introductory visits to the armed forces previously spoke to soldiers from your ranks and gained an impression of the practice of your work. Today we are together again, for this special ceremony. A gathering with great emotional value,” the King said in his remarks at the ceremony, translated to English.
The 21-year old Princess, who was dressed in a red floral dress and matching heels, had her left arm bandaged and in a blue sling, which she removed for photos. At the barracks, the Princess of Orange was asked by a journalist when she will be able to ride again. “Unfortunately not anytime soon,” she said, according to Vorsten. The outlet also reported that Amalia said she “was still in pain, but that it was going well again.”
© Patrick van Katwijk/Getty ImagesThe Dutch Royal House announced on June 10 that Amalia “broke her upper arm” after falling from her horse. That evening, the Princess underwent surgery at UMC Utrecht for “a fracture in her upper arm,” the Royal House later said in an update on June 11, noting that the surgery had gone “well.” The Princess was to remain at UMC Utrecht for monitoring until the following day (June 12).
© REMKO DE WAAL/ANP/AFP via Getty ImagesQueen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander’s eldest child is said to enjoy horse riding in her free time. In the book Amalia, the Dutch Princess told author Claudia de Breij (translated to English), “I am most who I am on a horse. If you really want to get to know me, you have to see me ride.”
Per Libelle, Amalia previously dislocated her shoulder in another horse riding accident. “I fell off my horse. And I always know very well: it’s okay, or it’s not okay,” Amalia recalled to Claudia, via Libelle. “And this was really not okay.”
© Patrick van Katwijk/Getty ImagesThe royal also told Claudia that “Normally you always check first if your horse is okay. That goes without saying. You don’t let your trainer wash your horse either, you have to do that yourself, because you build a bond. If you don’t take care of your horse yourself, you don’t have the right to ride it. But yes, dislocated arm, sprained ankle, ambulance… so that really wasn’t possible.”
Amalia added, “You know what they say, right: ‘You’re not an Amazon until you’ve fallen seven times.'”
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