Dutch king and queen expected in Greece on official three-day visit

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands will pay an official three-day visit to Greece on Sunday, following an invitation by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

The royal couple will arrive in Greece on Sunday. Their official schedule will begin on Monday (Oct. 31) with the laying of a wreath at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier at Syntagma Square. They will then be welcomed by Sakellaropoulou at a ceremony at the presidential mansion (09:35), where the decoration of the royal couple and the president will take place. A private meeting between the Greek president and the Dutch royals will take place at 09:45, and will include the president’s partner, Pavlos Kotsonis.

At 10:30, the Dutch king and queen will meet with the Ombudsmen of Greece and Holland at the Netherlands Institute at Athens, and at 13:30 they will visit the archaeological site of the Acropolis.
At 15:00 the royal visitors will meet with Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis at Technopolis (“Gazi”) and attend a reception by the Dutch community, while at 20:00 President Sakellaropoulou will host a formal dinner at the presidential mansion in their honor.

On Tuesday (Nov. 1), the king and queen of Holland and Sakellaropoulou will attend a round-table discussion on violence against women at the National Library of Greece, on the premises of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), after which (at 11:00) they will attend the 14th competition of innovation and startup entrepreneurship “The Squeeze” at the SNFCC’s Faros (Lighthouse) building.

Later on the same day (12:25), the royal couple will visit the “Elpida” Oncological Unit, the country’s first pediatric oncology hospital, and at 15:00 they will visit a school and housing facilities for young people. Their Tuesday schedule will end with a dinner in honor of President Sakellaropoulou hosted by them at the Megaron Concert Hall (20:00).

On Wednesday (Nov. 2), the king and queen will travel to Thessaloniki to continue and complete their official visit to Greece.