Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands took part in her traditional reading aloud session, which she does every year to launch National Reading Days. Surprise this year, her husband, Prince Constantijn, accompanied her to read aloud to young children during a breakfast. The couple very rarely performs duo engagements.
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Prince Constantijn exceptionally joins his wife for the annual reading session
Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, 55, brother of King Willem-Alexander, and his wife Princess Laurentien, 58, are two relatively low-profile members of the Dutch royal family. Prince Constantijn, 4th in the line of succession to the throne, works as an advisor to start-ups and carries out few official engagements for the Crown. Princess Laurentien, for her part, is involved in various causes, notably the promotion of literacy through actions aimed at instilling a taste for reading.
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Each year, Princess Laurentien kicks off National Reading Days by participating in a reading aloud session during breakfast attended by children who do not yet know how to read. This year, Prince Constantijn surprised himself by accompanying his wife, due to the theme of this edition which highlights the importance of involving both parents in reading sessions. Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien have personal experience reading to children, having three children of their own.
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-Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien read a book aloud together
Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien went to the Schiedam library on the outskirts of Rotterdam to read over breakfast. This rare engagement as a couple between the brother and sister-in-law of the King of the Netherlands was the moment for them to remember tender moments of reading to their own children, now young adults. Countess Eloise, Count Claus-Casimir and Countess Leonore are 22 years old, 20 years old and 18 years old.
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Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien read an extract from “Rinus” by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert. This book was voted best picture book of the year by a committee made up of librarians, booksellers and teachers. The picture book is about the little rhino Rinus and his strong and tough grandfather.
National Reading Days last from January 22 to February 1, 2025. The National Reading Days campaign aims to encourage reading among children who do not yet know how to read themselves and places emphasis on benefits of reading, including its positive effects on vocabulary, spelling and text comprehension.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
