Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands landed in Saint-Martin on November 12, 2024. The former sovereign is preparing to make several official engagements in the Caribbean part of the kingdom, first in Saint-Martin (Sint-Maarten) then in Saba from Friday.
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Princess Beatrix landed in Sint-Maarten
Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, 86 years old, arrived in Saint-Martin this Tuesday, November 12, 2024. The former sovereign, who abdicated in 2013, continues to make annual trips to the Antilles, where the kingdom of Netherlands maintains a close link with four territories. The mainland Netherlands, Aruba, Saint Martin and Curaçao are the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The kingdom’s Caribbean territories are self-governing, meaning they have their own constitution, government and parliament.
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Princess Beatrix continues to make visits to the Caribbean in her capacity as patron of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), a nature conservation NGO in the former Netherlands Antilles. Princess Beatrix will therefore visit several social and environmental initiatives on two islands. After Saint-Martin, she will head to Saba this Friday, November 15. Unlike Saint-Martin, Saba is not a constituent country of the kingdom but a Dutch municipality in its own right. Saba is therefore an overseas commune.
Saint-Martin, called Sint-Maarten in Dutch, occupies the southern part of the island of Saint-Martin which it shares with the French overseas community of Saint-Martin. Sint-Maarten, whose capital is Philipsburg, has around 40,000 inhabitants. The French part has more than 30,000 inhabitants. Many public places, villages and institutions have names that recall their connection with the Netherlands and the Dutch monarchy. The airport where Princess Beatrix landed, for example, is named after her mother, Queen Juliana.
