At the age of 10, Princess Amalia of Orange told her parents, Kings Guillermo and Máxima, that when she came of age she wanted to organize a big summer party.
It was a childhood dream, amplified perhaps by the fact that she was born on December 7, just two days after the arrival of Saint Nicholas, laden with gifts for the children.
There was no question of asking for more presents.
This winter, the heiress to the throne of the Netherlands did gather a group of friends in the garden of Huis ten Bosch, her family residence in the city of The Hague, and they all toasted her health.
There were 21 guests, according to the Dutch prime minister's office, but the pandemic was raging and the government advised against receiving more than four people at a time.
The criticism was immediate and the king assumed the misperception on behalf of his eldest daughter.
Summer arrived, Amalia decided that the first weekend of this month of July was the right time.
However, to avoid further shocks, the appointment has been considered "a private matter."
Kings Guillermo and Máxima explained at the end of June that their eldest daughter had dreamed of her big birthday party since childhood.
The couple was on an official visit to Austria, and the queen wanted to contain the interest of the press when asked about the details of the celebration.
She said it was better to "stay calm about Amalia's 18th birthday."
Next, the sovereign explained that his daughter "had always wanted to celebrate it in summer": "And here we are."
More information
Amalia, the heiress from the Netherlands, will study Politics, Economics, Law and Psychology and will live for rent with more students
Since the royal house has not published official photos for now, the comments of the Dutch media specialized in royalty have revolved around the possible guests of height.
If they would have called Princess Elizabeth of Belgium, who is 19 years old and is a good friend of Amalia.
Or to Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, another heiress of her generation, who has just turned 18 in the presence of a good part of the European royal houses.
A meeting attended by King Felipe VI, who is one of his godparents at baptism, but not Leonor, the Princess of Asturias, who finished the course on the same day at the boarding school in Wales where she is studying the International Baccalaureate (precisely with the Amalia's middle sister, Alexia).
To date, she has not transcended Amalia's invitation list,
Almost all the European princesses who will become queens in their respective countries and, therefore, heads of state, are already of higher education age.
The exceptions are Leonor from Spain, 16 years old;
and Estela from Sweden, only 10 years old.
For his part, Carlos of Luxembourg, son of the hereditary dukes, Guillermo and Estefanía, is only two years old.
The boy posed very smiling along with the princesses in the family photo that the four of them took: Ingrid Alexandra, Estela, Isabel and Amalia, during the first's birthday.
The Dutch royal family during their traditional summer pose on June 24. PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW (REUTERS)
The relationship between Amalia, Isabel and Ingrid is close.
"We understand each other immediately without the need for further explanation when we find ourselves in the same situation," said the Dutch heiress, on June 24, during the traditional summer inn of the royal family.
The three young women send each other WhatsApp messages and discuss issues such as "privacy, friends or social networks," she said.
Amalia acknowledged in turn that she is preparing to attend, this September, the annual opening of Parliament (Prinsjesdag, in Dutch).
It will be the first time that she accompanies the kings.
"I'll have to rehearse to see if I can get on the float in a long dress and all," she joked.
After these more or less rigorous questions, it was time for possible romantic relationships, and there, Amalia de Orange used humor.
“Are you lucky with love?” she was asked.
She answered like this: "Very lucky, with all the people who love me around me, but I imagine that is not the answer she expected," she exclaimed, to the laughter of her mother.
She added that it is a personal matter, "but if there is something serious, you [the press] will be the first to know."
At the insistence of journalists, King William asked for time so that his 18-year-old daughter "trains and can meet many great people."
