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Princess Amalia: When she came of age, she was admitted to the Dutch Council of State, the government's highest advisory body
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ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN / EPA
On December 7th, Princess Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria turned 18, and the day of honor was celebrated in the Netherlands, after all, the young woman will one day become queen.
However, the princess's private birthday party last Saturday caused persistent criticism in the country - the Dutch royal family has now reacted to it.
"The King has informed me that after careful consideration it was not a good idea to organize (the meeting)," wrote Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in a letter to Parliament on Wednesday.
According to media reports, Amalia celebrated her 18th birthday with 21 guests in the garden of the palace and canceled an originally planned celebration inside.
"The family strove to deal responsibly with the coronavirus rules by gathering outdoors and taking precautionary measures," Rutte continued.
The guests at the party were therefore vaccinated and tested and were also asked to keep their distances.
However, some parliamentarians complained that the royal family had not adhered to the applicable Corona rules.
Dutch people are currently allowed to receive a maximum of four guests over the age of 13 in their homes.
"If we make exceptions for the royal family, all of our measures will fall into the water," said MEP Eva van Esch from the "Partij voor de Dieren" (Party for the Animals) of the Dutch news agency ANP.
The party is the last in a series of royal mishaps during the pandemic.
In October last year, King Willem-Alexander's family was forced to cancel a vacation in Greece after a lockdown was imposed in the Netherlands.
Only a few weeks earlier, the Dutch royal couple posed for a souvenir photo without a minimum distance while on vacation and apologized for it after persistent criticism.
aar / AFP
