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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcomed King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to the White House
Earlier in the day, the King and Queen visited Philadelphia, where they toured Independence Hall and saw the Liberty Bell, in recognition of the year-long American 250 celebrations
The visit comes just a few weeks before King Charles and Queen Camilla make a U.S. state visit of their own in late April
Before King Charles‘ upcoming state visit to the U.S. this month, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcomed other royal guests.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands were greeted by the Trumps at the White House on Monday, April 13. Although the Dutch royals aren’t on a state visit, the agenda for their working visit to the U.S. included dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C.
The Dutch royals arrived at the White House just after 7 p.m.
“Thank you for having us,” King Willem-Alexander said after he and his wife shook hands with Trump and Melania, according to White House pool reporters.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima shake hands with first lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump
Credit: Win McNamee/Getty
Earlier in the day, the King, 58, and Queen, 54, were welcomed to Philadelphia by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
There, they toured Independence Hall and saw the Liberty Bell, in recognition of the year-long American 250 celebrations marking the country’s milestone anniversary of independence.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands visit Independence Hall and The Liberty Bell on April 13, 2026
Credit: Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images
Continuing a tradition from his last official visit to the U.S., the King co-piloted the plane that brought him and his wife to Philadelphia on Sunday, April 12. He was photographed in the cockpit before changing out of his uniform and disembarking with the Queen.
King Willem-Alexander has earned several pilot licenses over the years, including a Military Pilot’s License and Airline Transport Pilot License. He also occasionally flew as a guest pilot for KLM Cityhopper, a subsidiary of the national carrier of the Netherlands; however, according to his royal bio, his final flight in that capacity came in March, as he needs to complete further training to pilot the fleet’s new Airbus A321neo, which is replacing the KLM Boeing 737.
In 2017, the King told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, via The Guardian, that the “most relaxing part of flying” for him was that “You can completely disengage and concentrate on something else.”
“You have an aircraft, passengers and crew. You have responsibility for them. You can’t take your problems from the ground into the skies,” he shared.
While his commercial passengers might recognize his face, the King said at the time that he rarely gets identified from his cockpit announcements.
“Most people don’t listen anyway,” he said.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands co-pilots his place into Philadelphia International Airport on April 12, 2026
Credit: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty
The visit comes just a few weeks before King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to make an official state visit to the U.S. in late April.
This will be the King’s first state visit to America since becoming the monarch. His mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, made four: in 1957, 1976, 1991 and 2007.
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Although the schedule for the King and Queen’s four days in the U.S. has not been announced, the president has said that a dinner is on the agenda for April 28.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the visit last month, saying it “will celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence.”
Trump shared his own statement, saying, “I look forward to spending time with the King, whom I greatly respect.”
Read the original article on People