The British Embassy The Hague and the British Council Netherlands have been launching a Great British Summer Celebration. Included is a photo exhibition of His Majesty King Charles III and his links to the Netherlands to mark the coronation. The travelling exhibition tours the Netherlands and features photos of the King with information about the coronation and the connections of the King to the Netherlands.
After having missed seeing it on 5 July 2023 at the English Reformed Church in Amsterdam, because there were no trains running, the exhibition has now come to the city hall in Groningen, where it can be seen on 14, 15, 21 and 22 July 2023 from 10am to 4pm. The British Deputy Ambassador Lucy Ferguson opened the exhibition on Thursday 13 July 2023. The next venues will be:
- 24 July – 11 August 2023: City Hall Museum, Zierikzee
- 14 – 25 August 2023: Provincial House, Maastricht
- 28 August – 10 September 2023: Provincial House, Den Bosch
- 11-15 September 2023: Eusebius Church, Arnhem
- 16-26 September 2023: Airborne Museum, Arnhem
I honestly must say I was quite disappointed. I counted no more than six displays, nearly all of them on one side rather used to promote Great Britain. The other side included photos (a few were by Chris Jackson), but not always royal. There was a display telling very shortly about the visits of the King to the Netherlands, another one about some Dutch patronages he did hold/still holds, which I didn’t know. But that was it, nothing about the coronation, except for the emblem.
The biggest news for me was that the Dutch tulip consortium Hybris has launched a new variety of tulip, which will be named King Charles III. The orange tulip with fringed yellow petals will be introduced to the world market this coming year. He will therefore be given the same honour as his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. in 1952.
If you’re planning to visit, don’t go especially for this display – I wouldn’t call it an exhibition. But if you happen to be in the neighbourhood anyway, it might be nice having a quick look.