Special Dispatch: A King and Queen At Independence Hall
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima arrived in Philadelphia today to kick off royal celebrations of America's 250th
This morning, I watched a reigning monarch walk into Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.
To say that these two have presence is an understatement—and it wasn’t just a result of their height. It’s the third working visit by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima to the U.S. in recent years, following recent trips to Texas and California in 2022, and to New York and Georgia in 2024.
This leg takes them through Philadelphia and, tonight, to Washington D.C., where they’ll attend a White House dinner hosted by President Trump. They’ll continue on to Miami, FL, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The timing of this visit is deliberate: 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of American independence, and the Netherlands deserves its invite to that party. Dutch mercantile and financial backing helped sustain the Continental Army (despite William V, Prince of Orange, being a relative of King George III). And the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was among the first governments to recognize the United States.
In 1776, on the Dutch-controlled Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, cannons belonging to the Dutch West India Company fired the first international salute to the nascent flag of the United States of America. Even our political system drew inspiration from theirs, offering an established model of a confederation in which states retained their individual sovereignty while cooperating on larger, national issues.
King Willem-Alexander acknowledged this when he said in his official address outside Independence Hall: “By declaring independence in 1776, the U.S. lit a beacon of hope for all freedom-loving peoples. Of course, the course of world history changed and the Netherlands was one of the first countries to recognize this new era and embrace it.”
In honor of that enduring friendship, the parties exchanged official gifts: copies of the Pennsylvania Charter and the Act of Abjuration, the Netherlands’ version of the Declaration of Independence—the latter of which will soon go on display at the Museum of the American Revolution. “Both documents reflect the same spirit and defend the same principles,” said the King. “Liberty, the rejection of tyranny and dictatorship, and governance by the consent of the governed.”
“The Netherlands and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania share incredibly deep historical and cultural ties,” said Gov. Shapiro in his own address. “Ties that reach all the way back to our founding in the 1600s, when the Dutch became some of the very first European traders to visit the Delaware Valley.” He also noted that the Schuylkill River is named, in Dutch, “The Hidden River.” This is one pair of visitors who can probably manage “Schuylkill” without coaching.
It’s notable, then, that this trip is the first U.S. visit by a reigning monarch for 2026—a major commemorative year for America that will see a lot more royal adjacency before it’s out. Other members of other royal families will make appearances to celebrate America 250, including Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla, later this month. But today, in Philadelphia, set the bar.
As Shapiro said, “The history is important, but the future is where we find great possibility.”
The Netherlands–America relationship is, in the most literal sense, one of the founding relationships of the American republic. When Governor Josh Shapiro and King Willem-Alexander stood together to deliver joint statements, they invoked a shared founding mythology to talk about what they actually need from each other right now. In 2026, that means lots of talk about trade, technology, infrastructure, and agricultural supply chains. But Independence Square and the Liberty Bell make for better photographs than a trade briefing in a conference room, for sure.
The pair held a private, bilateral conversation inside Independence Hall focused on economic ties. “Pennsylvania is one of our key partners,” the king said, “and this is about more than just business alone. We worked together closely on innovations to improve our health care, strengthen our maritime sector, help our cities thrive, and make our living environments cleaner.”
According to the governor’s office, 2025 saw a 17% increase in trade between Pennsylvania and the Netherlands, amounting to about $3.7 billion. They also note that Pennsylvania is the sixth-largest international job creator for the Netherlands. The more you know!
This was, of course, a state working visit by a reigning monarch. It was substantively different (both in its programming and in the media presence) from, say, a cultural visit by a junior royal like Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh. Security was tighter, the optics were more controlled.
Likewise, the agenda for Willem-Alexander and Máxima’s full U.S. trip is dense: CEO roundtables, innovation sessions, a Fishtown community tour, a Philadelphia Eagles facility visit, and a White House dinner tonight.
You can read about my last “assignment” covering an in-person royal event here:
King Willem-Alexander—a trained aviator—piloted the Dutch royal flight to Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday evening, where he and Máxima were first received by Shapiro’s staff. While disembarking, the Queen wore a striking, leaf-green coordinated suit and shawl. She repeated the shade today in the city, wearing a green dress with wrapped detailing on the bodice.
Green is doing a lot of potential heavy lifting here. It could be a nod to the Philadelphia Eagles, whose home stadium hosts part of the visit's afternoon agenda. It could also speak to the sustainability and water innovation themes running through the bilateral agenda for this trip. And it might simply be a conscious decision not to “flag dress”—to arrive as a key player in talks rather than a symbol. Máxima has never been a royal who needs to explain herself through her clothing.
I wish I had more fashion info for you, but the press pool today was not advised on the Queen’s fashion (which is sometimes the case with, say, British royal visits). Máxima reportedly likes to decide on her outfit choices the morning of an engagement! That’s what I call being confident in your style.
And who wouldn’t be, if you could pair your daytime ensemble with a suite of black pearl and diamond jewels? I noted that Máxima pulled out the understated yet impressive accessories today—a “simple” brooch, bracelet, and pair of earrings. They were restrained by Máxima’s standards…which is still several registers above most people’s best.
These were daytime diamonds, darling, pared down with pearls. It was perfect for Old City Philly, with its Quaker bones and cobblestone pragmatism. These will likely be swapped out for the “big guns” (an array of evening diamonds) before the evening portion of their visit takes them to the White House and Donald Trump.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima leave Philadelphia having set a tone for what America 250 looks like when a monarchy shows up to participate seriously. The agenda was substantive, and the visit even leaves behind something tangible: the Act of Abjuration, heading to the Museum of the American Revolution.
At tonight’s White House dinner, though, a Dutch king who governs within strict constitutional limits will sit down with an American president who has demonstrated considerable enthusiasm for testing his own. The founding documents on the table at Independence Hall this morning will not be on the menu tonight.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are due, as I noted above, to pay a similar visit later this month. The contrast will be instructive. Britain’s relationship to American independence is, to put it diplomatically, more complicated. How the British monarchy navigates America 250 will be its own story. But for both the Dutch and the British delegations, part of the mission will be to prove that the threads connecting the old world to the new run longer and stranger than most people remember.
Boots on the ground!
I am exhausted and speechless. Good luck to their majesties. After this latest Gargantuan pope fopaux, on the heels of their visit. May they enjoy a peaceful and fruitful dinner