Dutch king and queen to travel to Britain for state visit

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In this Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, image Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima wave from the balcony of royal palace Noordeinde in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. The king and queen of the Netherlands will travel to Britain later this month on a state visit that the Dutch government says underscores the two countries’ close links. Image: AP Photo/Peter Dejong

THE HAGUE, Netherlands— King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands will travel to London later this month on a state visit that the Dutch government says will take them from Buckingham Palace to Brixton.

The government said Monday that the first state visit to Britain by a sitting Dutch monarch since Queen Beatrix in 1982 “re-affirms the excellent ties between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom as ‘North Sea neighbors’ based on shared values in the past, present and future.”

The announcement comes as Britain is negotiating its divorce terms from the European Union, of which the Netherlands is a founding member.

The Oct. 23-24 visit that will take the royals to appointments including a speech in Parliament, a banquet at Buckingham Palace and visit to the London neighborhood of Brixton. MKH

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