Holland’s King Willem-Alexander will pay tribute to Polish soldiers next month.
The 47-year-old royal is set to attend the 70th commemoration of Polish participation in World War 2’s Battle of Arnhem which will be held on September 20 in Driel, just 10 kilometres away from the battle site.
King Willem-Alexander will be joined by the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Poland’s President Count Bronisław Komorowski who will give heartfelt speeches at the event set to be attended by twelve veterans who fought in the il-fated battle to capture a bridge over the river Rhine.
Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima made their first official royal visit to the country in June this year where they honoured the Polish contribution to the liberation of the south of Holland during the German occupation.
Meanwhile, the King – who was crowned following the abdication of his mother Queen Beatrix in January last year – and Queen Maxima have been mourning last month’s aircrash disaster which claimed the lives of 189 dutch passengers.
Following the incident, King Willem-Alexander paid tribute to the victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 – which came down over Ukraine on July 23.
Victims included Aids researcher Joep Lange and the Dutch Labour party MP Willem Witteveen, leaving the King "deeply shocked".
He previously said: "We offer our deepest sympathy to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims and to those who are still uncertain if their loved ones were on board the plane."
Holland’s King Willem-Alexander to commemorate Battle of Arnhem
