Royal visit for the 43 Mechanized Brigade in Darp. Princess Amalia first became acquainted with the armed forces in Drenthe.
The visit to Darp already took place in June, but has only now been announced by the Government Information Service. On the occasion of her eighteenth birthday, Commander of the Armed Forces had offered General Onno Eichelsheim a first introduction to the Royal Netherlands Air Force, the Royal Netherlands Army and the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Amalia, who will be nineteen this month, took a ride in a Leopard battle tank on Drenthe soil and met soldiers from the German-Dutch 414 Tank Battalion. These Dutch soldiers are assigned to the Cavalry Regiment that bears her name: Regiment Hussars Princess Catharina Amalia.
In April and August, Amalia visited two other parts of the Dutch armed forces, Volkel Air Base and the Royal Navy in Den Helder respectively. She flew from Volkel on a training flight of an F-16 of the Air Force. In Den Helder, Amalia joined Zr.Ms. Zeeleeuw, where she ate the traditional Indonesian rice table with the crew. The princess was allowed to steer the boat under supervision and let it surface.