SUGARED ALMONDS FOR PRINCESS BEATRIX & CLAUS VON AMSBERG
The reading of the wedding banns of princess Beatrix and Claus von Amsberg took place at the city hall of Baarn on the 17th of February 1966. The event was broadcast live on television. The purpose of the reading of the wedding banns is to let everyone know of the intention to get married.
After the ceremony the couple went to the Hall of Knights in The Hague for a large reception.
It was here that the mayor and other important people came to congratulate them. It turned into an old fashioned Dutch wedding party atmosphere. At the end of the reception 300 hundred little parachutes in the colors red, white, blue and orange (the colors of the Dutch flag are red white blue and orange is for the House of orange) cascaded down from the ceiling. Every one of them had a small parcel of 5 sugared almonds attached to it. They stand for love, loyalty, happiness, prosperity and fertility.
All the guests including the Royal Family tried to catch one of them. Afterwards the couple made a tour through the city of The Hague in an open carriage.
We have two in our collection still intact with the sugared almonds.
- White parachute with the parcel of sugared almonds.
- Orange parachute
