A link with pictures on a dutch website:
http://www.planet.nl/planet/show/id=62967/contentid=775878/sc=378dad

I love the ones of her in flip flops, no makeup, taking pictures. She look relaxed!

She really looks great. I wonder if the turtles, that she named after her grandchildren were tagged so they could be identified in the future? Small question, but fun. I was present at the Talk of the Town in Aruba years ago and she and her husband walked within 2 feet passed me. I was so thrilled, I shocked myself. My mother was introduced to her mother (Koningin Juliana) many years ago!

That must have been a great experience that your mother was introduced to queen Juliana.
Normally a once in a lifetime opportunity that you were so near to Queen Beatrix and her husband. Your family seems to be often in the right place at the right time.

Bob - what a great photo story (don't even need to be able to read the text!).
She looks like a lovely lady!

I was born and raised on Aruba along including one year stays as a child on Bonaire and Curacao. My parents are Americans. You know, I can't help but share my last Queen Beatrix story. When my youngest son Aaron was almost three and my son Joshua was five, we went to Aruba on a much needed vacation. We then lived in the NYC Tri-State area. Aaron was rather ill with ITP (disease discussed on Community Chat by Lisa Barclay called "Update on Joshua". In addition, Joshua had just had major abdominal surgery, so the doctors said to get away and have some fun and rest as a family when I asked if it was o.k. to go to Aruba (my parents were still living there at the time). The doctors gave me a letter of instructions for them, and Aaron's Pediatric Hematologist had trained me in a crash course on how to take care of Aaron's bleeding problems should they kick in while we were there, so off we went. They had a ball playing in the water and on the beach - which was the safest place for them to be playing - no hard edges, no hard places to fall. Well, on the final day of the vacation, I took the boys (I'm a single parent) to the Holiday Inn on Aruba. It was around 9:00 A.M. They have a playground near the pool. When it was time to leave about 11:00 A.M., I left the playground holding Joshua's hand, he was holding Aaron's hand. After about 10 steps, I turned to speak to Aaron and realized he was nowhere to be found! I didn't panic then, but just went back and looked around the playground again. No Aaron. Walked to the beach, checked by the Pool - no Aaron. Asked everyone if they had seen a curly haired blond haired little boy with big blue eyes anywhere. No Aaron! By then everyone started to look like a deviant to me, and I started to panic about him going into the ocean by himself. The Social Director of the Holiday Inn came over, asked the outside employees to join the search in addition to many tourists who had started to help search for him. We had had his platelets checked three times a week in Aruba for 2 weeks. Aaron's platelets had started to go down fast in the last week and I knew it. He was starting to look like a battered child - as he's very fair, and was getting nosebleeds at the drop of a hat. I had his medication with me, but he was going to be taking it at lunch so we could fly. I explained the health complications to the Director so she called the Police and the Hospital to see if anyone had brought him in. No Aaron. She started calling all the hotels down the strip. By then I was no longer calm and I was a sight to behold! I don't burn, I fry, so I don't go in the sun between 11:00 and 3:00 down there. I was fried and my hair (half way down my back) was sticking straight up and out. The Director found out that they had found a unattended child at the then Golden Tulip (about a half mile away) down the beach! I didn't think it could be him because it was too far, but she drove me over there anyway to check. I raced through the lobby of the Golden Tulip to front desk hysterically asking: " My baby! My baby! Do you have my baby!! My brain registered the fact that the beautiful lobby was packed with men in tuxedoes and ladies in long gowns with fur stoles - yes, fur stoles in Aruba (20 years ago this was). There was also a large number of Dutch Marines - some of which were in Swat gear. The front desk directed me to the bar on the Ocean front. When I got there - there was Aaron - sitting on the counter, holding an ice cream cone, surrounded by loving staff members, happy as a clam!!!! He said: " Hi mommy - I lost!" I tried to be calmly happy so as not to scare him. Fat chance! I wanted to squeeze him, but couldn't as it would severally bruise him. Lord, those moments are burned in my brain. As I walked back to and through the lobby holding Aaron in my arms - burnt to a crisp, hair going in every direction like the bride of Frankenstein, and tears streaming down my happy face, the whole group in the lobby started clapping real loud for us. The Director informed me in the car trip back to the Holiday Inn that she had been detained by the head of the group of Marines as she had to explain who and why this lunatic was running through the lobby demanding: My baby! My baby? Where's my baby. Apparently the group of people were the Delegation to meet Queen Beatrix, who was staying in the hotel, and the Marines where there to protect her!!!!! I aged 20 years that day. We made our flight that afternoon with 20 minutes to spare!! A vacation I will NEVER forget! Sorry it's an epistle, but I couldn't figure out what to leave out of the story. That's the sum total now of my Queen of the Netherlands stories.

Very cool Marilyn - not about losing your son but about the full story. We stayed in Aruba for a week this summer and ate at a place called The Tulip which is attached to Eagle Beach Resort. Wonder if it is near your Golden Tulip.

Marilyn - what a powerful story even after 20 years, still resonates with every detail.

I'm not really sure. The Golden Tulip has changed ownership several times since then and I couldn't keep up! It was on Palm Beach, not Eagle Beach so I don't think so. It was near the beginning of the strip of high rise hotels, and the Holiday Inn was, in those days, the last Hotel. I don't think I even knew the Queen was on the island at that time. It's always a thrill when she visits. We used to get the day off from school when she did! Aaaaahh, the priorities of youth!

What a horrible story Marilyn.
It's what every parent fears.