Princess Maxima was a surprise entrant in Sunday’s Amsterdam canal swim to raise money for a nerve and muscle disease charity.

The princess swam the 2km course in 50 minutes and was welcomed by her husband crown prince Willem Alexander and daughters at the end. She wore a red and black wetsuit and orange swimming hat for the event.
A number of prominent Dutch swimmers, including Olympic champions Pieter van den Hoogenband, Marleen Veldhuis, Edith Bosch and Maarten van der Weijden were among the 1,000 people taking part.
Although the canals are not officially declared safe for swimming, ‘the water has never been so clean’, the organisers said on their website. Nevertheless, swimmers were warned not to take part with open wounds and to use goggles and ear plugs to minimise any risk.
The swim is an annual event. This year’s was raising money for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Photo: Novum

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