The Queen And The Moon Rock
Was fake moon rock presented to the Dutch Queen?
In 2009, the Netherlands was stunned by the revelation that a "moon rock" displayed in the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) was, in fact, a fake. This rock had an interesting backstory, as it originally belonged to former Prime Minister Willem Drees and was gifted to the museum after his passing in 1988. The intriguing part was that Drees received the rock from then U.S. ambassador J. William Middendorf during a goodwill tour by the Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969.
When questioned about the authenticity of the moon rock, Middendorf stated, "I do recall Drees showing great interest in this small piece of stone. However, I am unaware of any information suggesting that it is not genuine."
This revelation raised further questions about whether the Apollo 11 astronauts had also presented a fake moon rock to Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and her husband, Prince Bernard, during the same goodwill tour. A news article from October 9, 1969, published in the Nieuwsblad van het Noorden, featured a photograph of the Queen receiving gifts from the astronauts. The caption beneath the photo mentioned that she was given a replica of the message left by the Apollo astronauts on the moon and a piece of moon rock.
The discovery of the fake moon rock not only cast doubt on the authenticity of this particular artifact but also raised questions about the legitimacy of other moon rocks gifted to various countries during the Apollo 11 goodwill tour.
The newspaper article is copyrighted that is why we blurred most of the text and photograph. The source for this news article can de found here. In the photograph, we see the Dutch Queen, Prince Bernard, Collins, Aldrin, Armstrong, and Prince Claus.
Royals and Protocols
It seems highly unlikely that both the Queen and former Prime Minister Willem Drees would have been given a moon rock during the goodwill tour of the Apollo 11 Astronauts. If a moon rock was gifted it would have been presented to the Queen, who as the head of state should have received the most important gifts. To have given Willem Drees, at the time a former Prime Minister, a valuable moon rock makes no sense at all. It would have been against protocol by any stretch of the imagination.
AwE130 believes that the fake moon rock, which was exposed in 2009, was initially presented (or meant to be presented) to the Queen of the Netherlands by the Apollo 11 crew. AwE130 suspects that the Dutch royals were aware of the rock's lack of authenticity and therefore declined the gift. Interestingly, the US ambassador to the Netherlands was apprehensive about informing Washington that the gift had been rejected. Consequently, the ambassador decided to give the moon rock to former Prime Minister Willem Drees later that same day. It is worth noting that the Dutch Royal family has never acknowledged receiving any moon rock during the Apollo 11 visit.
This newspaper clipping holds significant importance due to its revealing nature. During significant events, journalists are usually provided with a schedule in advance, informing them of what to expect. However, in the case of this article, it seems that the journalist involved did not receive the messages regarding the omission or suppression of the moon rock. The article serves as evidence of a planned presentation of a moon rock to the queen of the Netherlands. Can you imagine the sensational headlines that would have graced international newspapers in 1969:
"Dutch Queen Refuses Moon Rock Gift from Apollo 11 Astronauts."
According to a report by the Dutch National Geographic, a significant number of moon rocks are currently held by museums, royalties, and former heads of states. It was revealed that between 1969 and 1973, President Nixon distributed moon rocks as gifts. However, it is worth noting that the National Geographic article containing this information was subsequently removed from there website. The article, written by Christian de Bruijn, was originally published on December 11th, 2014
Reported in various news articles, the Dutch Queen received two official moon rock gifts from President Nixon in 1970 and 1973. These gifts were donated to the Rijksmuseum of natural sciences in Leiden. Interestingly, a fake moon rock mentioned in a 1969 newspaper clipping resurfaced in 1988, as a donation to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it was expossed in 2009.
The Rijksmuseum website in Leiden guarantees the authenticity of their moon rocks, affirming that they have undergone rigorous testing. While the website briefly mentions the existence of a fake moon rock, it does not delve into that particular story. Instead, the focus lies on assuring visitors that the moon rocks in their possession are genuine. The museum considers these lunar specimens as concrete evidence supporting the occurrence of the Apollo moon landings. The Rijksmuseum was delighted to discover that the samples possessed a chemical composition that aligned perfectly with the composition of other moon rocks collected by Neil Armstrong. They seem to be easily pleased.
This test only shows that the Rijksmuseum has samples from the same batch of rocks NASA has. The problem is that if NASA faked the Apollo moon landings they also hold rocks that are not picked up by the Apollo astronauts on the moon.
