Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima have been received at the White House in Washington by First Lady Michelle Obama.

The meeting, which was not part of a state visit, lasted a little over half an hour. President Barack Obama, who was not scheduled to be there, did meet the Dutch royals, albeit briefly. The crown prince and his wife are in the US to attend celebrations marking the discovery of New York 400 years ago by Henry Hudson on behalf of the Dutch East Indies Company. On Friday they witnessed the memorial event held in New York for the attacks of 11 September 2001.