Dutch crown prince gaffes in Mexico speech

Mexico – Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander made a major blunder Thursday in an energy seminar in Mexico City when he used an impolite Spanish phrase and mispronounced it.   

The crown prince who was urging his listeners to act against global warming was giving a speech in English when he used the Spanish expression, "camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente“, (a sleeping shrimp will be washed away by the tide).

Instead of saying al corriente, Willem-Alexander said "a la chingada".

While chingada is part of the daily language in most of South America, it means "got screwed" in Mexican Spanish and is considered vulgar, prompting the audience to burst into laughter.

The speech had been prepared by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, which has since apologised to the prince for putting the wrong words into his mouth.

Willem-Alexander’s Argentinian wife, Princess Máxima, was not involved in writing the speech, said the government information service.

The crown prince is in Mexico with Princess Maxima and Queen Beatrix for a five-day state visit.

The Dutch royals have visited an arid region west of Mexico City and spoke to trainees at a college for agricultural technology and water management who are preparing for jobs in their own country, rather than emigrating to find work. Drought is a major cause of Mexican emigration to the neighbouring US.

The royal family will spend their last day visiting the spectacular pyramids of Teotihuacan.

Radio Netherlands / Expatica