Photos online went viral on social media showing Ambassador Christopher Juncker, the Director of the King’s Office of the Netherlands, receiving Egyptian Ambassador Emad Hanna, who delivered an invitation from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands to participate in the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).
The king received a miniature model of the GEM alongside a special invitation designed like papyrus leaves.
The GEM has been temporary closed since October 15. The closure is scheduled to continue until the official opening on November 1, 2025.
It will be opened for public on November 4, 2025.
This comes after nearly a year of trial operations at the museum, which began in October 2024, with the opening of 12 exhibition halls containing thousands of artifacts that tell the story of ancient Egyptian civilization throughout the ages.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
