The Netherlands ' King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were among the crowds that flocked outside to watch the partial solar eclipse this morning . Resplendent in a crimson ensemble , 43-year-old Maxima donned protective glasses and watched from a wharf in Hamburg alongside her husband . Perhaps not finding the eclipse quite as dramatic as she had hoped , the Argentina-born royal soon began laughing and whipped off her glasses . Scroll down for video . Watching the eclipse : The Netherlands ' Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander watch the eclipse . Looking good : Maxima looked wonderful in a bright crimson ensemble , complete with matching gloves . Impressed : King Willem-Alexander appeared impressed with what he saw , pointing up towards the eclipse . The Dutch royal couple are currently in the middle of a brief 48-hour tour of northern Germany with Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg on their itinerary . In Britain , millions turned out to watch the first solar eclipse of this century , which plunged parts of the UK in to brief darkness . Britain 's skies began to darken at around 8.24am this morning as the Moon started to move between us and the sun , with the eclipse peaking at around 9.30am across the country . Today 's eclipse produced a 100-mile-wide 'totality ' shadow path that crossed the North Atlantic , resulting in a partial eclipse across the northern hemisphere , including the whole of Europe , Greenland , Newfoundland , northern Africa and western Asia . Is that it ? A less enamoured Maxima took off her glasses early and turned away . On tour : The Dutch royals are touring Hamburg today as part of a brief 48-hour tour of northern Germany . Meeting : They are attending a meeting aimed at boosting Dutch business and trade links . Gas : The royal couple are also being shown a new barge that is fitted out to carry liquefied natural gas . Maxima and Willem-Alexander arrived Germany yesterday , after completing a short three-day tour of Denmark . Having waved goodbye to their Danish hosts at Copenhagen 's Kastrup Airport , they flew on to Lübeck where they were greeted by excited well-wishers clutching hand-painted portraits . After a lunchtime reception , they then continued on to the Thünen Institute for Organic Farming in Trenthorst , where Maxima came dangerously close to getting her shoe stuck in some silage . Along with watching the eclipse , today 's schedule includes a meeting at Hamburg's Fischauktionshalle to discuss business opportunities for Dutch firms in Germany . The royals will also be shown a newly-built barge , named the Hummel , which is designed to carry liquefied natural gas . All natural : Yesterday , Maxima came close to treading in some silage ( fermented hay ) during a farm visit . Looking around : The Dutch royals were touring the Thünen Institute for Organic Farming in Trenthorst . Warm welcome : The couple arrived in Lübeck to be met by well-wishers proffering portraits of them . Maxima and Willem-Alexander will also tour the Joop van den Ende Academy , which focuses on innovation in theatre technology - also a speciality of the Dutch performing arts sector . So keen are the Dutch royals on giving local performers a boost , they flew four dancers from Amsterdam to Copenhagen for a performance on Wednesday night . The men , all from the Het International Choreographic Arts Centre , got their big moment during a banquet hosted by Maxima and Willem-Alexander for the Danish royals . Designed to give Dutch culture a platform , the minimally-clad performers treated Denmark 's Queen Margrethe and her family to an unusual modern dance performance . Watching from the front row was Maxima herself , elegant in a patriotic russet dress beside the Scandinavian country 's Crown Prince Frederik . Interesting : The couple spent their last night in Denmark treating their hosts to a Dutch dance performance . Keep smiling : Maxima appeared to enjoy the modern dance performance and beamed throughout . Looking good : The 43-year-old Dutch Queen looked fabulous in a patriotic russet gown . Round of applause : All the royals politely applauded at the end of the performance .
The Dutch royals are currently in Hamburg and watched the eclipse there . Maxima turned away smiling while Willem-Alexander looked enthralled . Eclipse plunged most of the Northern Hemisphere into partial darkness . Dutch royals have just finished a tour of Denmark and return home Yesterday .