The Netherlands is a democracy, governed by political parties, but it is also a monarchy in which the monarch functions as the head of state. The Dutch royal family fulfils certain ceremonial functions, and the king still has some political influence as well. This page explains what you need to know about the Dutch monarchy.
The present Dutch monarchy was founded in 1813, when Willem Frederick from the House of Orange-Nassau, having cooperated with the British to end French control over his territories, accepted the title of sovereign ruler of the United Netherlands.
In 1815, William Frederick raised the Netherlands to the status of a kingdom and named himself King Willian I. At the Congress of Vienna that same year, the House of Orange-Nassau was proclaimed the ruler of the Kingdom of the Netherlands - a status it retains to this day.
In 1839, the Kingdom of Belgium won its right to secede from the Netherlands, and in 1839 Luxembourg also split off to become a Grand Duchy.
However, up until after the Second World War, the Kingdom of the Netherlands still retained a significant number of oversears territories, including the Dutch East Indies, Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean.
In 1949, sovereignty over the Dutch East Indies was transferred to the Republic of Indonesia; then in 1954 Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles were given the status of countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with autonomous powers over their own internal affairs. New Guinea was transferred to Indonesia by the United Nations in 1963. In 1975, Suriname left the Kingdom, becoming an independent republic.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands currently includes Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten, who retain the status of independent constituent countries within a kingdom.
The monarch of the Netherlands is the head of state; a part of the government that cannot be overthrown. They have no ruling power, but new rules and decisions require their signature.
The decree is that Kings and Queens must be direct descendants of Queen Juliana. The royal position and successions are part of the Dutch constitution, making it a constitutional monarchy.
The monarch's duties are those for the state, such as signing new laws, and those with a ceremonial value, such as making state visits and welcoming other heads of state to strengthen diplomatic ties.
An important function of the monarc is to read the troonrede on Prince’s Day; an overview of the government’s intended policy for the coming year.
Like every other Dutch citizen over 18 years old, the monarch has the right to vote. However, they traditionally do not make use of this right, as they are supposed to remain impartial. This is an unwritten rule in Dutch state law.
After Kings William I, II and III, the Netherlands saw its first queen, Queen Wilhelmina, due to lack of a male heir in the House of Orange. She was followed by Queen Juliana, and then Queen Beatrix, before the current King Willem-Alexander ascended to the throne in 2013.
Rather than remaining on the throne until they die, Dutch monarchs have something of a history of abdicating: King Willem I, Queen Wilhelmina, Queen Juliana and Queen Beatrix have all abdicated. When a monarch abdicates, they are succeeded by the next person in line to the throne.
The next King or Queen will be the King's lawful heir. Princess Catharina-Amalia (the eldest born) is the first in line for the throne, followed by her sister Princess Alexia, followed by the youngest daughter, Princess Ariane.
Beatrix was the Dutch Queen from 1980 until 2013. After abdicating the throne to her son Willem-Alexander, her official title is Princess but many still refer to her as Queen.
Beatrix has three first names and her full name is: Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, Prinses der Nederlanden, Prinses van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses van Lippe-Biesterfeld. She is the oldest child of Queen Juliana der Nederlanden and Prince Bernhard van Lippe-Biesterfeld, and, since 2002, widow of Prince Claus der Nederlanden.
Beatrix is a straight descendant of Sophia van de Palts. According to the Sophia Naturalisation Act from 1705, all of Princess Sophia’s direct descendants automatically become British. Beatrix never claimed her British citizenship and never acquired a British passport, but she was still 942nd in line to the British throne.
Two and a half years after Beatrix was born, the Germans invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. Queen Wilhelmina (Beatrix’s grandmother), Queen Juliana, Prince Bernard and Princess Beatrix fled to Canada via the United Kingdom, where they resided for the duration of the war. Beatrix’s sister Margriet was born in Canada in 1943.
In 2008 Beatrix still had never used a computer, and she didn’t like mobile phones. At one point she was given a phone with pre-programmed numbers for her three sons: one for Willem-Alexander, one for Friso and one for Constantijn. The first time she used her mobile she interrupted Friso in the middle of a meeting, and she apparently did not like to use her phone very much after this.
Willem-Alexander was born in 1967, as the eldest son of Crown Princess Beatrix (of the Netherlands) and Prince Claus (Prince of the Netherlands, Esquire of Amsberg). He became crown prince when Beatrix became queen in 1980.
Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht, and baptised in The Hague. He was granted the titles Prince of the Netherlands, Prince of Oranje-Nassau and Esquire of Amsberg.
He first spent his childhood in Castle Drakensteyn, and later in Huis ten Bosch in The Hague. After high school he studied history in Wales and Leiden. His enthusiastic student’s life earned him the nickname Prins Pils (Prince Pint).
The prince fulfilled his military duty in the Royal Marine. After his studies he obtained a Pilot’s license. He occasionally flies as a guest pilot for KLM Cityhopper.
In 2001, Prince Willem-Alexander’s engagement to the Argentinian Maxima Zorreguieta was announced. They were married in 2002. They have three children:
Willem-Alexander became King of the Netherlands on April 30, 2013, after his mother abdicated. In the Netherlands, the King is sworn in rather than crowned. To celebrate the occasion, which took place on Queen’s Day, a ceremony was held in the Mozes Hall in the Palace on Dam Square.
This led to the famous balcony scene where the new King and Queen appeared on the balcony of the Dam, along with the new Princess Beatrix, and waved to the crowds. A famous quote from this moment is “Even wuiven” (Give them a quick wave), a motherly and regal order from the ex-queen to her son and daughter-in-law.
In 2024, the King’s budget is 55 million euros. This will largely be spent on staff and materials for the Royal Household. The King himself will receive a salary of almost 1,1 million euros.
King's Day (also called Queen's Day when the monarch is female) is a national holiday in the Netherlands that celebrates the birthday of the monarch.
The Dutch monarch's birthday has been celebrated since August 1885, when Queen Wilhelmina’s fifth birthday was observed. The holiday was first officially celebrated on her birthday on August 31, 1891, after she had ascended to the throne.
In 1948, Queen Juliana changed the date to her own birthday, April 30. When she was succeeded by Princess Beatrix, the date remained April 30, because Beatrix's own birthday was on January 31, not a good day for public celebrations.
The last Queen's Day was celebrated in 2013. Since 2014, after Beatrix's abdication, the Netherlands has celebrated King's Day (Koningsdag) every year on April 27, which is King Willem-Alexander's real birthday.
The current members of the Dutch Royal Household are:
The rest of the Royal Family, though not included as members of the Royal Household, are: