This Saturday, April 27, 2024, the royal family of the Netherlands went to Emmen to celebrate the birthday of King Willem-Alexander. The sovereign was surrounded by his wife, his daughters, his brother and his cousins to celebrate his 57th birthday in public. The sovereign’s birthday is also the national holiday, which is celebrated during a festive day among the population.
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King Willem-Alexander celebrates his 57th birthday in Emmen among the population and with his family
King’s Day, the sovereign’s birthday, is the national holiday in the Netherlands. Since the reign of King Willem-Alexander in 2013, King’s Day has been celebrated on April 27. Each year, the royal family participates in the national festivities in a different city. In 2024, to celebrate the 57th birthday of King Willem-Alexander, the city of Emmen organized the main celebrations.
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King Willem-Alexander was surrounded by Queen Máxima and their three daughters, Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane. This is a rare opportunity for the three girls to be reunited, as they have different agendas due to their studies. Like every year, Prince Constantin and his wife Laurentien, as well as the princes of Orange-Nassau, first cousins of King Willem-Alexander, are invited to participate in the procession alongside the royal couple.
Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, brother and sister-in-law of King Willlem-Alexander, participate in the event every year. The only person missing is Princess Beatrix, former ruler of the Netherlands. We were also able to see the four sons of Princess Margriet, aunt of the sovereign. Prince Floris was present with his wife, Princess Aimée, as well as Prince Maurits, with his wife, Princess Marilène, Prince Bernhard with Princess Annette and Prince Pieter-Christiaan with Princess Anita.
On King’s Day, the Dutch take to the streets, dress in orange and organize neighborhood parties. The official holiday is held in Emmen, in the province of Drenthe, but the national holiday is celebrated throughout the country. One of the big activities is the installation of flea markets and flea markets in front of houses.
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Queen Máxima, Princesses Amalia, Alexia, Ariane and the Princes of Orange-Nassau participate in King’s Day 2024
King’s Day 2024 began at 11:00 a.m. with a procession formed by members of the royal family who toured the city, stopping at strategic points. At each stop, the family took part in small activities and games along the way.
The choice of Queen Máxima’s outfit for this day is also a subject widely commented on in the press. The queen has a habit of wearing flashy and colorful outfits, while taking care to choose a practical outfit, which will allow her to carry out the activities that will be proposed to her. Her daughters have also gotten into the habit of wearing colorful and practical outfits.
This year, Queen Máxima wore a green guipure dress from the Belgian house Natan as well as a headdress made of butterflies by Berry Rutjes. Princess Amalia wore a Ba&sh dress and jewelry representing dragonflies in her hair. Emmen is nicknamed “the city of butterflies”, because of the butterfly garden installed in the city zoo.
It was on August 31, 1885, when Princess Wilhelmina was still only 5 years old, that a celebration was organized on her birthday. First called the Princess (Princess Day), the holiday became annual and was renamed Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day), when Wilhelmina succeeded her father, King William III, to the Dutch throne in 1890. In 1948, when Queen Juliana succeeded her mother, the national holiday moved to the 30th April, his birthday.
On April 30, 1980, Queen Juliana abdicated, on her birthday, in favor of her eldest daughter Beatrix. Beatrix being born on January 31, she prefers to keep the national holiday on April 30, in memory of her mother and the day of her ascension to the throne, for weather reasons. When King Willem-Alexander ascended the throne after his mother’s abdication in 2013, he moved the date forward three days, to April 27, to resume the tradition of celebrating King’s Day on birthday of the sovereign. Since the reign of Beatrix, this festival has been celebrated in a different city each year. Previously, the royal family celebrated this holiday at Soestdijk Palace.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
