King Willem-Alexander opened the parliamentary year on 17 September 2024 by delivering the Speech from the Throne, before the States General of the Netherlands, the two parliamentary chambers united. Queen Máxima, Princess of Orange, Princess Alexia, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien accompanied the sovereign during this annual protocol ceremony, which took place at the Royal Theatre.
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The royal family arrives at the Royal Theatre in carriages
At around 11:30 on Tuesday 17 September 2024, the members of the Senate and House of Representatives of the Netherlands left their temporary offices for the Royal Theatre in The Hague. The Binnenhof, an eight-century-old building complex, is the institutional centre of the Netherlands. For several years now, the Binnenhof has been undergoing renovation and the various institutions have been temporarily meeting in other buildings.
The Binnenhof houses both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the upper and lower houses of the Dutch legislature. The States General is the assembly formed when both parliamentary chambers meet each year on the third Tuesday in September, on Prinsjesdag, the opening day of the parliamentary year.
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The Dutch monarch is to deliver a speech to launch the parliamentary debates, which mainly focus on budgetary issues. The day follows a precise sequence of events. King Willem-Alexander, 57, and Queen Máxima, 53, left the Huis ten Bosch palace, the sovereign’s workplace, in the Glass Coach at 1 p.m. At the same time, the President of the First Chamber, Jan Anthonie Bruijn, opened the session before the States General gathered at the Royal Theatre. Due to the work in the Knights’ Hall of the Binnenhof, the venue chosen for the assembly is the Royal Theatre in The Hague.
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King Willem-Alexander reads Dick Schoof’s first throne speech
The sovereigns arrived at the Royal Theatre, accompanied by three different escorts of honour. Princess Catharina-Amalia, 20, is also present on this day. The Princess of Orange accompanied her parents on board the Glass Coach, a privilege reserved for her as heir to the throne. The Glass Coach was ordered in Belgium in 1821 for King William I.
Princess Alexia, 19, the second daughter of the sovereigns, was also present at the day’s events. This is Princess Alexia’s second participation in this day. The sovereign’s daughters are invited to attend Prinsjesdag as soon as they reach the age of majority. The royal couple’s third child, Princess Ariane, aged 17, is therefore not attending. Prince Constantijn, 54, brother of King Willem-Alexander, attended Prinsjesdag with his wife, Princess Laurentien, 58. Princess Alexia joined her uncle and aunt in another landau that followed the Glass Coach. This carriage used by Constantijn, Laurentien and Alexia is known as the Glass Carriage. It was built in 1836 in England for King William III.
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This annual meeting of the States General is enshrined in Chapter 3, Article 65 of the Constitution of the Netherlands and its proceedings are specified in the following articles. On this constitutional day which kicks off the parliamentary year, members of the royal family wear the insignia of their distinctions.
The women of the royal family, especially Queen Máxima, also tend to surprise with their choice of outfits. This year, Queen Máxima wore a dress by Claes Iversen. Since Queen Máxima’s daughters Amalia and Alexia have been participating in Prinsjesdag, their outfits have also been a topic of discussion in the press. The royal daughters wore the blue ribbon with orange edging of the Order of the Dutch Lion. On their 18th birthday, they were awarded the rank of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Dutch Lion and Knight of the Order of the Golden Lion. Princess Amalia wore a green dress by Safiyaa, the same model worn a few days ago by Sarah Ferguson, the former sister-in-law of King Charles III.
The procession, formed by the carriage of the sovereigns and that of his family, reached the Royal Theatre in a few minutes, located only 850 meters from the Noordeinde Palace. Once there, King Willem-Alexander ascended his throne, on which is inscribed the national motto: “I will maintain.”
Sitting on his throne, King Willem-Alexander delivered his speech. This speech was actually written by the government. The speech broadly summarizes the government’s political projections. The opening of this parliamentary year is special because it is the first Pinsjesdag of Dick Schoof, the new Dutch Prime Minister. For almost 14 years, Mark Rutte led the government and the discovery of his successor’s political project was highly anticipated this Tuesday.
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Return to Noordeinde Palace and appearance on the balcony
After the speech was read, King Willem-Alexander and his family got back into their carriages and returned to Noordeinde Palace, still accompanied by the three escorts of honour. The escort consisted of the police, the royal constabulary and a detachment of military cavalry. The cavalry detachment was part of the Princess Catharina-Amalia Hussars Regiment.
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Once the royal family returns to Noordeinde Palace, an appearance on the balcony concludes this important day in the democratic life of the country. At the same time, debates are launched in the second chamber. The Dutch constitution also provides that on Prinsjesdag, the Minister of Finance presents his annual budget.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor in Chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a copywriter and author for many Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the website Histoires royales, of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
