High cost of royal family’s yacht maintenance under fire

The majority of the Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament, thinks that the maintenance of the Groene Draeck, the royal family's yacht, is too high. Prime Minister Mark Rutte is calling in a second opinion on these costs. The Prime Minister informed the Tweede Kamer of this in a letter on Wednesday, NU reports. The Green Draeck is the yacht that Princess Beatrix got as a birthday gift from the Dutch nation on her 18th birthday in 1957. Over the next five years the maintenance on the yacht will cost 95 thousand euros per year. Several experts have stated that this can be done much cheaper, possibly amounting to around 30 thousand euros, according to NU. Rutte told the Kamer that he is "totally incompetent" when it comes to maintaining a yacht, which is why is is getting in an independent expert to look at the maintenance costs. This expert will look at the level of the costs and the intensity of the maintenance. If it can be done cheaper, that's great. The yacht is currently being maintained by the Ministry of the Defense, due to privacy and security issues. Rutte wants to keep it that way.