Fmr. firefighter apologizes to King for Golden Carriage vandalism

King Willem Alexander received a letter in which the now 83 year old Cor Priele from Sleeuwijk admits that he stole a golden cord from the Golden Carriage a long time ago. Priele took the cord from the interior of the Golden Carriage when he had to guard the coach as a young fireman. Priele and two colleagues were responsible for the Golden Carriage while it was a showpiece at an exhibition in Rotterdam for three months. For a long time the guarding went smoothly, but when Priele accidentally struck the Royal coach with his fire boot and yanked the royal cord loose, he panicked, Omroep Brabant reports. "I damaged the Golden Carriage, I scared myself rotten." Priele says. The trio decided to remain silent as it was almost certain that they would be fired if it became known how the cord came loose. Priele took the cord home with him and kept it safe in a jar for over fifty years. As his accomplices have been deceased for a long time and he himself is already in the eighties, Priele decided to come clean. In a letter to the King he the former fireman describes in detail exactly what happened and offers his sincere apologies. He would also like to know if the King would like to have the missing cord returned to him. Should the King decide that Priele may keep the cord, he will donate it to the National Fire Brigade Museum.