Royals' Golden Coach repair costs remain secret despite objections

Prime Minister Mark Rutte will not reveal the costs involved in repairing the Royal Family's Golden Coach, he said on Tuesday in response to questions from D66 leader Alexander Pechtold, NOS reports.  Pechtold wanted the investigation that was done into the state of the Coach to be made public, but Rutte decided against it. According to the Prime Minister, the repairs fall in King Willem-Alexander's budget and the King has the freedom to decide what he does with the money in his budget. Disclosing the King's individual expenses would be in violation of Article 41 of the Constitution, which states that the King has the right to have a private life, Rutte said. In his letter Rutte did state that work will be done on the Coach's straps, wooden wheels, wood carvings, strings and tassels on the box and worn out textiles. How long the repairs will take is unclear. Rutte called it "a few years" because it involves time consuming and specialized work. The whole coach will have to be dismantled. "The various specialists can not work on the carriage simultaneously", Rutte wrote. "It's the first time the Golden Coach is undergoing a major restoration." The D66 and SP are not satisfied with Rutte's response and submitted more parliamentary questions on the matter. "Repairs cost money, I understand that", SP MP Ronald van Raak said to AD. "But we want to know whether that money is well spent. Other restorations, such as that of yacht De Groene Draeck, afterwards proved to be much more expensive than the Prime Minister claimed." The D66 agrees. "Everything revolves around transparency. That it took two months before I got a reply makes me suspicious",