King to open Noordeinde Palace to public for summer tours

King Willem-Alexander decided to open the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague to public tours during this summer, the Royal House announced on Friday. 

The Palace itself will be open on four consecutive Saturdays, the first of which is July 23rd. The Royal Stables will also be open to public tours, but on weekdays instead of over the weekend. The Royal Stables will be open for four weeks from Tuesday to Friday, starting July 26th.

Tickets will cost 6 euros per person and will be available on a special website from late June.

Parliamentarians and the municipality of The Hague have been asking that the palace by uopen to the public during the summer holidays for years, according to ANP. In 2013 Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated that this was not possible due to security, privacy and the vulnerability of the building.

Shortly after taking office, King Willem-Alexander ordered an investigation into whether opening the palace would be doable. That investigation came back with positive results, according to the news wire.