Warmest King's Day ever, but not the hottest Apr. 27; PM sends birthday greetings
Temperatures in De Bilt, Utrecht climbed to 18 degrees Celsius at noon on Monday, making it the warmest King's Day ever. The previous record dated from King's Day 2014, Weeronline reported. While today is the warmest King's Day, it is not the warmest April 27th in Netherlands history.
That record stands at 27.3 degrees in 2007 - before King Willem-Alexander took the throne.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte congratulated King Willem-Alexander on his 53rd birthday. "I wish him a happy and festive day with his family. Like the rest of the Netherlands, he is celebrating King's Day at home. The best we can give him is to follow that example," Rutte said on Twitter.
And according to NS, people in the Netherlands at least seemed to be staying close to home. There were no major crowds on trains or other forms of public transit on Monday, the rail company said.
Maastricht mayor Annemarie Penn-te Strake also wished the King a happy birthday. The Royal family was supposed to celebrate the King's birthday in Maastricht this year, but the festivities had to be canceled due to restrictions in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Penn-te Strake said that she is sad for all the lives worldwide that have been upended by this crisis, but she is also said that King's Day Maastricht couldn't happen today.
During a speech earlier on Monday, the King said that he and his family would have liked to be in Maastricht today. He thanked everyone who worked hard on the scrapped event.
