Dutch king commissions study into Royal House's role in colonial history

King Willem-Alexander is commissioning an independent study into the role of the royal family in the colonial history of the Netherlands. The research will take three years and will cover the period from the late sixteenth century through the postcolonial era and into the present, announced the government's communications office, RVD.

The research will be carried out by Leiden University and with supervision by a committee led by Gert Oostindie, emeritus professor of Colonial and Postcolonial History. In 2006 he published a book about "the special relationship between the house of Oranje-Nassau and the colonies. The book is titled De Parels en De Kroon, which translates to The Pearls and The Crown. When the research is completed in 2026, the findings will be published, according to the RVD.

"In-depth knowledge of the past is essential to be able to understand historical facts and developments and to face their impact on people and communities as clearly and honestly as possible," said King Willem-Alexander about the study into his family history. "I think it is important that this knowledge also becomes available with regard to the role of the House of Oranje-Nassau in colonial history. This should be done on the basis of thorough, critical and independent research, which I have commissioned."

In addition to committee chair Oostindie, the Esther Captain was named to the committee. She is a historian and senior researcher at the Royal Institute for Language, Land and Ethnology in Leiden. They will be joined by Kathleen Ferrier, expert in the field of international relations, human rights, diversity and inclusion, and Henk te Velde, professor of Dutch history and chair of the Royal Dutch Historical Society.

The committee will be responsible for selecting and appointing the researchers who will participate in the investigation.