Anniversary: King Willem-Alexander already 10 years on the throne

King Willem-Alexander has been on the throne for 10 years this month, but has not found being king boring for a single day. "It's flown by" and "it's so varied and fun," the 55-year-old Dutch king said in previous interviews about the anniversary being celebrated.

The king described the past decade as a time with "many highs, but also many lows," he said after his recent state visit to Slovakia. "If you look at the highlights, I think of sports, but also 75 years of liberation and beautiful visits, but there was also MH17, the coronavirus and the death of my brother. In the last ten years, there hasn't been a single boring moment."

His work was "never a drag" for King Willem-Alexander, he told VPRO's youth program Timmyland. After all, every day is different. "Every day you meet different people, every day you see different problems, every day you see fantastic things happen," he summed up.

During his inauguration speech at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam on April 30, 2013, the Dutch king said he wanted to "encourage people to actively use the opportunities they have. However great the diversity, however different our beliefs and dreams, wherever our cradle was." King Willem-Alexander, who succeeded his mother after she had been queen for 33 years, said it was important to create links, signal connections and spread what unites the Dutch, "even in times of great joy and in times of deep sorrow."

The then 45-year-old king also made it clear that he wanted to give his own interpretation of kingship. "Kingship is not static," he said. "Adapting to changing circumstances is part of it, without forgetting that kingship also symbolizes continuity and togetherness."