3,375 royal honors awarded in "lintjesregen"; Personal record for King Willem-Alexander

No fewer than 3,375 people received a royal distinction during this year’s “lintjesregen,” the ribbon ceremony to honor volunteers and others who contribute to Dutch society traditionally held the day before the monarch’s birthday. That is the highest number since 2012, under the then Queen Beatrix. King Willem-Alexander has never awarded so many knighthoods and royal house memberships.

The oldest recipient is 98-year-old Albert De Gooijer from Utrecht. He was an active volunteer from 1966 to 2020, including with scouting and the Protestant church. The youngest person to receive a royal recognition is 29-year-old Jeroen Groeneveld from the village of Zammerdam in Zuid-Holland. He is a director at the local broadcaster Studio Alphen and a volunteer at the local brass band, amateur theater, and children’s play club.

In Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, 42 people received a royal distinction this year. Three recipients live in Belgium, and one each live in Japan and the United States.

Rotterdam was the city where the most royal honors were awarded this year. 49 Rotterdam residents received a ribbon on Friday. Amsterdam followed with 45, and then The Hague and Tilburg, with 38 new royal family members, knights, and officers. The top four looked the same last year - Rotterdam (42), Amsterdam (39), The Hague, (35), and Tilburg (25).

The ribbons are not evenly distributed across the country. The top also includes Westland (32 ribbons), Ede, Land van Cuijk, and Meierijstad (29 each), and Utrecht, Apeldoorn, Maashorst, and Moerdijk (all 27).

Mook en Middelaar in the far north of Limburg is the only municipality where no one received a royal honor this year. Last year, there were eight such municipalities: Landsmeer, Oostzaan, Renswoude, Rozendaal, Schiermonnikoog, Terschelling, Vlieland, and Westerwolde.

Among the provinces, Noord-Brabant had the most residents who received ribbons (636). Zuid-Holland, last year’s leader, is now second with 590 ribbons, followed by Gelderland (492), Noord-Holland (393), Utrecht (286), Overijssel (264), and Limburg (260). Like last year, five provinces have fewer than 100 recipients. These are Friesland (92), Drenthe (91), Zeeland (89), Groningen (76), and Flevoland (59).

Last year, 2,832 people received a royal recognition, so this year’s distinctions rose by almost 20 percent. The Chancellery of the Dutch Orders, which handles the royal distinctions, has no direct explanation for the increase. According to a spokesperson, there was no campaign to nominate people. “Many people apparently find a royal award a nice way to thank volunteers for their efforts. “