Dutch King awards former Prime Minister Rutte a royal honor for services to the country

King Willem-Alexander has appointed former Prime Minister Mark Rutte to Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands Lion for his services to the country, the government announced in the Staatscourant. It is the highest distinction in this knighthood.

This royal honor is rarely awarded. Those who previously received it include former Prime Ministers Ruud Lubbers and Willem Drees, NOS reports. Royalty like Princess Beatrix and the British Queen Elizabeth have also received this award, as well as some foreign leaders like former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former British Prime MInister Winston Churchill.

It is not clear when Rutte’s ceremony will take place. He handed over the keys to the Torentje, the Prime Minister’s office on the Binnenhof in The Hague, to his successor, Dick Schoof, on Tuesday. Rutte will succeed Jens Stoltenberg as the Secretary General of NATO in October.