At 8:00 p.m. on Thursday the Netherlands commemorated the victims of World War II with two minutes of silence. Eleven people were arrested at or around the Remembrance Day commemoration ceremony on Dam Square in Amsterdam. According to the police, most committed minor offenses, AD reports.
King Willem-Alexander
Apr 28 '17 14:50
This year the Royal Family will cost the government budget, and Dutch taxpayers, 41.4 million euros, according to Business Insider. That includes the "constitutional benefit" for King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Beatrix as well as expense compensation for them.
Apr 28 '17 08:07
King Willem-Alexander is continuing celebrating his 50th birthday with a special dinner at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam tonight. 150 Dutch whose birthdays are also on April 27th will be dining with the King and Queen, ANP reports.
Apr 28 '17 07:46
King's Day was celebrated throughout the Netherlands without any major incidents on Thursday. The authorities in most major Dutch municipalities are pleased with how the day went. The day was celebrated "as you would like it to be", a spokesperson for Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan said, NU.nl reports.
Apr 27 '17 14:30
Dutch King Willem-Alexander turns 50 years old today. A number of political party leaders took a moment to wish him a happy birthday. "It only gets better [after 50]", CDA leader Sybrand Buma said to RTL Nieuws.
"I would like to congratulate him on his 50th birthday. And everyone around him too, of course", SGP leader Kees van der Staaij said to the broadcaster. "I want to wish him a lot of wisdom. For what can a king use better than wisdom? I especially hope that he stays who he is."
Apr 27 '17 13:08
King Willem-Alexander and his family spent King's Day in Tilburg today. The city organized a number of activities, including performances and artworks, to celebrate the Dutch King's 50th birthday.
Apr 27 '17 07:50
It took King Willem-Alexander some time during his teenage and student years to accept that he will someday take the thrown. His time traveling and meeting interesting people really helped with that, he said in an interview with Wilfried de Jong on Wednesday night, the night before his 50th birthday. He wants the same for crown princess Amalia before she takes over from him, the Volkskrant reports.
Apr 21 '17 14:10
King Willem-Alexander was spotted walking the streets of The Hague on Thursday afternoon. He was on his way to Palace Noordeinde by car when a bus broke down and blocked the road. Not wanting to be late for his appointment - a staff reception at the palace in honor of his upcoming 50th birthday - the Dutch King completed the journey by foot, ANP reports.
The reception at the palace for the staff is a tradition around the King's birthday. It also kicks off a week of celebrations for King Willem-Alexander, who turns 50 on April 27th.
Mar 15 '17 15:30
Nine year old Rene from Tilburg set his sights high for Valentine's Day. He decided to write a love letter for Princess Ariane, the youngest daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. And he was rewarded with a return letter from the King and Queen themselves, Omroep Brabant reports.
Rene got the idea after Valentine's Day was discussed in the classroom at Helen Parkhurst School in Tilburg. He asked his teacher for help, but initially did not want to tell her who the love letter was intended for. After some prodding, he admitted it was for the princess.
Mar 10 '17 08:04
Lower house of parliament president Khadija Arib refused to cooperate in the wish of two of King Willem-Alexander's influential advisors to give the King more influence in the formation of the new cabinet, the Volkskrant reports.
Up until 2012 the ruling Dutch monarch played an active role in the formation of a new cabinet. The King or Queen could, for example, assign a "scout" to examine coalition possibilities and appoint informers. After a majority in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, changed the rules in 2012, the Kamer itself performs these tasks.
Mar 3 '17 12:25
A total of 11,493 people want to have dinner with King Willem-Alexander to celebrate his and their birthdays. They registered to be one of 150 people, whose birthday is also on April 27th, to have dinner with the King at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, the Royal House announced on Friday.
Feb 27 '17 13:30
As is almost a tradition by now, the Dutch royal couple and their three daughters posed for photos at the start of their skiing vacation in Lech, Austria on Monday.
The Royal family goes skiing in Lech every year, according to broadcaster NOS. To avoid being followed around by photographers all through their vacation, they always meet the press for a few photos at the start of their holiday.
Feb 20 '17 16:05
King Willem-Alexander plans to celbrate his 50th birthday with 150 Dutch whose birthday is on the same day as his - April 27th. The King and 150 Dutch will celebrate their birthdays with a celebratory dinner in the Royal Palace on Dam square in Amsterdam on Friday, April 28th, AD reports.
If your birthday is on April 27th and you are turning at least 20 years old, you can register for the dinner on this website. Registration closes on March 3rd and guests will be randomly selected.
Feb 7 '17 09:25
The Hague city council picked Pauline Krikke to be the city's new mayor, the council announced on Monday after hours of private deliberations. Krikke is taking over from Jozias van Aartsen, who is stepping down on March 1st, and will be The Hague's first female mayor.
Krikke was mayor of Arnhem between 2001 and 2013 and an alderman in Amsterdam between 1996 and 2001, Het Parool reports. She was also the director of the Scheepvaartmuseum and most recently a Senator for the VVD in the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch senate.
Jan 18 '17 08:55
King Willem-Alexander emphasized the importance of cooperating with NATO, the United Nations and Europe in his traditional New Year's speech on Tuesday. According to him, "a highly developed country like the Netherlands can not be indifferent to developments in the wider world", AD reports.
Peace, freedom, stability and prosperity don't just happen, the King said. "Without our international partners it is simply impossible. It is therefore good if our voice continues to be heard in Europe, the UN, NATO and everywhere people think past their borders."
Dec 26 '16 09:42
On Christmas Day King Willem-Alexander gave his annual Christmas Speech from the palace in Wassenaar. He spoke about war in Syria, fear of terrorism and seemingly growing gaps in society. In these uncertain times, the King called on everyone to focus on what we share and protect what connects us.
Here follows the full text of King Willem-Alexander's Christmas Speech for 2016:
Nov 7 '16 10:12
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima arrived in a rainy New Zealand on Monday morning for a three day state visit. They were welcomed to the Government House in Wellington by a Maori ceremonial challenge, in which visitors have to show that they come with good intentions, ANP reports.
Nov 4 '16 09:27
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima's state visit to Australia and the simultaneous trade mission was a success. The trade mission brought in about 125 million euros in orders to Dutch businesses, Minsiter Henk Kamp of Economic Affairs announced in Brisbane on Friday, the Telegraaf reports.
The trade mission was comprised of 95 companies, that traveled in the wake of the Royals on their state visit. Dutch companies and their Australian partners signed contracts and cooperation agreements in a number of sectors, including water, healthcare, horticulture, IT and infrastructure.
Nov 2 '16 08:50
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima commemmorated the victims of flight MH17 by visiting the Australian monument for the victims in Canberra with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. They placed sunflowers at the monument commemorating the 38 Australians killed in the airline disaster in Ukraine, NU.nl reports.
The monument is located at the Australian Parliament in Canberra. Ministers of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders and Julie Bishop also laid flowers at the monument.
Oct 20 '16 09:35
Johan van Laarhoven, a Dutch coffeeshop owner currently serving a 103 year prison sentence in Thailand, wrote a letter to King Willem-Alexnder asking him to intervene in his "hopeless situation"
Oct 13 '16 10:34
Travelers on Amsterdam's subway were caught of guard by Dutch King Willem-Alexander getting on the train and traveling with them like a normal person. The King and Mayor Eberhard van der Laan were on the train for the King's working visit to Amsterdam
Oct 11 '16 11:10
King Willem-Alexander and his predecessors were and still are compensated for the taxes they must pay on their private assets, according to research by RTL Nieuws. This started in the 70's, when it was first decided that the the ruling Royals will pay taxes on their personal assets.
Sep 22 '16 09:59
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, is coming to the Netherlands on October 11th. During her tie in the country, she will visit The Hague, Wassenaar and Rotterdam, the British Royal House said in a press release on Thursday
Sep 20 '16 15:25
Here follows the full translated text of King Willem-Alexander's Budget Day speech, given in The Hague today.
The Netherlands had solid ground under the feet again in recent years. The financial and economic crisis is behind us. We live in a prosperous and attractive country, also in comparison with other countries, and have good facilities, good infrastructure and a strong rule of law. We have a lot to be proud of and to build on.
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