Queen’s Day in Holland: a warm welcome for Willem-Alexander

On April 30th our beloved Queen Beatrix will pass the crown to her son Prince Willem-Alexander. Time to introduce our future King of The Netherlands.

The Prince of Orange

Since the installation of Queen Beatrix in 1980, Willem Alexander has been wearing the title ‘Prince of Orange’.  He was born on 27 April 1967 as the first child of The Queen and her husband Prince Claus van Arnsberg.  After completing secondary education, he performed compulsory military service in the Royal Netherlands Navy. From 1987, he studied history and received his master’s degree in 1993.

 …and his queen Maxima

On 2 Febuary 2002, the prince married Maxima Zorreguieta from Argentina. With the installation of King Willem-Alexander, Maxima will become Queen of The Netherlands. Together, they have three daughters: Princess Catharina-Amalia, who will become the next ‘crown princess’ of Holland, and her sisters Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane.

A busy schedule

Due to a broad number of interests and functions, Prince Willem-Alexander leads a busy life. Together with his mother, Prince Willem-Alexander represents the Royal House at official national and international events and accompanies her on state visits. Supported by his wife, he is protector of the endowment foundation Oranje Fonds (Orange Funds), which was set up as a national wedding gift. The foundation supports various social initiatives in Holland.

Important functions

Further, the Prince is an advocate for various areas of expertise. For instance, he was involved in national and international water management. In 2006, he became director of the UNSGAB, the international advisory board for water issues. Since 1998, he had been a member of the International Olympic Committee and was strongly involved with the 2012 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Besides, he had a number of functions within the Dutch military. Since January 2013 the Prince has quit all of these functions to prepare himself for the throne.

Sing along with the Dutch on King’s Day!

In a few weeks we will welcome our new King with huge celebrations. Since April 2^nd there is an app that invites people to write lyrics for King’s Song. This song will be performed by famous Dutch artists during the coronation and all people in Holland are invited to sing along.

Of course you are invited too. You can join us in person or follow my Social Media live report. Will you sing along with us? (you may also sing in English!)