King Willem-Alexander, Current Events 3: Dec 2020- Aug 2023


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Today, January 8, King Willem-Alexander has received formateur and Prime Minister Mark Rutte at Palace Huis ten Bosch.
Mark Rutte informed the King about the completion of the formation phase and the final report that he presented to the President of the House of Representatives today.


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iceflower said:
Today, January 8, King Willem-Alexander has received formateur and Prime Minister Mark Rutte at Palace Huis ten Bosch.
Mark Rutte informed the King about the completion of the formation phase and the final report that he presented to the President of the House of Representatives today.


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Coming Monday the King will, by Royal Decree, dismiss the ministers of the Cabinet Rutte III whom offered their resignation and will not return in the new Cabinet Rutte IV. The Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, will contraseign said Royal Decree, taking it for his ministerial accountability.

(Already one year ago these ministers offered their resignation but the King kept their requests "into consideration" and asked the ministers to continue their missions as long as there is no new Cabinet.)

Then the King will, by Royal Decree, appoint the new ministers of the Cabinet Rutte IV. The Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, will contraseign said Royal Decree, taking it for his ministerial accountability.

Picture from 2017:
https://images0.persgroep.net/rcs/8...5c8abd1cca1279&quality=0.8&desiredformat=webp

Then the King and the Prime Minister will walk to the salon in the palace where the new ministers will pledge their Oath of Office. There the director of the Kabinet van de Koning (the King's official secretariate) will read out the Oath formula, after which each minister will confirm said Oath formula with "So truly help me God almighty" or with "So do I declare and promise" (to the personal preference of each).

Picture from 2017:
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/binari...ntrale-redactie/content/2017/10/beediging.jpg
 
Duc_et_Pair said:
Coming Monday the King will, by Royal Decree, dismiss the ministers of the Cabinet Rutte III whom offered their resignation and will not return in the new Cabinet Rutte IV. The Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, will contraseign said Royal Decree, taking it for his ministerial accountability.

(Already one year ago these ministers offered their resignation but the King kept their requests "into consideration" and asked the ministers to continue their missions as long as there is no new Cabinet.)

Then the King will, by Royal Decree, appoint the new ministers of the Cabinet Rutte IV. The Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, will contraseign said Royal Decree, taking it for his ministerial accountability.

Picture from 2017:
https://images0.persgroep.net/rcs/8...5c8abd1cca1279&quality=0.8&desiredformat=webp

Then the King and the Prime Minister will walk to the salon in the palace where the new ministers will pledge their Oath of Office. There the director of the Kabinet van de Koning (the King's official secretariate) will read out the Oath formula, after which each minister will confirm said Oath formula with "So truly help me God almighty" or with "So do I declare and promise" (to the personal preference of each).

Picture from 2017:
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/binari...ntrale-redactie/content/2017/10/beediging.jpg
Click to expand...
Interesting that the Prime Minister and the Ministers take their oath before the King.
Here when we had our change in Government recently the new Chancellor wa appointed by the Presuident, then went back to the Bundestag where he took his oath before the President of the Budnestag, then he and all the Minstern went again to Beleevue Palace where the Minsters where appoonted by the President and then again to the Budnestag to take their oath.
 
Stefan said:
Interesting that the Prime Minister and the Ministers take their oath before the King.
Here when we had our change in Government recently the new Chancellor wa appointed by the Presuident, then went back to the Bundestag where he took his oath before the President of the Budnestag, then he and all the Minstern went again to Beleevue Palace where the Minsters where appoonted by the President and then again to the Budnestag to take their oath.
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I believe in Germany some ministers are also members of the Bundestag?

In the Netherlands the ministers (executive power) are no part of Parliament (legislative power). A lot of ministers even never have set foot before in Parliament but are sought by the coalition fractions. From an example coming from the European Parliament, from provincial and municipal councils or even not at all affiliated to a political party. When a new minister is a member of Parliament, he/she has to give up his seat in the House or the Senate.

The King and the Cabinet (the ministers) form the Government. The position of the Government in the Dutch system looks different from that of the UK and Germany.
 
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Duc_et_Pair said:
I believe in Germany some ministers are also members of the Bundestag?

In the Netherlands the ministers (executive power) are no part of Parliament (legislative power). A lot of ministers even never have set foot before in Parliament but are sought by the coalition fractions. From an example coming from the European Parliament, from provincial and municipal councils or even not at all affiliated to a political party. When a new minister is a member of Parliament, he/she has to give up his seat in the House or the Senate.

The King and the Cabinet (the ministers) form the Government. The position of the Government in the Dutch system looks different from that of the UK and Germany.
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Yes usually the members are Part of the Bundestag but it is also possibly to name Ministers who are not Part of it.
But what about the Prime Minster in the Netherlands. For sure he is a member of it. Does he need to be elected. This is actually the first thing what happened here. Only after he was elected as Chancellor, Olaf Scholz went to the President.
 
At the ceremony, all new ministers swear or affirm that they have not done anything which may legally debar them from holding Office. (Clearance).

Then they swear or promise allegiance to the King, to the Statute for the Kingdom, to the Constitution and that they will faithfully discharge their duties. (Allegiance).
 
Somebody said:
The king wouldn't call him 'St' though ;) - his wife might but -as a true protestant- he called him 'the Apostle Paul'. He also referenced 'forgiveness' as a much needed biblical concept.
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Anglicans and even Lutherans call him St Paul and they consider themselves Protestants.

I agree with Duc that it was a very good speech by the King, which struck the right chord for the current times.

Stefan said:
Yes usually the members are Part of the Bundestag but it is also possibly to name Ministers who are not Part of it.
But what about the Prime Minster in the Netherlands. For sure he is a member of it. Does he need to be elected. This is actually the first thing what happened here. Only after he was elected as Chancellor, Olaf Scholz went to the President.
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No, the Prime Minister of the Nerherlands doesn't have to be elected by the Parliament as in Germany, or even approved (as in Spain) or not rejected (as in Sweden) in a constitutionally mandated vote of investiture. He is simply appointed by the King by royal decree countersigned by the Prime Minister himself. Of course, before he is appointed, there is a process of government formation where the Speaker of the Lower House (formally the King) nominates a party leader to assemble a majority coalition in the Lower House (called the Second Chamber in the Netherlands).

The constitution of the Netherlands is actually very old-fashioned. It allows for examole the King , by royal decree countersigned by the prime minister, to dissolve both chambers of Parliament and call a snap election (only the Second Chamber is directly elected by the people), but it does not mention that government must resign or ask for a dissolution in the event of a motion of no confidence in the Lower House. In fact, unlike in the constitutions of Belgium, Spain, Sweden or even Denmark, motions of no confidence or votes of confidence are not even mentioned explicitly in the constitutional text. LIke in Canada or the United Kingdom, it appears that the parliamentary system of government works by unwritten convention in the Netherlands, rather than by explicit constitutional provision as it is the case in other European monarchies.

As for your last question, as Duc said, ministers in the Netherlands cannot be simultaneously members of Parliament. They are granted access to the chambers and may attend sittings of Parliament and take part in the deliberations, but they do not have the right to vote on bills. The government can, however, introduce legislation in Parliament "on behalf of the King", which is also a very old-fashioned constitutional language.
 
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Stefan said:
Yes usually the members are Part of the Bundestag but it is also possibly to name Ministers who are not Part of it.
But what about the Prime Minster in the Netherlands. For sure he is a member of it. Does he need to be elected. This is actually the first thing what happened here. Only after he was elected as Chancellor, Olaf Scholz went to the President.
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No, a prime minister (or any other minister or (a lower ranked) secretary of state) is certainly NOT a member of parliament. These positions (executive body and legislative body) are incompatible. Parliament controls the government, so it would be weird (at least from a Dutch perspective) if he was to control himself. So, he will loose his seat in parliament once again today - just like any other ministers or secretaries of state who were members of parliament since the elections in March. Others will be installed in their place.

Liveblog with more pictures and videos of today's ceremonies (including the traditional 'stairs photo' (not sure what the best translation for 'bordes' would be; it is the picture traditionally taken on the stairs of the palace with all the new ministers). Normally this would be taken at Palace Huis Ten Bosch but because of the distance regulations this time it is taken at Palace Noordeinde that has wider stairs. The previous one was taken here as well as Palace Huis ten Bosch was in restoration 5 years ago.

The 'first' vice prime minster (there are 3; one of each party) is missing as she tested positive for Covid yesterday. The prime minister is from the VVD (liberals), the first vice prime minister is from D'66 (progressive-liberals), the second vice prime minister is from the CDA (Christian Democrats) and the third vice prime minister is from the CU (smaller Christian 'center/left-leaning' party).
 
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What a dreary background Noordeinde is. The usual clown shoes of Hugo de Jonge are msising as well, so did not provide any colour either.

Is it known is Micky (Monique) Adriaanssens (minister of Economic affairs) is related to Yolande Adriaanssens, former girlfriend of the King. They have the same last name, a name which is not that common, they are close in age and they were both raised in Hilversum.
 
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Marengo said:
What a dreary background Noordeinde is. The usual clown shoes of Hugo de Jonge are msising as well, so did not provide any colour either.

Is it known is Micky (Monique) Adriaanssens (minister of Economic affairs) is related to Yolande Adriaanssens, former girlfriend of the King. They have the same last name, a name which is not that common, they are close in age and they were both raised in Hilversum.
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A frosty Noordeinde indeed is a gloomy backdrop. It helps when it is sunny and the trees are green. It would also have helped when there were flowers in vases lining the stairs, but it is freezing now.


Same backside on a more sunny day:


https://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/binar.../paleis-noordeinde-achterzijde-hero-image.jpg
 
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Yes, they change clothes inside. Previously the men would also wear jacquet on the group picture but apparently the queen (not sure whether it is Juliana or Beatrix, most likely Juliana) requested that they wear a day suit as she didn't want to take a picture surrounded by 'undertakers'.

Willem-Alexander brought back the 'jacquet' but the tenue de ville remained for the group picture (which is also what they wear the rest of the day when they go to their ministries and for the subsequent first official government meeting - so, they would change in any case whether it would be before or after the picture).
 
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Very strange. Alike a group of sportmates in a dressroom or so? Or are they given guestrooms to "make themselves decent"?
 
It was on nos.nl today.
They change in a room together.
And it was Juliana who insisted on a normal suit instead of jacquet.
 
SLV said:
It was on nos.nl today.
They change in a room together.
And it was Juliana who insisted on a normal suit instead of jacquet.
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It is interesting that King Willem-Alexander insisted on jacquet which was not at all the dresscode under his mother and grandmother.

The group picture with the monarch was also a new invention under Juliana. Before the ministers would eventually pose without the monarch, outside the palace or in the Trêves Chamber at the Inner Court complex.


The last Cabinet posing without the Queen was wearing jacquet: the Cabinet De Jong (1967-1971)

The first Cabinet to pose with the Queen was also the first not wearing jacquet: the Cabinet Biesheuvel (1971-1973)

What surprises me with the ministers wearing jacquet was not the dress code per se, but that they changed inside to pose with another attire. The King included (he really needs another tailor btw, those flapping pantalons are a disgrace).
 
I suppose a difference is as well that the installation is now televised, so perhaps that also played a factor in upgrading the dresscode; to give it more cachet.

he really needs another tailor btw, those flapping pantalons are a disgrace
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Not only the clothes but also the hair and beard looked disheveled. He looked messy compared to the ministers.
 
King Willem-Alexander held his first weekly meeting with Prime Minister Rutte after the Rutte IV Cabinet was sworn in, at Huis ten Bosch Palace today, January 17. "The King and Prime Minister meet almost every Monday. In these conversations, the King is kept informed of current government policy":


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King Willem-Alexander met Hanke Bruins Slot (CDA) Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, at Huis ten Bosch Palace today, January 19:


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In some (social) media there is critic on the King having a nouveaux riche taste in interior and not having an ancestral portrait but a picture of his ladies. But he is in the best tradition. In a famous TV-interview a frustrated Queen Juliana vented her frustration: "I - am - not - conservative ! I have always loathed everything which was conservative and oldfashioned !"

Queen Juliana simply had a brand new 1940's-1950's family house installed inside the 17th Soestdijk Palace, complete with windows sinking in the floor, a private cinema in the palace, a modern family diner room (for that era, that was) or a typical 1940-1950's style private hallway.

In comparison the King's private study has an ancestral portrait and classic paintings depicting birds, with velvet on the walls. Yes, some salons, like the one with the King and Queen's DNA look quite drastic. But that part was completely ravaged in WWII (the park was used as a launch site by the Nazis for V1 and V2 missiles) so the former interior in that salon was not older than the 1980's (the previous restoration) same salon under Queen Beatrix.
 
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You can see that Huis ten Bosch is a 17th C palace: no hallways. One hops from salon to salon. On the picture one can see that the King's private cabinet is next to the "DNA salon". So the King greets guests in the DNA salon and invites them into his cabinet next door.
 
The Buddy to Buddy Foundation wins the Brouwer Confidential Prize 2022 from the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW).
King Willem-Alexander attends the digital Brouwer conference as patron this year, which is about Citizenship and Government Policy.⁣

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZIE9qxspkg/
 
King Willem-Alexander had a meeting with the Minister for Defence Kajsa Ollongren at Palace Huis ten Bosch today, January 25:


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iceflower said:
King Willem-Alexander had a meeting with the Minister for Defence Kajsa Ollongren at Palace Huis ten Bosch today, January 25:


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The high- and wellborn Jonkvrouw Karin Hildur ("Kajsa") Ollongren belongs to the Nobility of the Netherlands. Her father Jonkheer Prof. Dr. Alexander Ollongren became incorporated into the Nobility by Royal Decree of 8 november 2002, Number 99.003623.

The Ollongren family could prove that they belonged to the Rittarhuset (Swedish Nobility) since 1625 and since they are Dutch nationals, requested incorporation indeed.
 
Today, January 26, King Willem-Alexander has received the Ambassadors of Cuba, Algeria and Kosovo and he swore in new members for the Supreme Court and the Council of State:


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In the afternoon King Willem-Alexander attended the opening of the largest sea lock in the world, the IJmuiden sea lock, in IJmuiden:


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King Willem-Alexander received the Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Policy Christianne van der Wal-Zeggelink at Palace Huis ten Bosch today, January 27:


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Afterwards he received the Minister of Finance Sigrid Kaag:


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