Prinsjesdag 2014

The Dutch Royal Family has celebrated today, September 16, the traditional opening of the Parliament, Prinsjesdag.

King Willem-Alexander was accompanied by his wife, Queen Máxima, his brother, Prince Constantijn and his sister-in-law, Princess Laurentien. The Royal Couple left Noordeinde Palace in the Golden Carriage at 13:00, heading to the Knight’s Hall.

Inside the Ridderzaal, King Willem-Alexander read the speech from the throne. The King started by remembering the tragedy of the flight MH17, which crashed over Ukrainian territory on July 17 and killed 298 passengers, including 196 from the Netherlands.  He also mentioned the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East, in northern Iraq, Syria and Gaza.

His Majesty praised the health care systems of the Netherlands as “one of the best and most accessible.” Talking about the Dutch economy, the King stressed that “compared to many other countries, the economic position of our country remains strong”, he also said that “the highest priority of the government remains the high unemployment that affects many people and their families immediately.”

Shortly before 14:00, the Dutch Royal Family left the Parliament Building heading back to Noordeinde Palace, where there was a brief balcony appearance.

Prinsjesdag was attended by Ministers, State Secretaries, representatives of the diplomatic corps and the High Councils of State.

Filed under The Netherlands
Tagged King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Parliament, Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, Prinsjesdag, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.