The Dutch crown princess is growing up and preparing to one day take the crown. But what do people actually think of future Queen Amalia?
RTL conducted a survey about the popularity of the princess, and the results are (mostly) in her favour. 👸
What a queen
It’s no secret that the 21st birthday is important for many Dutch people, but for Amalia it also meant essentially getting a promotion.
Since her birthday on December 7, she has been slowly preparing for her royal duties as a queen.
We’re seeing more of what the future with her as the queen will look like, and apparently, most Dutch people like the view.
Trust in her abilities is high, the survey found, sitting at 38%. Royal expert Annemarie de Kunder tells RTL that Amalia scores particularly well with young people, possibly because they respect how she handles living under criminal threat.
However, it’s not all praise
A slightly smaller portion of respondents feel differently when it comes to their trust in the princess: 20% want her to prove herself a bit more, and 16% have no trust in her.
The survey also reveals that while the largest group of respondents has trust in the future queen, for many, she’s not exactly their biggest concern.
A large part of the Dutch population expresses indifference, with 26% of people saying they don’t feel any particular way about her abilities.
Meanwhile, even more (37%) say they don’t care when asked if she should keep her life private.
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De Kunder explains this is bad news for the royals. “A monarchy has a right to exist because it is supported by the people. As soon as interest decreases, this could mean the end of the monarchy in the long term.”
Might we suggest a good scandal or two to boost engagement? It might not get support, but it’s sure to keep people interested!
The money issue isn’t helping
What else does the future queen’s promotion entail? A higher salary, of course!
As of next year, Amalia will receive an annual allowance of €1.6 million. The sum could have been higher, but she has humbly refused or, rather, postponed the increase until she completes her studies.
The allowance can’t be spent on just anything, though. She needs to set up her own secretariat and take care of her home and work accommodation.
On second thought, she did move to Amsterdam, so 1.6 million might be just enough to get a room with several windows and her very own private sink!
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As you can imagine, money is a sensitive topic. Over half of the country (54%) believes Amalia’s allowance should be discussed.
A smaller portion of respondents (21%) say they understand she needs to financially prepare herself, and an even smaller one (11%) believes the allowance is a good idea.
The rest (14%) — you’ve guessed it — don’t care.
What do you think of the future Dutch queen? Let us know in the comments!
“A monarchy has a right to exist because it is supported by the people. As soon as interest decreases, this could mean the end of the monarchy in the long term.”
Yes please, get rid of it.