On December 7, the first of the three Dutch princesses will reach legal adulthood. 🎉 However, there won’t be any post-birthday hangover for this 18-year-old: Princess Amalia is to attend her first Council of State meeting the day after her birthday.
As the highest general administrative court in the Netherlands, the Council of State acts as an independent advisor to the Parliament on matters of legislation and governance.
Preparing for her future
According to the Dutch constitution, Amalia has a seat in the Council of State from the moment she turns 18 — that’s what we call job security.
She’ll be joining the Advisory Department of the Council where her mom, Queen Máxima, already holds a seat.
Neither the Queen nor Amalia have any substantive involvement or even voting rights in the Council of State. The idea is for Amalia to learn about Dutch legislation and constitutional law so she can prepare for her future role as Queen of the Netherlands. 👑
The Council also has an Administrative Jurisdiction Department and Amalia’s dad, King Willem-Alexander, is the Chairman of the Council of State.
First day on the job
On December 8, Amalia will go to the Kneuterdijk Palace in The Hague (the location of the Council of State) together will King Willem-Alexander.
Much like any first day, there’ll be some introductions — here just in the form of speeches. Amalia herself, the King, and the vice-chairman, Thom de Graaf, will all give a short speech at the meeting.
READ MORE | Conscious royal: Dutch Princess Amalia says no to allowance
Less like other peoples’ first day on the job (unless you’re a landscaper of course), Amalia will then plant a royal lime tree in the French garden of Kneuterdijk Palace.
What do you think of Princess Amalia’s new role? Tell us in the comments below!
Feature Image: © RVD / Martijn Beekman
