Could that be Cinderella off to the ball in her gilded carriage? Nee hoor, it’s King Willem-Alexander in his Glazen Koets (Glass Carriage), off to deliver a speech from his throne at the Royal Theatre in the Hague.
Why? Well, as the third Tuesday of September, today (September 17) is a super-special day: Prinsjesdag or Prince’s Day.
Contrary to its name, it’s not the presence of royalty that makes Prinsjesdag an important occasion — instead, this is the day when the Dutch government reveals its budgetary plans for the following year.
What’s the plan for today?
As per the Dutch government’s website, it looks like Prinsjesdag 2024 will be a jam-packed four hours.
Things will kick off at 11:30 AM, when members of the Senate (Eerste Kamer) and House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) make their way to the Hague’s Royal Theatre.
At around 1 PM, after the honour guard has taken up position outside the theatre and the members have taken their seats, the President of the Senate will officially open the meeting.
It’s also around this time that the royal family will depart from Noordeinde Palace and travel to the theatre in their Glazen Koets (Glass Carriage).
From 1:15 PM, the king will deliver his speech, which will contain the government’s plans for the coming year. Roughly an hour later, the royal family will head back to Noordeinde Palace, where gathered crowds can catch a glimpse of them from the palace’s balcony.
Last (but certainly not least!), the Minister of Finance will present a briefcase containing the National Budget to the House of Representatives at around 3:30 PM.
Who’ll be attending?
In addition to various members of parliament, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, and the Princesses Amalia and Alexia, NU.nl reports that the king’s brother and sister-in-law (Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien) will also be in attendance.
With this being Prime Minister Schoof’s first Prinsjesdag since taking office, he will likely also be the recipient of much attention.
Have you ever experienced a Prinsjesdag in the Netherlands before? Tell us all about it in the comments below!