It’s the third Tuesday of September, the day when King-Willem Alexander delivers a famous speech which focuses on all the money plans for the year ahead.
Arguably the most important day in Dutch politics, Prinsjesdag is a ceremonial day of events when the Dutch government ultimately reveals the key plans for next year’s budget.
The day follows the same age-old routine, where all members of the Dutch parliament dress in their best attire and accompany the royal family as they gather traditionally in The Hague.
For the past two years, Prinsjesdag has been limited due to coronavirus measures – but today, the event is back with all its glorious traditions.
Though, there is a slight change in venue this year. Typically, the ceremony is held in a part of the iconic Binnenhof, but due to recent renovations, the royal family travelled to Koninklijke Schouwburg, the royal theatre in The Hague, instead.
The royal carriage ride
Prinsjesdag commenced at 1 PM when King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, and for the first time ever, Princess Amalia, travelled en route to the centre of The Hague.
Typically, it’s tradition for the royal family to use the old horse-drawn golden carriage (you know, the one with all the slavery pictures on it), but this was alas being restored. So, they opted for the glass coach instead.
The King’s speech
Once at the ceremony, the King delivered the so-called “Speech from the Throne”, about how the Dutch cabinet plans to create a steadier economy in 2023.
As we all expected, the King’s speech highlighted the many…many money troubles we’ve all been facing the past few months, from soaring gas prices to ridiculous rent costs.
As he sat comfortably on his massive throne and in his million-dollar suit, he spoke on behalf of the government, and said, “we live in a time of contradictions and uncertainties. Our current way of life is running up against economic, social, and environmental limits.”
In the speech, Willem-Alexander shared his worries about the decreasing confidence citizens now have in politics. Many are losing faith in the resolving power of the government. Well, with no money in our bank accounts, it’s hard to give them any credit. 🤷♀️
He also briefly called attention to the dire housing situation and the asylum crisis.
The King stated that €18 billion will be set aside to try and meet the lower and middle incomes, but he emphasised that even this amount will likely not be enough to help everyone, writes the NOS.
The orange hats 👒
Besides the King’s speech, another ritual that made it to Prinsjesdag this year is the many extravagant hats the female parliament members and guests chose to wear.
Why? After Erica Terpstra, Dutch politician and former Olympic swimmer, wore a rather flamboyant black hat on her first time attending Prinsjesdag, she found herself to be one of the only ones sporting a fashionable headpiece, along with the queen and a few members of the Diplomatic Corps.
After the mini wardrobe malfunction, she convinced the other 21 female members of parliament to wear one too, and they did. What a wholesome story!
The balcony scene
Once the King finished reading his speech filled with multisyllabic words that no one quite understood, the royal family moved to the balcony of Noordeine Palace at 2 PM.
There, thousands of spectators came to see the King, Queen Máxima, and Princess Amalia stand, smile, and wave from behind the palace’s gate. It’s certainly a joyous time for those that have a day off from work.
But things were a wee bit different this time round. At the palace, the royal family was greeted not only by a crowd of admirers but protesters too, who was seen holding the Dutch flag upside down and booing them.
The unveiling of the briefcase
At 3 PM, the Minister of Finance, Sigrid Kaag, blew in and dramatically unveiled the briefcase containing the national budget. It’s a tradition that has been carried out since 1947 — but Kaag was the first-ever female minister to do it. You go, girl!
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She presented the budget of billions to the House of Representatives and stated what the cabinet plans to spend the available money on next year.
Farmer’s havoc
At last, a new addition to Prinsjesdag this year that makes the all-important Dutch event even more Dutch — a little bit of action from the boeren. 👨🌾
According to the NOS, about a hundred tractors were standing along the route of the Prinsjesdag driving tour in The Hague, to protest against the government’s nitrogen plans.
Officials stressed that farmers are allowed to protest in the city. However, the massive amount of tractors was causing havoc on the streets.
As a result, an emergency order was issued, and the police seized a number of tractors from the farmers’ action group, Farmers Defence Force.
“The emergency order is gradually becoming the thousand-things-cloth of governments to reject and limit any form of democratic protest,” spokeswoman, Sieta van Keimpema, tells the NOS.
Thankfully, the King addressed the farmers’ situation in his speech and said he understood their concerns, but that cutting nitrogen emissions is bound to happen.
Have you experienced Prinsjesdag before? Tell us in the comments below!
Feature image: Minister-president Rutte/Wikimedia Commons/CC2.0