On the website of the NOS (the Dutch equivalent of the BBC) there is
an article about the relationship between the King and the Prime Minister.
According the Dutch Constitution, the Government comprises of the King and the ministers. As the King does not attend the
ministerraad, the council of ministers, he is informed by the Prime Minister. Picture:
the King receives the Prime Minister in his office at Noordeinde Palace. As member of the Government and as chairman of the
Raad van State (the highest advisory body of the Government and the supreme Court of Administration), the King receives all notes, reports, minutes, memos, etc. anyway.
I do not necessarily agree with Mr Piet van Asseldonk, the NOS journalist, but okay: he claims that the King and the Prime Minister, Mr Mark Rutte, both are of the same age, both have studied at Leyden University and both have read History there, enjoy a good relationship. Until now, no any negative sound has been heard about the relationship between the King and the Prime Minister.
In public, the King keeps himself far away from everything which is linked to politics. Also in his speeches and interviews. In this way he has not brought the Prime Minister in embarrasment.
On his turn the Prime Minister always and ever defends the King and Queen Máxima against criticism. The most frequent critics are about the costs of the monarchy. The consequence is that the head-of-state has an a-politic profile. Even so that he threathens to get the imago of "head of state for feasts and parties". In the longer term this might harm his authority and the prestige of the monarchy.
When the King started his kingship, he announced that he primarily wanted to execute the kingship as a ceremonial function. In the TV-interview at the eve of the Investiture, he told that "cutting ribbons" was not something to look down to because it is also a possibility to connect and to unite. Litterally the King said "So even the ultimate symbol of a ceremonial kingship, the cutting of ribbons, can be meaningful". In one breath he added to accept a fully ceremonial kingship: "When the legislative process has been democratic and according the constitutional rules, I accept everything. [...] and when my signature is needed for that, then I will set that signature."
With this statement not to express himself on political topics and to be an impartial head of state, the King has distanced himself from his mother's execution of her kingship. During her Reign, Queen Beatrix regularly did (indirect) political expressions. For an example about European unity, about environment policy, about standards in society and the wearing of a headscarf. In our society, where everything becomes politic, this has lead to murmurs and then a defence of those statements by the Prime Minister. After all in our constutional monarchy the Prime Minister is accountable for acts of the King.
The a-politic profile of King Willem-Alexander causes that he does not inflammate division and making political life for the Prime Minister harder than it is. But by even witholding him from any comment, even on topics which are not divisive, the King maybe does himself no favour. Attempts to encourage more cohesion in society by cutting ribbons probably will set an image that the head of state does not matter and is just "decoration".
That can not be the policy of Prime Minister Rutte. Except Prime Minister of all Dutchmen, he is also leader of the VVD (the Conservative Liberals), a party which is attached to the monarchy and thus to Willem-Alexander.
Obviously Mr Van Asseldonk has not looked to the other side of the North Sea, where Queen Elizabeth II has been perfectly a-political as well and it did not harm her monarchy...
