10 years on the throne for King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands

[iceflower]

On the occasion of his 10th anniversary as King, King Willem-Alexander plans to invite 100 special people "who in the eyes of others deserve a ten", with a promotional video people are called to nominate the ones who they consider should be honored with an invitation.

The festive lunch will be hosted by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima at Huis ten Bosch Palace on April 26.


** 10maal: Een feestelijke lunch ** translation **

 

[Marengo]

A nice idea. They did something simular for his 50th birthday when they had an official dinner at Dam palace with 'ordinairy' people as well.

 

[An Ard Ri]

What a lovely idea to mark the 10th Anniversary of his Accession

 

[Somebody]

Even tot Hier wrote their 1-minute song this week about '10 years Willem-Alexander' concluding that we need him because as a country he brings us together in being deeply ashamed of him.

Note: the part about Mexico did not take place in the last 10 years during his kingship but during a visit while he still was the Prince of Orange. However, unsurprisingly, their trip to Greece keeps coming up both in this song as well as in other news: this week the news was also that they still hadn't recovered in popularity since that significant drop.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Have the Parliament, the Prime Minister, the media, the state services, the churches, etc. recovered from their never-seen downfall in trust and popularity?

 

[Somebody]

Have the Parliament, the Prime Minister, the media, the state services, the churches, etc. recovered from their never-seen downfall in trust and popularity?

You seem to be using the same argument as the king: it is a general trend of losing trust in institutions, not one specifically targeted to the monarchy.

 

[Somebody]

A video by the NOS (National Broadcaster) on 10 years king Willem-Alexander

 

[MsJulie]

How time flies! I remember when his Mother said she was stepping down and I was so surprised. Many more great years to the King!

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

You seem to be using the same argument as the king: it is a general trend of losing trust in institutions, not one specifically targeted to the monarchy.

My conclusion is that the downward trend of approval for the instution of the monarchy is questioned by there seems to be a blind eye for other instututions of State of which the trust and the approval are simply dramatic (and rightly so after all these crises and complex mismanagements). But we still live in a paradise anyway.

 

[tommy100]

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2023/...rchy-falls-again-one-in-four-back-a-republic/

Support for the Dutch monarchy has not recovered since the sharp dip during the coronanvirus pandemic, according to an annual survey by Ipsos on behalf of public broadcaster NOS. Ten years ago, when Willem-Alexander was sworn in as king, the monarchy commanded the support of 80% of the Dutch. But now just 55% of the Dutch have confidence in monarchy, while the king himself has the trust of 46%. At the same time, 24% of those polled said the Netherlands should become a republic, a rise of nine percentage points since 2020.

As much as it may be true other institutions popularities are falling I'm not sure its the best thing for the King to be focussing on that and not at least trying to change course a little and get his popularity and that of the institution on the rise. Strikes a little of "well nothing we can do so let's just sit back and watch it crash"

 

[Prinsara]

You seem to be using the same argument as the king: it is a general trend of losing trust in institutions, not one specifically targeted to the monarchy.

Or that the king himself is not personally responsible for the drop, which he is.

"He unites us in being ashamed of him" is both certainly not something to boast of and doesn't seem to be generalized or institutionalized. More like 'it's his fault'.

I wonder if the king will ever explain how his chief hiring criterion is that people are able to criticize him and his ideas, and he still went to Greece. (And then had Amalia's party against regulations.)

 

[Somebody]

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2023/...rchy-falls-again-one-in-four-back-a-republic/

Support for the Dutch monarchy has not recovered since the sharp dip during the coronanvirus pandemic, according to an annual survey by Ipsos on behalf of public broadcaster NOS. Ten years ago, when Willem-Alexander was sworn in as king, the monarchy commanded the support of 80% of the Dutch. But now just 55% of the Dutch have confidence in monarchy, while the king himself has the trust of 46%. At the same time, 24% of those polled said the Netherlands should become a republic, a rise of nine percentage points since 2020.

As much as it may be true other institutions popularities are falling I'm not sure its the best thing for the King to be focussing on that and not at least trying to change course a little and get his popularity and that of the institution on the rise. Strikes a little of "well nothing we can do so let's just sit back and watch it crash"

I am quite sure that the royal household and king and queen themselves are working hard to try to reverse the trend. However, I also understand that in public he points towards something that also is related to his low popularity; which is the decreased trust in institutions as a whole. There is little use in discussing his personal popularity, it will certainly not increase by him just saying that he would like it to be much higher. He is very well aware of the mistake they made going to Greece and needs to work really hard to regain trust (Amalia not cashing her dotation is among the actions taken to show that they do understand the people).

 

[Somebody]

Or that the king himself is not personally responsible for the drop, which he is.

"He unites us in being ashamed of him" is both certainly not something to boast of and doesn't seem to be generalized or institutionalized. More like 'it's his fault'.

I wonder if the king will ever explain how his chief hiring criterion is that people are able to criticize him and his ideas, and he still went to Greece. (And then had Amalia's party against regulations.)

That's satire... So, played up by the comedians that made this song. Of course, they will not sing something nuanced.

Nonetheless, I agree he himself also had a part in the dip. His popularity had somewhat increased at the start of the pandemic as a uniting figure in trying times but crashed pretty badly 6 months later - and they still haven't recovered from it.

And in terms of having critical people: the people in the Netherlands were pretty divided by the government policies regarding Covid-19 - many would have done the same as the king and queen, and even the prime minister (who was always a late adapter in taking measures) didn't realize that there could be any fall-out from this trip. So, I don't think they went against advice by the court or government but I'm afraid that nobody truly understood how it would come across.

 

[Prinsara]

That's satire... So, played up by the comedians that made this song. Of course, they will not sing something nuanced.

Nonetheless, I agree he himself also had a part in the dip. His popularity had somewhat increased at the start of the pandemic as a uniting figure in trying times but crashed pretty badly 6 months later - and they still haven't recovered from it.

And in terms of having critical people: the people in the Netherlands were pretty divided by the government policies regarding Covid-19 - many would have done the same as the king and queen, and even the prime minister (who was always a late adapter in taking measures) didn't realize that there could be any fall-out from this trip. So, I don't think they went against advice by the court or government but I'm afraid that nobody truly understood how it would come across.

It may be satire, but comedians are generally pretty good at distilling issues accurately. The song wasn't about institutional mistrust, it was about a list of stuff the king had done that seems stupid or disdainful, even if I only caught Greece.

And when comedians are mocking you in such a brutal manner, these days it's generally a sign a large part of society does not hold you in high regard, either. The king could probably make it a bit harder by not handing them the material.

Otoh I don't think people outside the Netherlands would see W-A as someone worthy of shame, so at least his reputation is not that bad (and he probably won't reach international infamy/Grandpa Bernhard levels, or anything).

 

[Somebody]

It may be satire, but comedians are generally pretty good at distilling issues accurately. The song wasn't about institutional mistrust, it was about a list of stuff the king had done that seems stupid or disdainful, even if I only caught Greece.

And when comedians are mocking you in such a brutal manner, these days it's generally a sign a large part of society does not hold you in high regard, either. The king could probably make it a bit harder by not handing them the material.

I wouldn't say that comedians mocking you in a brutal manner is necessarily the best way to measure society's temperature; many times they very much like to specifically pick on what is important (to some) or in institutions normally held in high regard.

The song was about 10 years of king Willem-Alexander, so indeed not about mistrust in society (they've made other songs about the various political parties and other topics) and of course they like to highlight things that don't necessarily put him in the best light (that would result in a rather dull song). I'd say it would be pretty easy to come up with a few things for anyone whose been in office for 10 years and in the spotlight for all his life.

Let me try to decipher the song:
It starts with a pun about the king's day song (Willem-Alexander recently said he felt sorry about for the writer of the song who was mocked for something he worked really hard on)
Next, they include his image as a party animal (which refers to his time as a student), a hunter (referring to issues at the crown domain), concluding his popularity is decreasing.
Next, they agree that he does his best but it doesn't always work out (including his mispronunciation of the apologies in Indonesia)
Of course, they include his meeting with Putin at the Olympics (which was at the request of the government)
Then they move on to an incident in 2009 (so several years before his kingship) when his Spanish phrase had a different meaning in Mexico.
Another sentence is related to the Golden Coach that is no longer in use (considered a wise decision by the king) and him driving an antique car during King's day (apparently, they were looking for something that didn't exist, so ended here)
Then, we've got the famous Greece incident followed by him buying an expensive speedboat
The song ends with him being a uniting force but not in a positive was (as already discussed)

All in all, they bring up a few issues that I agree are damaging while most other things are minor (or just something to make fun of). Damaging issues:
- Meeting with Putin in Sochi (however, it would most likely have been a diplomatic nightmare had he refused)
- Greece holiday (no doubt about that one)
- Expensive speedboat (his own money but hard to understand if you struggle moneywise)
- Hunting issues (seen as elitist)

Otoh I don't think people outside the Netherlands would see W-A as someone worthy of shame, so at least his reputation is not that bad (and he probably won't reach international infamy/Grandpa Bernhard levels, or anything).

I agree. In the Netherlands, they don't do so either. They don't take him as seriously as his mother but his approachable image is appreciated by some or many? However, he needs to keep working on avoiding a disconnect with the people; his lifestyle is more 'rich and famous' than previous generations and that is his Achilles heel imho (does that expression exist in English as well?).

The few responses to the video are 'nice video' and someone complimenting the team on the first reference to the king's day song. One person states that he prefers a republic but thinks that Wim-Lex is cool. So, not too bad for the king, I'd say.

 

[kalnel]

I'd be curious if Dutch posters here sense a difference in news coverage of W-A versus Beatrix when she was queen. Watching from a distance, I get the impression that Beatrix was pictured more in high-level meetings, working in her office, and so on, giving the image that she's a more serious person who did more stuff that looks like "work."

At the beginning of COVID, I remember seeing stories about W-A in his office holding virtual meetings and visits -- working -- and his approval numbers were good. Now he's doing more "soft" visits, and his numbers are down.

I wonder if his advisors positioned him as more serious, showing him doing more work if his numbers would go up.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

O

I'd be curious if Dutch posters here sense a difference in news coverage of W-A versus Beatrix when she was queen. Watching from a distance, I get the impression that Beatrix was pictured more in high-level meetings, working in her office, and so on, giving the image that she's a more serious person who did more stuff that looks like "work."

At the beginning of COVID, I remember seeing stories about W-A in his office holding virtual meetings and visits -- working -- and his approval numbers were good. Now he's doing more "soft" visits, and his numbers are down.

I wonder if his advisors positioned him as more serious, showing him doing more work if his numbers would go up.

Queen Beatrix has never scored the popularity ratings King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima had. That on personal level. Then on institutional level: neither under the approachable Juliana, nor under the distant Beatrix, nor under the folksy Willem-Alexander the slooooow but unmistakable downward trend of support for a hereditary monarchy is changed.

And I do not see how anyone, who is no supporter of a head of state delivered by hereditary succession, could become one. By the way: in the book for her 18th birthday Princess Amalia herself knows it and was pretty undramatic about it: "When the monarchy ends, well, then I will go on with my life, pursuing other things".

We see the same phenomenon with the State. Once an overwhelming majority agreed that the State knows what best is for the people. Once people remained with their political color for lifetime. Now the trust in the State has even more plummeted, even so that lots of people feel more that "the State" and the politicians, and the media, and the Church, and the banks, and the industry, are not there for the commonwealth but need to be resisted. Every Elections we see an enormous volatility in the electorate. New parties score highs, to disappear altogether at the next Elections. All by all it is a wonder the monarchy still scores, together with the armed forces, compared with almost all other institutions of State.

 

[Marengo]

The press was not particulary nice for Beatrix in the late 90-ties and early 2000s either. Her ski-trip to Austria for example. Her supposed mingling in government/ ambassadorship appointments, her supposed coldness and perfectionalism, the costs of the maintenance of her ship, Mabelgate, Margaritagate, Bernhards antics, father Zorreguieta etc. I remember daily discussion programmes (Barend & van Dorp) critisizing every step.

The Dutch monarchy was always much more a topic in the serious press in the Netherlands than the monarchy is in many other countries. It is more political too: every year the budget is discussed in parlament. The responsibility of the prime minister makes the RF another tool to hit the PM with -> why did he not prevent the Greek trip? Etc. When was the last time the Windsors were discussed in the House of Commons, other than to express sympathies? When was the last time the monarchy as an institution was debated on the BBC?

In addition the media landscape has changed greatly, which intensifies the criticism perhaps. We now have a multitude of daily opinion programmes, a multitude of boulevard programmes and websites etc. Populism has taken a firm hold of a large part of the country. A lot has changed. Last month the Prime Minister was in a talk show where he was insulted in his face over and over again, he was called by his first name and one of the presentors put a helmet with a dildo on top of it on his head (yes you read that correctly). Respect for authority had never been this low.

The achilles' heel in the Netherlands is always money, and that is what you hear and read most often about in commentaries. Under clips of the French state visits you could see a lot of posts - next to the many conspiracy theorists- about how 'we' are paying for this expensive nonsense and how there are foodbanks etc. Not that the palaces will pay for themselves when we have a president or if an elected head-of-state will not engage in such ceremonies.

The house in Mozambique, the house in Greece, the speedboat etc. It is all less accepted. Juliana had a villa in Italy, Beatrix has one in Tuscany. Beatrix stayed in the yacht of Freddy Heineken etc. They have been going to Lech for nearly a century. It is all much more open for debate now and discussed on television. It implies he is enjoying it too much and perhaps in a morbid way the public want the royals to suffer a bit under the weight of the crown, as a compensation for the great privileges they are getting. It seems the palace did not receive the memo yet and the King is not navigating as carefully as the two other monarchs of his cohort do, perhaps lulled into a feeling of security by the initially high popularity ratings.

Apart from the Greek visit there aren't many real things to critisize IMO. There were a lot of things they actually got right (returning Amalia's income for example). Compared to the scandals in Beatrix reign -and esp. in Juliana's reign- the Greek story is a mere triffle. It was indeed a faux pas but not more than that. The flamboyance of the Queen -a great topic in international royalty forums- is seldom a topic in The Netherlands.

The speedboat was another item of criticism. In the same year the king of Belgium bought a holiday home on the Ile d’Yeu in France. We did not hear or see much of that in the Belgian press while WAs boat -ordered long before COVID started- was a big item in The Netherlands. His grandfather still had several yachts in Italy, about which I have never read any criticism. Add to that the great transparency of the Dutch budget: we knew all about the security costs of the Greek villa while in Belgium nothing was said about the costs of securing the French villa.

Every flight of the government plane is now checked by spotters, shared on social media and in the press. Did Beatrix fly less often to Italy than WA to Greece? Probably not. Does Filip of Belgium go abroad less frequently? Probably not. The Lech photosession is a deal with the press: you leave us alone during the vacation and we will pose for photos. However, we do not get to see paparazzi photos of other RFs on skis -and they all enjoy their ski holiday. So what purpose is there for this shoot but a reminder that 'we' are paying for 'their' winter vacation?

On the occassion of the 10th anniversary I am sure we will be treated on an avalanche of articles from the press highlighting the decline in popularity, which will serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy. But it is a good way the serious press can write about the RF without seeming to be shallow.

The ratings as they are now may have happened under Beatrix too. We will never know. For now the ratings are more in line with other monarchies. His grandfather Bernhard dubbed his wife Juliana as a 'miscast'. The King sometimes gives that impression too. He seems friendly, well meaning... but I could personally do with a bit more gravitas. I may be alone in this though.

If anything I think they could benifit from less transparency. Stop using the government plane for private holidays. Stop the vacation photosessions, go hunting in Germany etc. If you must have these photosessions perhaps de-couple them from the vacations, do one before christmas for example. But I don't think there are any easy answers and while you are being shaved it is best to sit still.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Those 10 years have literarily just flown by ...

 

[ronald biver]

Iam Dutch and it make me very sad, and I agree with you, I was living in the Netherlands when it all happens, and Queen Beatrix was Queen. But i still love The House of Orange Nassau! Popularity comes and go, look at other European royal houses, some have even disappeared because of lack of popularity.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

At first the press thought Prince Willem-Alexander would take the regnal name of Willem IV.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

It is beyond belief that it is already a decade now.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Yesterday there was a discussion in a daily late evening current affairs talk show and the Royal House was one of the topics. Marcia Luyten, an author of a book about Queen Máxima, claims to have spoken with hofdames and other ladies of the Court.

Apparently they were not happy with how Queen Máxima dresses. Not specifically how she dresses (taste is in the eye of the beholder) but more that a Queen wearing designers is, willingly or unwillingly, advertising for said designers and only helps her to get a label as living the jet-set life.

That was exactly the reason why Queen Beatrix had her own team of seamstresses and coupeuses, making every item specifically and exclusively for her. For another guest (Justine Marcella, Editor-in-Chief of Vorsten, a magazine which becomes too "light weight" under her editorship, to my taste) Queen Máxima wearing designer labels was not a problem at all.

Marcia Luyten thought it was exactly the distance, the decorum, the recognizeability of Queen Beatrix, was what kept the dignitas of the monarchy. Justine Marcella thought that we are living in 2023 and that copying Queen Beatrix' method (an own team of seamstresses and coupeuses dressing Queen Máxima) was no longer of this time.

Marcia Luyten is of the school that King Willem-Alexander telling in a podcast that he once had a TEAMS session in a jogging pants, or of Queen Máxima looking like the lady-next-door helps nothing for the monarchy: it only destroys the distance, the myth, the decorum a monarchy needs. Justine Marcella did not agree: a folksy King and a messy Queen would actually be "closer to the people".

Seeing the approval ratings I doubt Justine's opinion is the right way to go. My own opinion is that Queen Máxima should indeed have her own team of seamstresses and coupeuses and no longer wear couture labels and is in urgent need of a coiffeuse for every moment of the day.

And the sunglasses should go on a big bonfire. Such an absolute no-no.

 

[Adda]

Y]
Marcia Luyten is of the school that King Willem-Alexander telling in a podcast that he once had a TEAMS session in a jogging pants, or of Queen Máxima looking like the lady-next-door helps nothing for the monarchy: it only destroys the distance, the myth, the decorum a monarchy needs. Justine Marcella did not agree: a folksy King and a messy Queen would actually be "closer to the people".

Santa Madonna!

Why do I get the feeling Marcella is the kind of person to speak in the name of "the youth" saying the Royals need to behave like Eurovision contestants in order to be liked?

For this 20 something year old, Royal that I see being too folksy, Royal that is very much out of my good graces. Instantly.


What Máxima needs, first and foremost, is a coiffeur and a mirror.

 

[SLV]

The quote about the joggingpants was in responce to a question from the interviewer. When discussing Corona, he asked the King if, like many, he ever did a teamsmeeting in joggingpants. Proper clothing on top, which is visible, and something comfy underneith, which doesn't show anyway.
I don't see what is wrong with that. Nobody during that meeting would have noticed anything.

 

[Marengo]

The podcast of the Volkskrant discussed the 10 years of the king on Friday. Interestingly enough the editor of the most left leaning of our newspapers claimed to have a soft spot for the monarchy. As did the political chef Raoul Dupré. Even the presentor Gijs Groenteman -as caviar left as you can get- seemed to share this spot.

They discussed exaxtly the jogging pants comments. Dupré said that it is clear that the RF tries to respond to the lower popularity ratings by becoming even more 'normal' and sharing stories just like these.

He commented that he thought this approach is wrong. Nobody wants to know that the king wore jogging pants. He held a plea for closing the curtains a bit more and for a more distant approach of his mother. They heaped praise on former Queen Beatrix, who found the right balance in being approachable and distant at the same time (interesting because the Volkskrant was the newspaper that often critisized Beatrix the most for that very same reason in the 90-ties).

It was noted that the few times that Beatrix let her guard down instantly became memorable, just because it was out of character. If you overshare - as they are doing now- it becomes rather common. What will set them apart from other Dutch celebrities sharing everything about their lives on social media? They could be more approachable as crown prince and princess as it was set against the background of the gravitas of Queen Beatrix. It certainly increased the popularity of the RF at the time.

In the end of this segment of the podcast Sheila Sitalsing reminded the gentlemen about the credentials of the newspaper with the dry question why it is a bad thing if the popularity of the monarchy is decreasing.

I think they have a good point. The Volkskrant -of all newspapers- worried about the monarchy and holding a plea for a more distant approach did give me a good chuckle.

 

[lucien]

The podcast of the Volkskrant discussed the 10 years of the king on Friday. Interestingly enough the editor of the most left leaning of our newspapers claimed to have a soft spot for the monarchy. As did the political chef Raoul Dupré. Even the presentor Gijs Groenteman -as caviar left as you can get- seemed to share this spot.

They discussed exaxtly the jogging pants comments. Dupré said that it is clear that the RF tries to respond to the lower popularity ratings by becoming even more 'normal' and sharing stories just like these.

He commented that he thought this approach is wrong. Nobody wants to know that the king wore jogging pants. He held a plea for closing the curtains a bit more and for a more distant approach of his mother. They heaped praise on former Queen Beatrix, who found the right balance in being approachable and distant at the same time (interesting because the Volkskrant was the newspaper that often critisized Beatrix the most for that very same reason in the 90-ties). It was noted that the few times that Beatrix let her guard down instantly became memorable, just because it was out of character. If you overshare - as they are doing now- it becomes rather common. What will set them apart from other Dutch celebrities sharing everything about their lives on social media? They could be more approachable as crown prince and princess as it was set against the background of the gravitas of Queen Beatrix. It certainly increased the popularity of the RF at the time.

In the end of this segment of the podcast Sheila Sitalsing reminded the gentlemen about the credentials of the newspaper with the dry question why it is a bad thing if the popularity of the monarchy is decreasing.

I think they have a good point. The Volkskrant -of all newspapers- worried about the monarchy and holding a plea for a more distant approach did give me a good chuckle.

Your last sentence,same here...Good,there is hope after all...

 

[wartenberg7]

Iam Dutch and it make me very sad, and I agree with you, I was living in the Netherlands when it all happens, and Queen Beatrix was Queen. But i still love The House of Orange Nassau! Popularity comes and go, look at other European royal houses, some have even disappeared because of lack of popularity.

Well, almost all royal houses, the german ones, the Balkans, the austrian empire (Greece might be an exception because they lost popularity because the Royal Family, as a result of a coup d´etat, though still officially in office, lived abroad) disappeared as a result of lost wars or the overthrow of the political system by the communists, not necessarily because they lost popularity among the general public! I guess without communist revolutions we still had some monarchies in balkan countries today.
The reasons for the downfall of popularity rates in the Netherlands, the house in Greece and the ill advised holidays during the Covid crisis occur a bit odd to me! Normally public memory about these things do not stick that long. And, yes, it was not right what they did - but hey, they didn´t commit a crime or something! So I guess there must be something else... I´m not sure, but, like in many other european countries, people living there do not have the same cultural and ethnic background any longer like it was still back in the 1980s and 90s. Numbers of "natural dutch" people keep on constantly shrinking while those from other cultural backgrounds demografically grow. I guess, nowadays the dutch population consists of many people, who might not feel attached to the royal house of Oranje-Nassau like those, whose parents grandparents and so on have to tell their personal storys the had from royal visits, Queen´s days or investitures. Perhaps the House of Orange to many migrant families is just an unfamiliar, priviliged, white family they cannot relate to...?!

 

[Marengo]

The RF tends to be popular among migrants, esp. but not exclusively, with migrants from the Caribean and Suriname. In addition many migrant familie have been here for several generations now, they will have memories too. Even if theoretically you would have been correct, the numbers are far to large to be made up of migrants alone. So we will need to look for other causes.

 

[wartenberg7]

The RF tends to be popular among migrants, esp. but not exclusively, with migrants from the Caribean and Suriname. Even if theoretically you would have been correct, the numbers are far to large to be made up of migrants alone. So we will need to look for other causes.

May be, but I guess migrants from the carribean and Suriname are not that much, while those from arabian countries, no current dominion or former colonies of the Netherlands, are.