Robin Utrecht
NOS News••Amended
Princess Amalia will be there for the first time this year when her father King Willem-Alexander reads the Speech from the Throne. The 18-year-old Princess of Orange rides with her parents in the Glass Coach during the driving tour from Noordeinde Palace to the Koninklijke Schouwburg in The Hague, where the ceremony will take place this year.
Last weekend, De Telegraaf reported that the security measures around Princess Amalia and Prime Minister Rutte have been increased, because there are indications that organized crime has plans for an attack or kidnapping.
The Government Information Service does not say whether additional measures have been taken for Budget Day. The police and the Public Prosecution Service are also not making any statements about this.
balcony scene
After the Speech from the Throne, Amalia will return with her parents in the Glass Coach to Noordeinde Palace, where they will wave together on the balcony to the crowd that has gathered.
NOS
For the first time in three years, the public will be there as usual on Prinsjesdag. Due to the corona measures, the driving tour and the balcony scene on Prinsjesdag have been canceled for the past two years.
In the theatre, Amalia sits next to her aunt and uncle, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien. In the past, it was still customary for the heir to the throne to take a seat on the podium on Prince’s Day.
For example, Amalia’s grandmother Beatrix and great-grandmother Juliana sat on a throne next to the head of state from the age of 18. Since the late 1960s, the heir apparent has been sitting in the hall next to other members of the Royal House.
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AP
Princess Juliana (r) sits next to her father Prince Hendrik as Queen Wilhelmina reads the Speech from the Throne (1930) -
AP
Princess Beatrix sits next to Queen Juliana during her first Budget Day in 1956 -
AP
Princess Beatrix (2nd from right) and her sisters Irene (l) and Margriet (r) on stage on Prinsjesdag 1963 -
National Archives
Prince Willem-Alexander sits next to his aunt, Princess Margriet, during his first Prinsjesdag in 1985 -
National Archives
In 1985 Prince Willem-Alexander is at the balcony scene at Noordeinde Palace for the first time
Amalia started her studies Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE) at the University of Amsterdam at the beginning of this month. Where her studies permit, she will occasionally also perform official duties in her role as heir to the throne, such as her presence today on Prinsjesdag.
The Budget Day survey conducted by agency Ipsos on behalf of the NOS shows that almost four out of ten Dutch people do not think it is necessary for Amalia to perform in public more often, now that she is 18 years old. The main reasons given are that the princess is still too young for that and that she needs more education.
Almost 30 percent would like to see her in public more often, especially on official occasions such as the National Remembrance Day or at official visits and openings.
Exercise Prince’s Day
Amalia’s interest in Prinsjesdag already became apparent last June, when she took part in an exercise for the riding tour with her horse Mojito. At her own request, the princess, who loves horseback riding, wanted to experience how the horses in the city center of The Hague are being prepared for Prinsjesdag.
In this video, the new stable master of the Royal Stable Department, Hans Veenhuijzen, explains what it takes to steer the riding tour in the right direction.
Stalmeester Veenhuijzen: ‘It is fantastic that there is a driving tour again after the corona years’
Amalia’s first official public appearance was last December, a day after her 18th birthday, when she was ushered into the Council of State by her father. In preparation for the monarchy, she is allowed to attend the meetings of the Advisory Division, but she does not have the right to vote. She is expected to attend meetings on a regular basis only after her studies.
Last week, together with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, she offered the members of the Council of State a dinner. It was the first time for Amalia to host the biennial dinner at Noordeinde Palace.
AP
An introductory visit to the Caribbean part of the kingdom is also on the program for Amalia. Together with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, the princess will travel to Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba at the end of January and early February next year. The details of their program are not yet known.
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