Princess Amalia will be there for the first time this year when her fatherKing Willem-Alexander reads the Speech from the Throne. The 18-year-oldPrincess of Orange rides with her parents in the Glass Coach during thedriving tour from Noordeinde Palace to the Koninklijke Schouwburg in TheHague, where the ceremony will take place this year.
Last weekend, De Telegraaf reported that the security measures around PrincessAmalia and Prime Minister Rutte have been increased, because there areindications that organized crime has plans for an attack or kidnapping.
The Government Information Service does not say whether additional measureshave been taken for Budget Day. The police and the Public Prosecution Serviceare also not making any statements about this.
balcony scene
After the Speech from the Throne, Amalia will return with her parents in theGlass Coach to Noordeinde Palace, where they will wave together on the balconyto the crowd that has gathered.
NOS
For the first time in three years, the public will be there as usual onPrinsjesdag. Due to the corona measures, the driving tour and the balconyscene on Prinsjesdag have been canceled for the past two years.
The NOS reports directly on Prinsjesdag from 12.25 – 15.46 on NPO 1, NOS.nland the NOS app. Prinsjesdag can be followed on NPO Radio 1 from 12:00 -16:00. You can also read everything about the driving tour, the Speech fromthe Throne and the presentation of the Budget Memorandum in the live blog onNOS.nl and in the NOS app. Tonight there will be a look back at Prinsjesdag at19.32 on NPO 2.
Due to the renovation of the Binnenhof, the Ridderzaal, where the Speech fromthe Throne is traditionally read, will be unavailable for several years. TheSpeech from the Throne has been read in the Grote Kerk for the past two years.This year the choice was made for the Koninklijke Schouwburg, which has beenmade on the ground floor for the occasion. The chairs from the Ridderzaal havealso been placed there.
In the theatre, Amalia sits next to her aunt and uncle, Prince Constantijn andPrincess Laurentien. In the past, it was still customary for the heir to thethrone to take a seat on the podium on Prince’s Day.
For example, Amalia’s grandmother Beatrix and great-grandmother Juliana sat ona 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 theRoyal House.
AP
Princess Juliana (r) sits next to her father Prince Hendrik as QueenWilhelmina reads the Speech from the Throne (1930)
AP
Princess Beatrix sits next to Queen Juliana during her first Budget Day in1956
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 hisfirst Prinsjesdag in 1985
National Archives
In 1985 Prince Willem-Alexander is at the balcony scene at Noordeinde Palacefor the first time
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Amalia started her studies Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE) atthe University of Amsterdam at the beginning of this month. Where her studiespermit, she will occasionally also perform official duties in her role as heirto the throne, such as her presence today on Prinsjesdag.
The Budget Day survey conducted by agency Ipsos on behalf of the NOS showsthat almost four out of ten Dutch people do not think it is necessary forAmalia to perform in public more often, now that she is 18 years old. The mainreasons given are that the princess is still too young for that and that sheneeds more education.
Almost 30 percent would like to see her in public more often, especially onofficial occasions such as the National Remembrance Day or at official visitsand openings.
Exercise Prince’s Day
Amalia’s interest in Prinsjesdag already became apparent last June, when shetook part in an exercise for the riding tour with her horse Mojito. At her ownrequest, the princess, who loves horseback riding, wanted to experience howthe 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, HansVeenhuijzen, explains what it takes to steer the riding tour in the rightdirection.
Stalmeester Veenhuijzen: ‘It is fantastic that there is a driving tour againafter the corona years’
Amalia’s first official public appearance was last December, a day after her18th 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 theAdvisory Division, but she does not have the right to vote. She is expected toattend meetings on a regular basis only after her studies.