by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

The last accession to the throne of the Netherlands took place when Queen Beatrix abdicated on April 30, 2013, thirty-three years after she became Queen of the Netherlands when her mother Queen Juliana abdicated on April 30, 1980. Queen Beatrix’s abdication and the inauguration of her son King Willem-Alexander took place on April 30, 2013. Beatrix signed the instrument of abdication in the Mozeszaal in the Royal Palace in Amsterdam at 10:07 a.m. local time. Willem-Alexander immediately became King of the Netherlands the instant his mother signed the instrument of abdication. His inauguration took place on the afternoon of April 30, 2013, in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam.

Article 32 of the Dutch Constitution states “Upon assuming the royal prerogative the monarch shall be sworn in and invested as soon as possible in the capital city, Amsterdam, at a public and joint session of the two Houses of the States General. The monarch shall swear or promise allegiance to the Constitution and that he/she will faithfully discharge his/her duties. Specific rules shall be laid down by Act of Parliament.” The Dutch monarch is not crowned, although the crown, orb, and scepter are present at the investiture ceremony. The swearing of the oath constitutes the monarch’s acceptance of the throne.

History

Prince of Orange is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange (reigned 1559 – 1584, assassinated) is the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau, and the ancestor of the Dutch monarchs. When Willem’s childless cousin René of Châlon, Prince of Orange died in 1544, he left the Principality of Orange to Willem. Over the years, the title Prince of Orange became prestigious in the Netherlands and throughout the Protestant world despite losing the territory that had originally gone with the title. The Princes of Orange were also Stadtholders of various Dutch provinces during the period of the Dutch Republic and gained much power.

The Napoleonic Wars disrupted much of Europe. When the French invaded the Dutch Republic in 1795, Willem V, Prince of Orange and his family went into exile, first in England and then in 1796 in Prussia where they lived until 1813. After the defeat of Napoleon, the first inauguration ceremony was held in 1814, when Willem VI, Prince of Orange was sworn in as sovereign prince at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. Willem VI, urged on by the powers who met at the Congress of Vienna, proclaimed the Netherlands a monarchy on March 16, 1815. After Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and his second exile, the Congress of Vienna formally confirmed Willem VI, Prince of Orange as the hereditary ruler, King Willem I, of what was known as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Today, the title Prince/Princess of Orange is held by the heir apparent of the Dutch monarch and the Dutch Royal Family are members of the House of Orange-Nassau.

What happens?

The inauguration of Sovereign Kings and Queens of the Netherlands is held at the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Amsterdam during a public session of the Dutch legislature, the States General. The Nieuwe Kerk is no longer used for church services and has been converted into a cultural center. However, the Nieuwe Kerk is used for the inauguration of the Dutch monarch according to Article 32 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In addition, the religious wedding of the future King Willem-Alexander and Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti was held at the Nieuwe Kerk in 2002.

• Unofficial Royalty: Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Royal guests at King Willem-Alexander’s inauguration

Many guests attended King Willem-Alexander’s inauguration including members of other royal families. However, tradition requires that no foreign sovereign attend the inauguration so that the new Dutch sovereign, as protocol requires, is the one with the highest rank among those present.

Foreign royalty who attended King Willem Alexander’s inauguration:

• Prince Albert II of Monaco (assuming that Prince Albert could attend because as a Sovereign Prince, his rank is lower than a King.)
• Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned representing the Emir of Qatar
  Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco representing the King of Morocco
• Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan representing the Emperor of Japan)
• Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn of Thailand representing the King of Thailand
• Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand
• The Prince of Wales (Charles) and Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla), representing the Queen of the United Kingdom
• Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, representing the Queen of Denmark
• Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, representing the King of Sweden
• The Prince (Felipe) and Princess of Asturias (Letizia) representing the King of Spain
• The Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette Marit of Norway, representing the King of Norway
• The Duke (Philippe) and Duchess of Brabant (Mathilde), representing the King of the Belgians
• The Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah and Crown Princess Sarah binti Salleh Ab of Brunei, representing the Sultan of Brunei
• The Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg, representing the Grand Duke of Luxembourg)
• The Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein, representing the Prince of Liechtenstein)
• Prince Hassan bin Talal and Princess Sarvath al-Hassan of Jordan, representing the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan)

The inauguration is strictly ceremonial as the successor to the throne instantly becomes the new monarch at the moment the former monarch dies or abdicates. A monarch must be eighteen years old to participate in an inauguration. Although the inauguration is held in a church, it is not a religious ceremony. The significance of the inauguration is purely constitutional. The present form of the inauguration began with King Willem II’s inauguration in 1840.

The Regalia of the Netherlands, commissioned by King Willem II in 1840, a copy of the Dutch Constitution, and a copy of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands are placed on a table in the Nieuwe Kerk. The regalia symbolizes the monarch’s power and dignity but are never physically given to or worn by the monarch.

The Crown symbolizes the sovereignty of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the dignity of the head of state. Since Dutch monarchs are not crowned, they never actually wear the crown. The Scepter symbolizes the monarch’s authority and the Orb symbolizes the monarch’s territory. The Sword of State symbolizes the monarch’s power.

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The President of the Senate opens this public session of the Dutch legislature and then reads a message from the Prime Minister which gives the President of the Senate the political responsibility for the inauguration of the monarch.

The ministers and secretaries of state, the members of the Council of State, and the governors of Aruba, Curaçao, and Saint Martin are welcomed. Members of the Dutch royal family, led by the heir to the throne and the other children of the sovereign enter and take their seats.

Meanwhile, the Dutch monarch and his/her spouse leave the adjacent Royal Palace, preceded by a military escort, and walk the short distance to the Nieuwe Kerk.

The interior of the Nieuwe Kerk as King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima make their way down the aisle

On arriving at the Nieuwe Kerk, the monarch is greeted by a parliamentary delegation of five members. During the ceremony, the monarch, wearing an ermine-lined heirloom mantle, and his/her spouse, are seated on chairs of state upon a raised dais, opposite the members of the legislature. Once the monarch is seated, Wilhelmus, the national anthem is sung. The Wilhelmus was written in honor of  Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange, known as the Vader des Vaderlands (Father of the Fatherland).

The singing of the Wilhelmus, the national anthem of the Netherlands

The monarch gives a speech before swearing the oath to uphold the constitution and protect the people of the Kingdom. While reciting the oath, the monarch often displays the Spreekgebaar (speaking gesture), a hand gesture used in Germanic Europe and neighboring countries, when swearing an oath. The right hand is raised, with the index finger and middle finger extended upwards; the last two digits are curled downwards against the palm. The thumb is slightly curled or raised.

King Willem-Alexander swearing the oath while raising his hand in the Spreekgebaar

The oath or affirmation: “I solemnly swear (affirm) to the people of the Kingdom that I shall constantly preserve and uphold the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Constitution. I swear (affirm) that I shall defend and preserve the independence and the territory of the Kingdom to the best of my ability, that I shall protect the freedom and rights of all Dutch citizens and residents, and that I shall employ all means placed at my disposal by the law to preserve and promote prosperity, as is incumbent upon a good and faithful Sovereign. So help me God! (This I solemnly affirm!)

Following the monarch’s oath, the President of the Senate makes a declaration on behalf of the assembled people: “We receive and invest, in the name of the people of the Kingdom and in accordance with the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Constitution, you as king/queen. We swear (promise) that we will maintain your inviolability and the rights of your Crown. We swear (promise) to do all that a good and faithful States General, States of Aruba, States of Curaçao, and States of St Maarten should do. So help us God! (This we promise!)

A member of the States General swears the declaration

Next, each member of the States General is called individually to stand and swear or affirm this declaration. They either swear with the Spreekgebaar like the new monarch and state, “So truly help me, God Almighty” or affirm with a simple “That, I promise.”

The President of the Senate declares the inauguration completed, followed by the senior King of Arms exclaiming that the monarch has been inaugurated and the President of the Senate then proclaiming, “Long live the King/Queen!” All assembled respond with three hurrahs. The heralds proceed outside the church to Dam Square where they announce to the public that the monarch has been inaugurated and proclaim “Long live the King/Queen!”

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Works Cited

• Investiture. (2017). Royal-House.nl. https://www.royal-house.nl/topics/royal-house/investiture
• Monarchy of the Netherlands. (2021). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy_of_the_Netherlands
• Outline of Abdication and Investiture Programme 30 April. (2015). Royal-House.nl. https://www.royal-house.nl/topics/abdication-and-investiture/news/2013/2/12/outline-of-abdication-and-investiture-programme-30-april
• Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Inauguration of the Dutch monarch. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inauguration_of_the_Dutch_monarch
• Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Inauguration of Willem-Alexander. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inauguration_of_Willem-Alexander