It’s almost time for orange tompouces, strolling through the cloth market and of course the big party in Emmen. Tomorrow the whole of the Netherlands will turn orange and we will celebrate King’s Day. But did you know that the predecessor of King’s Day already originated in the 19th century? Read on for more facts about King’s Day that you may not know yet.
#1 King Willem Alexander gauged the interest of his family on King’s Day
When Willem-Alexander became king in 2013, he asked his family about their interest in attending the celebration. This was said by his cousin, Prince Floris, at the table of the television program Beau on Wednesday. It is not mandatory for the king’s nephews to be present on King’s Day. “We are no longer members of the Royal House, so there is no reason for us to be there. When my cousin became king, he asked us. So if we no longer want it, that was the moment to say no “, says Floris.
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Prince Floris talked about his role with Beau during King’s Day.
#2 Queen Beatrix did not celebrate Queen’s Day on her birthday
When you think of Queen’s Day you probably quickly think of the queen’s birthday. Yet this was not the case with Princess Beatrix. The then queen decided to celebrate the birthday of her mother, Queen Juliana, out of respect. Another consideration for this choice was the weather conditions. Princess Beatrix’s birthday is on January 31. Not exactly the month with the best weather forecasts for an outdoor party.
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When Princess Beatrix was queen, she celebrated Queen’s Day on the birthday of her mother, Queen Juliana.
#3 During the corona pandemic, King’s Day was also called Housing Day
Fortunately, the corona pandemic has already ended, but many of us will still remember King’s Day 2020. Due to the measures, the king’s birthday could not be celebrated in the ‘normal’ way. The royal couple and the princesses celebrated this day at home at Huis ten Bosch Palace. No activities were planned in Maastricht, where the party was originally going to take place. King’s Day was also called Housing Day in 2020.
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The royal family celebrated King’s Day 2020 from Huis ten Bosch Palace.
#4 King’s Day is not always celebrated on April 27
The first King’s Day was not celebrated on King Willem-Alexander’s birthday. In 2014, April 27 fell on a Sunday, so the celebration was moved to Saturday April 26.
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In 2014, King’s Day was celebrated on April 26.
#5 The first King’s Day took place in Rijp and Amstelveen
De Rijp and Amstelveen have a historic event to their name, as they were the location for the first King’s Day in 2014.
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De Rijp and Amstelveen were the locations for the first King’s Day in 2014.
#6 The free market was created to prevent protests
Almost all of the Netherlands scours the flea market on King’s Day in search of the best bargains. Nowadays, the flea market has become an indispensable part of the street scene on the king’s birthday. However, this has not always been the case. The free market was used in the 1970s as a means against the protests on Queen’s Day against the wedding of Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus. The Orange Committee of Amsterdam came up with a solution for this – the free market. Due to the popularity of this market in the center of the city, there was no longer room for protests. The free market turned out to be extremely successful and the rest of the Netherlands soon adopted this habit.
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The free market during King’s Day 2023 in Amsterdam.
#7 The king turns 57 years old this year
Everyone knows that we celebrate the king’s birthday on King’s Day, but how old will he actually be? Luckily we know! King Willem-Alexander may blow out 57 candles this year.
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King Willem-Alexander turns 57 tomorrow.
#8 The predecessor of King’s Day was celebrated in the 19th century
On August 31, 1885, Princess Wilhelmina turned five years old. The first Princess Day was celebrated on the occasion of this festive day. This was the predecessor of Queen’s Day and King’s Day. This day was created by the liberals, who wanted to emphasize national unity with this celebration.
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A portrait of the young Princess Wilhelmina.
#9 Willem-Alexander is the first male Dutch monarch in 123 years
King Willem III was the last king of our country for a long time, until King Willem-Alexander was inaugurated in 2013. This king ruled from 1849 until his death in 1890. Then his daughter Wilhelmina succeeded him, under the regency of her mother Queen Emma.
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A portrait of King Willem III and Queen Emma.
#10 Queen Beatrix broke with a long tradition
The first Queen’s Day in honor of Queen Wilhelmina looked very different from the Queen’s Day and King’s Day that we know now. Now the royal family departs every year to a place in the Netherlands to visit the Dutch people. In 1890 Wilhelmina became queen and in 1891 the first real Queen’s Day was celebrated in the Netherlands. The queen did not visit the people, but took part in a parade with her family on the steps of Soestdijk Palace. Beatrix decided to turn this around during her time as queen. On Queen’s Day in 1981, Queen Beatrix visited Veere and Breda.
Curious about the first Queen’s Day and King’s Day of the Oranges? Read more here.
The then Queen Beatrix visits Veere and Breda during her first Queen’s Birthday in 1981.
Photos: ANP
