Every year the King’s birthday is celebrated with a huge party that takes  over the whole country. People put on their wildest orange costumes, drape themselves in Dutch flags and come together at festivals or open street markets. However, due to social distancing rules in place, this year's ‘Koningsdag’ might be a little different from previous years. But who is the royal birthday boy who gets to throw the biggest b-day party in the world? In this blog, I have collected some lesser-known facts about the King, his family and his fortune, so that you can impress your friends with your royal knowledge.  

1. The King has a reputation for partying

Just like any normal citizen, King Willem Alexander used to be young as well. During his History studies at the University of Leiden, he quickly gained attention for his dissolute party lifestyle. Like many, he moved to a (very fancy) student house, joined a study association and started dating. However, his love life and drinking behaviour were heavily scrutinized by the press during those times, who openly doubted his intellectual capacities and gave him the unflattering nickname ‘Prins Pils’ (‘Prince Lager’). Despite this, Willem Alexander has proved  people wrong over the years and nowadays he is well-respected among the Dutch.

2. The King flies for KLM

The King has a passion for flying airplanes and in the past has said that he would have liked to become an airline pilot if it weren’t for his royal duties. However, this doesn't mean that he is prohibited from living out his passion. In fact, the King has regularly flown KLM planes undercover as a first officer for 21 years as he revealed in 2017. In addition to that, he also likes to take control of the Dutch royal aircraft during trips. 

3. The King does not wear a crown

Another lesser known fact about the King is that he does not wear a crown. Not that he does not own one, it's just that he never wears it. In fact, there is not even an official coronation ceremony which is when the King or Queen assume their new position. Not wearing a crown is common in many of the ‘modern monarchies’ established in the 19th century, as seen in Belgium or Scandinavia. Despite this, the King does wear a long royal looking cape or certain uniforms for special occasions. 

4. The Royal Family is quite international

Just as the Netherlands itself, the Dutch royal family is quite international. Prins Claus, who is the King's father, was originally German and needless to say, when he married Queen Beatrix in 1966, this was seen as very controversial  by the Dutch population. Not only were the memories of the Nazi occupation still quite fresh, but Prins Claus had also been a member of the Hitler Youth during the war. A little less controversial, but still critically viewed, was the wedding between King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima, who is Argentinian. The reason for the controversy back then was Queen Maxima’s father's involvement in the Military dictatorship in Argentina. Despite initial doubts, both Prins Claus and Queen Maxima found their way into the hearts of the Dutch.   

5. There are 5 Royal Castles you can visit

If you are working on a bucket list of things to do once the lockdown has ended, why not add a trip to all 5 Royal castles? The most impressive one is certainly the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, where important guests of the state are received. However, you can also visit Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn and stroll through its fantastic gardens. Other important palaces are Noordeinde Palace, which is the King’s working palace in The Hague or Huis ten Bosch palace where the King resides with his family. Last but not least, you can always make a trip to Drakensteyn Castle, which is the residence of former Queen Beatrix. 

For an overview of palaces you can go here.

6. Both the date and name of King’s day can be changed 

As already mentioned in the introduction, Kings day is celebrated in honour of the King’s birthday. Naturally, this means that when a new King or Queen is crowned, the day and name of the celebration will change. At least in theory that’s what happens., In reality, if the birthday of his/her royal highness happens to fall in a month with, let’s say, less than nice weather then the day of the celebration does not necessarily shift. This was, for example, the case with the former Queen Beatrix who was born on January 31. Instead of making the Dutch party in cold, rainy weather, it was decided that Queens day should continue to be celebrated according to the Queen mother’s birthday on the 30th of April. Only when King Willem-Alexander took the throne in 2013, was the date changed to the 27th of April. Seeing that the heir apparent to the throne, Princess Amalia, was born on the 7th of December, it is likely that the Dutch will keep celebrating Kings or Queens day on the 27th of April for a long time to come.