Upon his or her accession to the throne, the new Dutch monarch undergoes an inauguration ceremony as required by the constitution. The ceremony is taken as a
joint session
A joint session or joint convention is, most broadly, when two normally separate decision-making groups meet, often in a special session or other extraordinary meeting, for a specific purpose.
Most often it refers to when both houses of a bicamer ...
of the two houses of the States General, and is held at the
Nieuwe Kerk in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
.
Background
![Inauguration of William I of the Netherlands](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Inauguration_of_William_I_of_the_Netherlands.gif)
In contrast with many other European monarchic customs, in the Netherlands new monarchs are not crowned. The
Dutch crown
The Council of Ministers of the Kingdom ( nl, Ministerraad van het Koninkrijk or ''Rijksministerraad'') is the executive council of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is a state consisting of four constituent countries: Aruba, Curaçao, the Ne ...
and other regalia have never been physically bestowed. Article 32 of the Dutch constitution states that as soon as the monarch assumes the royal prerogative, he is to be sworn-in and invested in Amsterdam at a public joint session of the two houses of the States General. The monarch may not exercise the royal prerogative until reaching the age of 18.
Inauguration is strictly ceremonial as the successor to the throne instantly becomes the new monarch at the moment the former monarch dies or abdicates. The last Dutch monarch to rule until his death was
William III in 1890. His successor was his daughter,
Wilhelmina; however, she was not inaugurated until her coming of age in 1898. Her mother
Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Adelheid Emma Wilhelmina Theresia; 2 August 1858 – 20 March 1934) was Queen of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as the wife of King-Grand Duke William III. An immensely popular member of the Dutch ...
was regent from 1890 to 1898. Wilhelmina passed the throne to her daughter Juliana in 1948.
Abdication
![King Willem-Alexander and family](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/King_Willem-Alexander_and_family.JPG)
Every monarch since Wilhelmina have so far chosen to abdicate their thrones after a certain time. The monarch, the heir to the throne, the royal family and the
cabinet led by the
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
meet in the
Royal Palace of Amsterdam
The Royal Palace of Amsterdam in Amsterdam (Dutch: ''Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam'' or ) is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament. It is situated on the west side of Dam Square i ...
in the State Hall. The monarch signs the
instrument of abdication, which is then signed by the heir, members of the royal family and members of government. As soon as the instrument is signed, the new monarch's accession is complete. The previous monarch then steps on the balcony of the palace, where the new monarch is introduced to the waiting public outside.
After the signature, the new monarch proceeds from the palace to the
Nieuwe Kerk, where the
States General of the Netherlands and the cabinet along with guests of honour have assembled.
Ceremony
The ceremony takes place as a
joint session
A joint session or joint convention is, most broadly, when two normally separate decision-making groups meet, often in a special session or other extraordinary meeting, for a specific purpose.
Most often it refers to when both houses of a bicamer ...
of the two houses of the States General (''Verenigde Vergadering'') and is presided over by the president of the joint session (i.e. the
president of the senate). The ritual is held at the Nieuwe Kerk, in the capital city of Amsterdam. Regalia such as the crown, orb and sceptre are present but are never physically given to the monarch, nor are they worn by him or her, instead they are placed on cushions, on what is called a credence table. The royal regalia surround a copy of the Dutch constitution. Two other regalia–the sword of state and the standard of the kingdom bearing the coat of arms of the Netherlands–are carried by two senior military officers. During the ceremony, the monarch, wearing a ceremonial
mantle, is seated on a chair of state on a raised dais opposite members of the States General.
;The ceremony consists of two parts:
The monarch's
master of ceremonies announces the arrival of the new monarch, who takes his seat on a chair of state opposite members of the States General and the regalia. The monarch gives an address before taking the oath to uphold the constitution and protect the people of the
Kingdom
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
.
Following the monarch's oath, the monarch is paid
homage to by the assemblage of people. The president of the joint session makes a declaration on behalf of those assembled and then swears or affirms this declaration.
Following this, the names of the members of the States General are called out, who then swear or affirm this declaration in turn. They either swear with the right hand raised and state, "Zo waarlijk helpe mij God Almachtig" (So truly help me, God almighty), or take a pledge with a simple "Dat beloof ik" (I promise that).
After every willing member has sworn or affirmed the declaration, the president of the joint session declares the ceremony to have been completed. This is followed by the senior
King of Arms exclaiming that the monarch has been inaugurated and the president crying "long live the king!" to the response of three
hurrahs from the public. The other heralds proceed outside the church to
Dam Square
Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country.
Location and description
...
where they also announce to the public outside that the monarch has been inaugurated and cry "long live the king!"
After the homage ceremony, the monarch and his retinue then exit the church and return to the palace. The ceremony is then followed by an official reception at the palace.
Medals
![Inhuldigingsmedaille 1980 Nederland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Inhuldigingsmedaille_1980_Nederland.jpg)
Since the inauguration of Queen Wilhelmina in 1898, the Dutch government issues for each inauguration a limited number of commemoration medals (''Inhuldigingsmedaille''). The obverse shows the profile of the new monarch, while the reverse features the royal monogram, surrounded on the rim with the name of the monarch and the date of the inauguration. The ribbon's colour is mainly in orange, the colour of the royal house, and blue.
See also
*
Coronations in Europe : ''Note: this article is one of a set, describing coronations around the world.''
: ''For general information related to all coronations, please see the umbrella article Coronation.''
Coronations in Europe were previously held in the monarchies ...
*
Inauguration of Willem-Alexander
The inauguration of Willem-Alexander took place on 30 April 2013 at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. Willem-Alexander ascended the throne immediately following the abdication of his mother Queen Beatrix earlier that day. Willem-Alexander is the fir ...
References
External links
Wet beëdiging en inhuldiging van de Koning (Swearing-in and Investiture of the King act) wetten.overheid.nlLaw governing the oaths to be taken at the ceremony
wetten.overheid.nl
Abdication of Queen Wilhelmina and Inauguration of Queen Juliana,
Polygoon
The Dutch Polygoon-Profilti was a cinema newsreel company in the Netherlands from 1919 to 1987. It started with weekly news items in the Dutch language, Dutch movie theaters and lasted until 1987 when it finally surrendered to television news sho ...
newsreel, 1948.
Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision
The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Dutch: Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid, or short, Beeld en Geluid) is the cultural archive and a museum located in Hilversum. The Institute for Sound and Vision collects, looks after, and ...
website.
{{Coronation
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
Dutch monarchy
Ceremonies in the Netherlands