This is how it looks with the Oranjes!
It’s almost King’s Day again, and this year the Oranjes will settle in Emmen in Drenthe. But what about our Royal House? What exactly does that mean? Who is and is not included? Glamial is taking a crash course in Orange!
Royal party
Who exactly will be present this year? That remains to be seen. While we could previously set the clock that King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima would at least make an appearance with daughters Amalia, Alexia and Ariane, that has proven to be no guarantee in recent years now that the princesses are flying out.
In any case, it is certain that plenty of members of the Royal House will be present. But there are also a lot of royal prominent figures in the party who may be very royal, but are not members of the Royal House. What’s up with that?
Royal house
First of all: there is a clear difference between the Royal House and the Royal family. The Royal House can also be called the hard core of the House of Orange. These are the ones closest to the throne.
You may think that the agreements surrounding the Royal House, like so many protocols and rules, are age-old traditions. But that’s not so bad. Since 2002, the Royal House Membership Act has determined exactly who does and does not belong to the hard core of the House of Orange. For example, the website of the Royal House states: “Members of the Royal House are the King or Queen, the abdicated King or Queen, the legal descendants of King Willem I who died in the 1e or 2e degree related to the current King or Queen and are eligible for succession to the throne, the spouses of the above-mentioned members, those who are part of the Royal House on the basis of the transitional arrangement under the Membership of the Royal House Act.”
In addition, these people can lose their membership if they are no longer Dutch, if they are dismissed by Royal Decree, or if they get married without parliamentary approval. This happened, for example, with Princess Irene and the late Prince Friso, who both chose love.
This means that currently, in addition to the royal family, the Royal House consists of Princess Beatrix, Prince Constantijn, Princess Laurentien, Princess Margriet and Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven.
This last couple is a small exception to the above rules: they are still subject to an old law, whereby kinship is in the 3e degree also counts.
Royal family
However, when you talk about the Royal family, you are talking about the broader Orange relatives. A good part of the society, which traditionally travels with the royal couple and their daughters for King’s Day, consists of these members of the House of Orange. Consider, for example, Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène, Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette, Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Princess Aimée. Their children, Princess Mabel, Princess Irene, and the descendants of the late Princess Christina are also members of the Royal family.
From now on you know exactly how things work. Until Amalia ascends the throne and all family members move up again, at least. But that will undoubtedly take a while!
Source: Royal House | Image: NL Image
