1 The king sewed his or her own wetsuit
Willem-Alexander invested couple of years residing in rainy Wales regarding the mid-mid-eighties when he is a student during the a global sixth-mode college or university. Their mum, Queen Beatrix, found Atlantic University close Bridgend to drop the woman boy away from. Dutch Television teams was allowed collectively to checklist the moment and was indeed periodically watched after lurking from inside the shrubs. The school, known as Air conditioning, hosts students from over 90 places. (There clearly was a fairly huge Dutch contingent; the slogan ran: “If you are not Dutch, you aren’t much.”) Air-con keeps a robust idealistic ethos, which have a focus on all over the world understanding; extremely youngsters are on scholarships. New campus has a great Harry Potter-style medieval castle, a jousting community, and you will sweeping opinions of Bristol Route. Pupils investigation the fresh Internationally Baccalaureate. The latest teenage prince entered AC’s student-crewed RNLI lifeboat services, which had been sometimes named out for rescues; you’d in order to stitch your wetsuit. He had been and additionally a pretty very good squash player. An effective laidback contour, Willem had a credibility once the a celebration-spouse and you will a touch of an excellent Romeo. He dated several women children away from Latin America and you may not one person are really amazed as he later on married an enthusiastic Argentinian lady. LH
2 The brand new Dutch royal family members will cost you more the british one to
To have a supposedly reasonable-key, Scandinavian-layout bicycling monarchy, the latest Dutch regal relatives been quite expensive. Centered on history year’s yearly research because of the Herman Matthijs, teacher regarding management technology and you can social profit from the Ghent College, our home from Oranje-Nassau costs the nation’s taxpayers ?31m annually. That is more than another regal loved ones when you look at the west Europe – plus, the very first time, our home out of Windsor, whose lead will cost you was basically faster because of the 16% just last year to over ?30.7m.
The entire bill on Dutch monarchy was four times new cost of this new Language royal members of the family – and proportionately even dearer, because the Netherlands’ people from sixteen.seven mil is a third how big is Spain’s and a quarter the size of Britain’s. The newest cost try split up ranging from allowances paid into the monarch and the fresh new heir apparent (this season, King Beatrix, Prince Willem-Alexander and you will Little princess Maxima acquired €seven.1m), costs obtain in the show from official obligations (€27m), or any other expenses pertaining to the treating of brand new royal domestic (€5.7m). The latest Dutch royal household members is additionally most rich. In ’09, Forbes journal projected King Beatrix’s wide range at the $200m, noting accounts your Queen and her friends was strike because of the refuses into the a home and security opportunities but can along with have lost to $100m during the Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi program – whilst the royal household provides continuously declined you to allegation. JH
Queen Beatrix (centre), with her husband Prince Claus along with her sons the new now Queen Willem-Alexander (right), Prince Constantijn (next proper) and you can Prince Johan Friso (currently inside a beneficial coma pursuing the a skiing crash). Photograph: Reginald Davis/Rex Have
step three Willem provides a credibility
Queen Willem-Alexander try some a lad, getting himself the fresh moniker Prins Pils (Lager Prince) having their student alcohol-taking, as soon as drove their auto to your a good ditch. JH
4 The brand new monarch’s birthday try renowned which have an auto footwear profit
Out of next year, Koninginnedag, otherwise Queen’s Time, becomes Koningsdag, or King’s Time. It’s an endearing if some crazed Dutch national getaway popular all the seasons as the 1948 on 29 April (otherwise thereabouts). They scratches the birthday away from Beatrix’s mother, Juliana, and you may Beatrix decided to commemorate the woman birthday celebration on a single big date. Koninginnedag is actually, stunningly, really the only big date around when the Dutch are permitted to sell what they such as for instance, irrespective of where they like, and this generally mode the nation will get a giant fleamarket. This package out-of community history’s better mercantile places should choose to celebrate the monarch’s birthday by presenting a variety of national vehicle footwear product sales are, for some reason, Uniform dating only pleasing. JH