In ten episodes, the monarch and the radio maker look back on his ten years as king. “It has passed so quickly and so much has happened in the past ten years. In the Netherlands, in the family, but also in Europe and in the world,” said Willem-Alexander. “You think it will all flow smoothly when you get the chance to fulfill this unique position, but so much has changed in the meantime. The Netherlands has changed so much that it is almost impossible to comprehend that it has already been ten years. So fast has it gone.”
In the first of the three episodes that can currently be listened to, it is about the succession of the throne. “I don’t think that came as a surprise to very few people. It was a surprise to the large part of the Netherlands,” laughs the king. “We had just been on a state visit with my mother to Singapore, come back and the announcement the following Monday – with the traveling media at the time saying, ‘This queen is so comfortable in her own skin, it’s going to be a long time before she goes. announcing’. That in itself was very nice, that it was still possible to keep it a secret.”
He calls the inauguration itself ‘a wonderful day’. The king can especially remember the moment when the Wilhelmus is sung for him. “I had a bit of one out-of-body experience“, says the royal. “As if I was floating above myself: what the hell are you doing? Who do you think you are? I saw myself standing there down there… and actually I thought it was nice, because that’s what I ask myself every day: who do you think you are that you can do this?”
His mother Beatrix has been on the throne for a total of 33 years. If Willem-Alexander does the same, Amalia will be 42 years old when she ascends the throne, the exact age Beatrix will be when she becomes queen. When Edwin Evers asks him if he ever thinks about it, the king answers no. “No, I don’t think about that. Governing is foresight, but there are a lot of factors that come into play. I don’t know what is happening to my health, you just don’t know. I don’t want to think about that kind of thing.”
He continues: “Of course I wish Amalia a very long preparation time, also time for herself, time to start a family – or whatever she wants to do – and prepare well for her future. And then we will also, just like like with my mother, choosing a date together. But that is really a joint consultation between Amalia and me, and that is in a distant future.”
RTL Boulevard also has its own podcast. Listen De BLVD Podcast now through Spotify. A new episode is released every Thursday.
