“Answering Frequently Asked Questions: The Green Draeck and King Willem-Alexander’s Raincoat”

Fun questions are received in the MKM mailbox. Because the questions are often the same and answering them separately takes a lot of time, I answer the most frequently asked questions of the day in the series ‘reader questions’. With today: the Green Draeck and the king’s raincoat.

Question 1: Did the king and queen really sleep on the Groene Draeck?
Yes, as far as I know. I spotted the ship on the first day of the regional visit, but whoever I asked: everyone denied that the royal couple would spend the night in the Groene Draeck. When I was taken with a few colleagues to a very cheap press hotel with bunk beds, the penny dropped. The media had to be far away from the harbor so that the king and queen could spend the night in the harbor in peace. Fortunately, in a hostel full of students and sweat socks over the radiator in the hallway, you can also have a long and pleasant drink. The next morning the royal standard fluttered on the Groene Draeck and we knew enough. When the royal couple left the boat, they briefly posed for the media and the program could begin.

Question 2: I read that the king had slept on the Groene Draeck, but can you actually sleep well there? He looks so small.
De Groene Draeck may look small, but if you fold out a sofa bed you can sleep with 9 people. Below you can see the top view from the 1950s. In addition to a large corner sofa, there are two toilets, a shower and a small kitchenette.

Question 3: why is the Groene Draeck called the Groene Draeck? It’s not that green…
The royal yacht of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard was named Piet Hein. When Princess Beatrix got her own yacht for her eighteenth birthday, she chose an appropriate name. The flagship of the real Piet Hein was called ‘De Vliegende Groene Draeck’. The woodcarving of Beatrix’ Groene Draeck depicts the image of the 1623 warship.

Question 4. My eye fell on King Willem-Alexander’s raincoat. Can you tell me where the item of clothing was purchased.
The raincoat has a lining with a blue-white checkered pattern and green accents. Although it comes across as British, it is a design by the German label Wellington of Bilmore.