:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/efff8f94-5832-11ec-a0c0-0255c322e81b.png?fit=%2C&ssl=1 "Princess Amalia welcomed in Council of State: ‘I still have a lot to learn’ | Inland")
The installation is enshrined in the Constitution. “We are grateful that you have welcomed our daughter in this warm way,” the king said in a speech to the representatives of the Council. “It gives my wife and I great pleasure to be in your midst, along with our eldest daughter. We are proud to accompany her in her entry into this Council, which fulfills such an important function in our democratic constitutional state”, said Willem-Alexander.
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A few dozen fans and interested parties were waiting for Amalia and her parents in front of Kneuterdijk Palace. The princess and her father got out of the car at the same time, then waved Máxima to the audience and posed for the photographers present. Amalia walked on Willem-Alexander’s arm.
‘Trying to be a good student’
Amalia will be allowed to attend council meetings and participate in discussions on legislation in the coming years, in preparation for her reign. She has no voting rights. “It is an honor to be welcomed here by you,” Amalia began her speech in a personal word to her father. ‘I repeat here with conviction the words of my grandmother from 1956: for a very long time, members of the Council of State, I will regard myself as your student. I will, conscious of my responsibility, endeavor to be a good student.”
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Ⓒ Robin van Lonkhuijsen
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‘Since yesterday I have, as our constitution solemnly puts it, ‘as of right a seat in the Council of State’. And that has everything to do with the office that awaits me. In the distant future, I hope,” began Amalia, who also realizes that it could be “tomorrow too.”
Willem-Alexander was visibly moved during Amalia’s speech. Text continues below the video.
Although the princess is already welcome, it will probably be a while before she visits regularly. Amalia has indicated that she wants to go to college in the coming years before she fully commits to the run-up to the throne. “In order to fulfill my task and to work for the kingdom, I will have much to learn. I realize how little I know about government duties, the assessment of laws, the functioning of the administration and the function of the judge,” Amalia continued.
In a modest press moment afterwards, Amalia emphasized that she, like Beatrix and Willem-Alexander, wants to give a personal interpretation to the monarchy. She mentioned the “service and devotion” of her grandmother and father. “That is also something I will take with me and give my personal interpretation.”
What exactly that interpretation will be, Amalia does not really know yet. “There is no school where you learn to be queen. Like for a baker or a lawyer. You have to look at the past but also at the now,” said the princess. She hopes that the monarchy will be delayed and that Willem-Alexander will continue to do so for a long time. “Huh, Dad?” she told her laughing father.
“I am mainly going to study now. Make a lot of friends And gain a lot of experiences,” said the princess. “A lot is certain for me.” And then, when duty calls? “Maybe one day I hope to become a good queen.”
succession to the throne
The Council of State is officially chaired by the head of state, currently King Willem-Alexander. When Amalia becomes queen, she takes over the presidency from him. “It is a personal connection that gives you the opportunity to gain more insight into the issues that are important for the future of our country. A fascinating and multicolored school,” said the king.
Amalia’s ‘introduction’ took place in the Ballroom of Kneuterdijk Palace, which is part of the building complex of the Council of State. Incidentally, it is mainly a ceremonial title. The day-to-day management of the institute lies with the vice president of the Council of State, currently D66 member Thom de Graaf.
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Princess Amalia arrives for the extraordinary meeting of the Council of State.
Ⓒ ANP / ANP
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The last time an heir to the throne came to strengthen the Council was in 1985, when Willem-Alexander had turned 18. The king has “warm memories of the many Wednesdays I spent here at the Kneuterdijk and the Binnenhof. The connection with the Council has not only deepened my knowledge and broadened my horizons, it has also brought me into contact with many wise and inspiring people. I still reap the benefits to this day.”
In the French garden behind Kneuterdijk Palace in The Hague, where the ceremony took place, Amalia planted a royal lime as a memento.
The planting of royal limes is a tradition at royal festivals. The first ‘royal’ lime tree was planted in 1898 when Wilhelmina became queen. Her successors, Juliana, Beatrix and Willem-Alexander, also planted a lime tree at the throne change.
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