‘shadow of concern’ over Christmas, difficult decisions that can no longer be postponed

In his Christmas address, King Willem-Alexander highlighted “the shadow of concern this Christmas”, due to economic worries, climate change and the war in Ukraine. He also stressed the need to keep talking to people who think differently. “Let’s make sure we don’t get lost. Let’s give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.”

The king spoke of the need for “drastic choices” induced by climate change. “We feel in our hooves that we can no longer put off difficult decisions. Emergency plasters and bandages are no longer helping, things need to change.”

He then asked to strengthen the link between the city and the countryside:

The king went into detail on the government’s apology on Monday for Dutch slavery past, saying it was ‘the beginning of a long road’.

Today’s Dutch are not to blame for “what inhumane things were done then in the lives of men, women and children. But by honestly confronting our shared past and acknowledging the crime against humanity that was slavery, we have a basis for a shared future.”

See for yourself what the king said about it:

Willem-Alexander didn’t say much personally, but it was surprising that behind him were photos of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, who died this year, and her husband, Prince Philip, who died last year. The Dutch royal family has a good relationship with the British royal family.

In his speech, the king paid close attention to climate change and the nitrogen crisis, which led to many conflicts in the Netherlands last year, and the need to weigh everyone’s interests. This is “essential, for example in the relationship between the countryside and the city. The time has come to strengthen the bond. Because what would the Randstad be without the region? What about the region without the Randstad? We desperately need each other” .

The king also expressed his admiration for the Ukrainian people, who “have been opposing Russia’s brutal violence for ten months, with incredible courage and unity. The promise of Christmas lives in all Ukrainian hearts and in ours”.

A note of hope came when he referred to “resilience in the younger generation”. You mentioned famed neurologist Oliver Sacks, who wrote a book at the end of his life about his optimistic vision of the future, because he saw so many talented young people around him. “‘The future is in good hands.’ I’d like to tell him.”

One surprising quote came from poet Marieke Lucas Rijneveld. The king quoted the poem extensively All Habitablewhich Rijneveld wrote when his translation of a poem by his American colleague Amanda Gorman failed – a sensational case in the literary world last year:

“You want to fraternize, you want a punch, and maybe your hand / isn’t strong enough yet, or you need to grab the other first / to reconcile, you really need to feel the hope / that you’re doing something that the world will improve, even if you shouldn’t / forget this: after kneeling down, stand up again and straighten your back.”