woensdag 18 september 2013

Prince's Day

The third Tuesday of September is in the Netherlands traditional the opening of the new parliamentary year when the government budget is presented. I was not there but watched televison and tried to make some pictures. So you must excuse me for the blurry quality, but I wanted to show you anyway because it is quite a spectacle. This is the "Binnenhof", the government area in the Hague with left the "Ridderzaal",( Knight's Hall)  where we have the opening of the States General and the Kings' Speech.

This day is all traditions with great pomp and ceremony which is funny to watch, like you are stepping back in time.The King and Queen ride in a "Golden Carriage" drawn by eight horses.

The driver balances high up to drive the horses.

And here they go.

To get out of a carriage is a bit wobbly.

In the "Knights Hall" our new King Willem Alexander had his speech for the first time, which he did very well. Only the message of the government was not so well, still crisis here and lots of unemployed people.

Relieved that their first "Prince's Day" went well Queen Maxima and King Willem Alexander appeared on the balcony of the Palace to wave to the audience.






14 opmerkingen:

  1. Pretty good photos considering you took them from a TV screen. The ceremony looks spectacular.

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  2. Oh how beautiful. I so like traditions. Fun seeing the Ridderzaal.....I was in that courtyard many times when my husband worked in Den Hague.

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  3. You did very well in photo taking from the TV screen - The pomp and ceremony would be quite spectacular to see -

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  4. we dont have a tv so i missed it all. just saw a tiny bit of his speech... did you like it?

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    Reacties
    1. Yes I did, I liked the way he read it, much better than his mother with the "Goois" accent.

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  5. Thanks for giving us a glimpse of the ceremony. The government area is spectacular; certainly a lot of pomp and ritual. Beautiful royal couple!

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  6. It really is a wonderful sight Marianne, merci beaucoup for showing. Love the uniforms, the carriages and the horses are magnificent.

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  7. Great pictures from a TV screen. This is odd for us Americans to see, like watching Masterpiece Theatre. I like the king's pants.

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  8. Your country celebrates liberally in many areas. I was surprised to see all the foot men. Tradition does have some value. This is a very colorful ceremony.

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  9. Your blog makes me want to visit Netherlands. We have nothing like a gold carriage nor a King and Queen.

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  10. Dearest Marianne,
    Sure, Prince's Day is quite a formal Dutch happening! Indeed for King Willem Alexander it was the first Prince's Day Speech he delivered. Also Queen Maxima looked lovely when they waved at the people from the balcony!
    Hugs to you,
    Mariette

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  11. oh de gouden koets op prinsjes dag Leuk en ja ik hoorde van mijn broer dat het niet erg goed gaat in nederland Hoop dat het gauw beter gaat

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  12. inderdaad nogal een spektakel, zoals je zegt
    de foto's komen er nog goed uit
    ik hoorde dat het al 'besparingen' was wat de klok slaat maar die gouden koets, die hebben jullie in elk geval toch .. goed vasthouden :)

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  13. Die eerste foto lijkt veel op Madurodam !

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