The Dutch King Willem-Alexander celebrates his 57th birthday on April 27th in the municipality of Emmen. On Saturday morning he arrived in the municipality in the southeast of the province of Drenthe, accompanied by his wife, Queen Máxima (52), and their three daughters Amalia (20), Alexia (18) and Ariane (17).
They were received there by Mayor Eric van Oosterhout and Jetta Klijnsma, the King’s Commissioner in Drenthe, as reported by the Dutch daily newspaper “De Telegraaf”, among others. The royal family appeared radiant. While the king wore a blue suit with a light tie, the queen enchanted in a green dress with a light jacket. Bouke sang upon arrival
The palace shared a portrait of the king in a black suit, sash and medal on its Instagram page this morning to mark the day. It said: “King Willem-Alexander is celebrating his 57th birthday today. The royal family is celebrating Koningsdag in Emmen this year.”
The king’s brother, Prince Constantijn (54), and his wife, Princess Laurentien (57), were also present in Emmen. The royal family will visit various places in Emmen on Koningsdag, where they will meet many subjects. Hundreds of people crowded along the route to catch a glimpse of the royal family or shake Willem-Alexander’s hand.
For the first time in more than 20 years, the royals are spending King’s Day in the province of Drenthe. Queen Beatrix (86) last visited Meppel and Hoogeveen in 2002. Willem-Alexander’s mother often chose two different locations on Queen’s Day, usually in the same province.
Koningsdag, which celebrates the monarch’s birthday, is a national holiday in the Netherlands. All over the country, the king is celebrated with parades, concerts and festivals, decorations and clothing are in orange, the color of the royal family.
