Zijne Majesteit Koning Willem-Alexander met koningsmantel april 2013

King of The Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Koning der Nederlanden'') is the title of the Dutch head of state. The king serves as the

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

of the

Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

, which includes the constituent nations of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, Curaçao,

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of P ...

and

Sint Maarten Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the northe ...

. The king is also president of the Council of State. Furthermore, the king is the head of the Royal House. Besides him, it consists of a few direct relatives. Membership is specified by law (Wet lidmaatschap Koninklijk Huis, 2002). This is to be distinguished from the much larger Royal Family with all of the relatives. Originally the Dutch monarch acted as an absolute ruler. However, during the 19th century, the monarch's power was severely restricted. In theory, the Dutch monarch has many powers, but in practice serves a ceremonial role.

Terminology, title and lineage

In the Dutch

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

, the Head of State appears as the ''Koning''. Before the constitutional reform in 1983, in many places, this was called the ''Kroon'', which sometimes referred to the king as an individual, and sometimes to the government. But there are still some places in which ''Koning'' or ''Koninklijk'' actually refers to the government. A ''Koninklijk besluit'', a royal decree, is, however, not a decision made by the king, but by the government (which consists of the king ''and'' the ministers). The constitution does not explicitly name the king as the Head of State, but this is taken for granted. Dutch laws (except the constitution) are preceded by a

preamble A preamble is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subj ...

, mentioning the king as follows: :Wij Willem-Alexander, bij de gratie Gods, Koning der Nederlanden, Prins van Oranje-Nassau, enz. enz. enz. :We, Willem-Alexander, by the grace of God, King of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, etc., etc., etc. In addition to the title of Prince of Orange, the king has many other titles, even if they are no longer used: *

Margrave Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the ...

of Veere and

Vlissingen Vlissingen (; zea, label=Zeelandic, Vlissienge), historically known in English as Flushing, is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic l ...

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

of Katzenelnbogen, Vianden, Diez, Spiegelberg,

Buren Buren () is a town and municipality in the Betuwe region of the Netherlands. Buren has 27,168 inhabitants as of 1 January 2022. Geography Buren is located in Gelderland, a province of the Netherlands. It is part of the landscape of Betuwe, a ...

, Leerdam and Culemborg * Burgrave of Antwerpen *

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or kn ...

of Breda, Diest, Beilstein, the city of

Grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grav ...

Land van Cuijk Land van Cuijk is a municipality in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands, formed from the merger of Boxmeer, Cuijk, Sint Anthonis, Mill en Sint Hubert and Grave. The municipality came into existence on 1 January 2022. It belongs to the regio ...

, IJsselstein,

Cranendonck Cranendonck () is a municipality in the southern Netherlands. Though located in North Brabant near Eindhoven, the spoken dialect is Budels (linguistically a West Limburgish dialect), rather than Kempenlands (linguistically an East Brabantian diale ...

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Liesveld, Herstal, Waasten, Arlay and

Nozeroy Nozeroy () is a commune in the Jura department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Jura department The following is a list of the 494 communes of the Jura department of France. The comm ...

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage ...

of Ameland * Lord of Baarn, Besançon, Borculo,

Bredevoort Bredevoort (Low Saxon: ) is a small city with city privileges of about 1600 inhabitants in the municipality of Aalten, Netherlands. It is between the towns of Aalten and Winterswijk. Bredevoort has presented itself as ''Bredevoort boekenstad'' ...

Bütgenbach Bütgenbach (; french: Butgenbach, ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006, Bütgenbach had a total population of 5,574. The total area is 97.31 km² which gives a population density of 57 inhabitants ...

Dasburg Dasburg is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. Before the French Revolutionary Wars it was a part of the Duchy of Luxemburg The Duchy of Luxemburg ( nl, Luxemburg; french: Luxembourg; ...

, Geertruidenberg,

Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe was a municipality in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It included the villages of Lage Zwaluwe, and Hooge Zwaluwe. Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe existed until 1997, when it merged with Made Made or MADE may refer to: Entertain ...

Klundert Klundert is a city in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located close to the Hollands Diep, about 3 km northwest of Zevenbergen. It received city rights in 1357. History The current name was first mentioned in 1537 as "die clunder ...

, Lichtenvoorde, Het Loo, Montfort, Naaldwijk, Niervaart, Polanen,

Steenbergen Steenbergen () is a municipality and a town in the province of North Brabant in the south of the Netherlands. The municipality had a population of in and covers an area of of which is water. The municipality is mainly agricultural including a ...

, Sint-Maartensdijk, Sankt Vith, Soest,

Ter Eem Eembrugge is a hamlet and former city on the river Eem, east of Baarn, in the Netherlands. It received city rights between 1336 en 1340, but was destroyed in 1527. Eembrugge is partially in the municipality of Eemnes, partially in Baarn. Histo ...

, Turnhout, Willemstad, Zevenbergen In the past, there used to be other titles, such as the Duke of Limburg. The constitution uses the term ''Koning'' (king). However, in the sense of the constitution, a king can also be a woman. In 1891, a law was established: if a woman wears the crown, the term ''Koning'' is to be replaced with ''Koningin'' (queen) in all official documents. For spouses, there is the following disparity: the wife of a male head of state may bear the title of Queen, as does Queen Máxima, the wife of King Willem-Alexander. This stems from tradition. The husband of a female head of state, however, is not allowed to call himself king; instead, he has to make do with the title of Prince Consort (''prins-gemaal'') or Prince of the Netherlands. Otherwise, the wrong impression could be created, that the husband of the queen is a king in the sense of the constitution. For example, Queen Beatrix’s husband was ''only'' Prince Consort Claus.

Function

The Dutch government consists of the king and the ministers. Since 1848 it has been specified in the constitution that the king is ''onschendbaar'' (inviolable) and the ministers bear responsibility. The position of the king is expressed, among other things, in the signing of laws and royal decrees (of the government), each of which is signed by a minister or secretary of state. At the end of the formation of a government, the king signs the decrees appointing the minister and secretary of state, who are then sworn in before him. According to the decree, the king is the president of the Raad van State. However, this is a purely ceremonial and symbolic function. The vice-president of the Council of State is responsible for running official business. Until 2012, after parliamentary elections, the king would appoint an ''informateur'' or ''formateur'', who would form the government. Since then, this role has been held by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. However, the king is to be informed about the results of these processes and about government work in general. Once a year, the king reads out the speech from the throne (on Prinsjesdag in September), which is written by the cabinet. The king also has the same function in the three other countries of the kingdom, in

, Curaçao, and

. Because the king lives in the Netherlands, he is represented by a governor in each of these three countries. The king officially appoints the governor of each country, and while his approval is technically still required for the appointment, the king today plays no role in the selection of the governors.

Ministerial responsibility

Ministerial responsibility is characteristic of a constitutional monarchy like the Netherlands. According to the constitution, the king is inviolable, and the ministers are responsible. An act of the king does not become official unless it has been countersigned by a minister. Thereby, the ministers assume responsibility. Since 1841, the king has been supported by the king’s cabinet in exercising his constitutional duties. This office (not to be confused with the government cabinet) regulates communications between the king and his ministers, as well as with other state organs. This office is also subject to ministerial responsibility. The king is inviolable. This means that he cannot be held accountable for his actions by any state organ. This also applies to his actions as a private person. However, he can be prosecuted under civil law, for example, if he is to pay compensation. In such a case, the king is represented by an authorised representative. He must comply with criminal law, but he cannot be prosecuted (with one exception: by the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to pro ...

). The ministers then assume no criminal responsibility, but a political one. When it comes to very serious crimes, there can be calls for ministers to try to have the king declared incapacitated.

Representative tasks

While the monarch still officially retains the responsibility of running the government, the position of the king is now mostly symbolic. The king is officially the physical embodiment of the Netherlands and is meant to be a symbol of social and political unity. Furthermore, the king represents the kingdom of the Netherlands internally and externally. He regularly makes working visits to provinces and

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

and also travels to the Caribbean Netherlands. In addition, several state visits are on his agenda each year, and he greets heads of state and government leaders who are in turn visiting the Netherlands. In addition, the king is a regular guest at conventions, opening ceremonies, jubilees, commemorations, and similar occasions. In this way, he draws attention to socially valuable initiatives and supports developments and activities that are useful in this context.

As a private individual

The king is a normal person like everyone else. However, in some cases, different standards apply to him than to other Dutch citizens. For example, the law determines who becomes the guardian of an underage king. The guardianship does not have to be in the same hands as the regency. As a public official, some of the king's rights are limited. The problem for the king is that it can be difficult to separate the private person and the office. In principle, a king is free to express his opinion, which includes his opinion about the government. As a public official, however, he is not allowed to do so. This initially applies only to public occasions. But something the king says in private can become public, and by doing so, it automatically becomes a statement of the king as a public official. The ministers must thus take responsibility towards parliament for all of the king's actions.

Succession

In terms of constitutional law, a distinction must be made on one hand between the king as a public official, and on the other hand, the office of the king, so the function of the ''koningschap'' (royalty). The office is to be distinguished from the ''koninklijk gezag'', the royal powers. One receives ''koningschap'' through succession, as the constitution depicts (Art. 24). Therefore, one must be the descendant of William I (the first public official in 1815). Succession occurs if a king either dies or abdicates from the ''koningschap''. A successor can only be a legal descendant of the king. Until 1983, this was the oldest son, and since then, the oldest child. The descendants of the king are considered first, followed by their parents or grandparents, and then their descendants. Even an unborn child can be an heir. A successor cannot be a person who has been legally barred from succession. The constitution stipulates a special procedure in parliament for this. Someone who marries without the consent of Parliament cannot become or remain king. This also applies to children from such a marriage. The so-called “Irene Question” (Dutch: ''kwestie Irene'') caused a political crisis in 1964. It concerned whether a follower of the Roman Catholic religion could also ascend to the throne in the traditionally Protestant Netherlands. The context was the engagement of Princess Irene to the Spanish heir to the throne Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma and her conversion to Catholicism. Irene’s renunciation of a possible successor to the throne and the transfer of the wedding to Rome meant that the question of the monarch’s faith was not answered conclusively. One becomes king when one’s predecessor leaves office: for example, when Queen Wilhelmina abdicated, her daughter Juliana became the new queen at the very same moment. The successor cannot refuse succession in advance; the successor does not even have to agree to succession. Only when he has become king, can he abdicate. The new king also receives royal powers without any further action, i.e. without taking an oath. However, someone can exercise the royal powers without themself becoming king, for example, a

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

. This happened in 1890, when King Wilhelm III died, leaving behind a widow and an underage daughter. The daughter Wilhelmina inherited the ''koningschap'' at this time. But, the ''koninklijk gezag'' were exercised for eight years by the Dowager Queen Emma as regent. A king can temporarily give up his powers, for example, due to illness, and is likewise replaced by a regent. Furthermore, through laws and after consultation with the Raad van State, parliament may declare the king incapable of exercising his powers. Exceptionally, this law does not have to be signed by the king (Art 35 GW). The regency is normally exercised by the suspected heir, provided they are of legal age; if there isn’t one, by law the parliament can appoint the regent. Around 1981, Prince Claus was designated for this, in case Queen Beatrix died before her sons became of age. Otherwise, the Raad van State would exercise the royal powers until a regent is appointed.B. P. Vermeulen et al.: ''De Koning in het Nederlandse staatsrecht.'' Ars Aequi Libri: Nijmegen, 2005, S. 30/31.

List of monarchs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Netherlands king Dutch monarchy Royal titles