27 apr 2024 om 11:34
Flowers, local products and drawings: during King’s Day the royal family is showered with gifts. Members of the royal family also receive all kinds of presents at other events. But what happens with that? Spoiler alert: the Government Information Service is quite secretive about it.
Every year during King’s Day, thousands of people line the walking route to catch a glimpse of the royal family. And because the king celebrates his birthday that day, you obviously cannot arrive empty-handed.
Images of King’s Day show how the king and his family members are presented with all kinds of gifts. They handle them properly and then pass them on to employees of the Royal Household Service.
The Government Information Service (RVD) says that the gifts are photographed and registered. In some cases, the recipient receives the gift back. Certain gifts are placed in a collection. For example, books sometimes go to a library and certain objects from the so-called Royal Collections are exhibited in museums. There are currently hundreds of objects on loan to museums at home and abroad.
However, we will not soon see valuable works of art along the route in Emmen. Many people choose a flower, plant or something tasty as a present for the royals. These are also taken by the employees of the royal family.
But would Maxima then eat the delicacies received at home in Huis ten Bosch palace or brighten up the almost 9,000 square meters of surface with the bouquets? The RVD does not answer that. “We look at what happens to each gift afterwards.”
