Caribbean Kingdom
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima have regularly visited the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: the countries Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten and the three public entities Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. The first introductory visit by the royal couple to the six Caribbean islands was in 2013, a few months after the accession to the throne.
Royal day
From Queen Wilhelmina in 1891 to Queen Beatrix in 2013, this day was called Queen's Day. When Willem-Alexander became king, it was chosen to change this name to Kings Day. A bank holiday celebrating the king's birthday. On this day, the royal couple visits a municipality with a central function in the region with the family and together with other members of the royal family.
King games
The Koningsspelen are an initiative of the Krajicek Foundation and the Johan Cruyff Foundation and were first held 10 years ago to get children to move more. The first edition was on 26 April 2013, to mark the enthronement of King Willem-Alexander. The sports day is organised every year in April, on the last Friday before King's Day.
Prince's Day
The name 'Prinsjesdag' was already used in the 17th and 18th centuries to celebrate the birthdays of the princes of Orange. Nowadays, King Willem-Alexander delivers the speech from the throne on this day in a united assembly of the States General.
NLDoes
In the first five years, the day was called Make a Difference Day. In 2009, the Oranje Fonds became co-organiser of this national volunteer day. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima take part in the Oranje Fonds' NLdoet action every year. The Netherlands' largest volunteer action aims to introduce the Dutch to volunteer work in an accessible way.
State visits
King Willem-Alexander has made a total of 24 state visits and received seven state visits during his reign so far. From a protocol perspective, a state visit is the highest visit that can take place between two countries and aims to confirm and deepen good relations between countries.
Remembrance Day
On 4 May, the annual National Remembrance Day is held on Dam Square in Amsterdam. Here, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are present to commemorate all civilians and soldiers who have died in the Kingdom of the Netherlands or anywhere in the world in war situations and peacekeeping operations since the outbreak of World War II.
defence
Although King Willem-Alexander abdicated his military status by accepting the throne, the close relationship between the royal family and the armed forces remains. As crown prince, Willem-Alexander was military in the rank of commander in the navy, with corresponding chief officer rank in the other armed forces.
Sportsman
King Willem-Alexander has been a sports fan all his life. He therefore supports Dutch athletes wherever he can. As major sporting achievements, he himself completed the Elfstedentocht in 1986 and in 1992 Willem-Alexander ran the New York marathon in a time of 4.32.21.
Photo sessions
The Royal Family's Media Code was announced in June 2005, as members of the royal family were having trouble with all kinds of publications about their personal affairs. For this, the family photo sessions were created, which are held several times a year for the benefit of the press. With this, the family hopes that press photographers will further leave the family alone during private moments.
Portraits
A survey of various portraits of King Willem-Alexander during his ten-year reign.
