Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands (b. 1967)

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Biography

Willem-Alexander is the current King of the Netherlands, having reigned since 30 April 2013.

In Their Own Words (3)

I’m not a protocol fetishist. People can address me however they want. For me, it is about people feeling at ease when I’m with them.

[I want to be] a king who in the 21st century can unite, represent and encourage society.

People make mistakes. I will make mistakes in the future, too... I think we have learnt a lot from this and that it has also been part of the training in our preparation for kinghood.

Timeline

The story of Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, told in moments.

Legacy

Licensed commercial airline pilot who co-pilots KLM flights incognito. His passengers rarely recognize the king in the cockpit. He focuses on water management and sustainability. The informal king of an informal country.

Do passengers really not recognize their king in the cockpit? Is flying KLM flights incognito freedom or escapism? What does being the 'informal king of an informal country' mean to you?

1993 Life

Earned a history degree from Leiden University. Chose water management as his cause. Became a member of the International Olympic Committee. Ran the New York City Marathon in 1992. Finished in 3 hours 31 minutes.

Why water management as your cause? Did running the NYC Marathon reveal something about you? Is a history degree the right preparation for kingship?

2002 Event

Married Maxima Zorreguieta, an Argentine investment banker, at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. Her father's role in Argentina's military dictatorship caused controversy. He was barred from the wedding.

Was the controversy over Maxima's father painful for both of you? How do you marry for love when every detail is political? Was barring her father from the wedding the hardest compromise?

2013 Event

Became King of the Netherlands after his mother Beatrix abdicated on Queen's Day. The first Dutch king in 123 years. He was 46. The investiture ceremony at the Nieuwe Kerk drew over a million people to Amsterdam.

Was being the first Dutch king in 123 years a burden or an honor? Did your mother's abdication surprise you? What did a million people in Amsterdam feel like?

2014 Event

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine. 196 of the 298 people killed were Dutch citizens. Willem-Alexander addressed the nation. The disaster became the defining crisis of his early reign.

How did MH17 change your understanding of the job? Was addressing the nation after 196 Dutch deaths the hardest thing you've done? Did the crisis define your reign?