Decked out in the national color orange, dancing to music and eating sweets with orange icing, many in the Netherlands are celebrating King’s Day, celebrating the birthday of the monarch who is enjoying a slight increase in popularity according to a national survey
AMSTERDAM – Decked out in the national color orange, dancing to music and eating sweets with orange icing, many in the Netherlands celebrate King’s Day on Saturday, celebrating the birthday of their monarch, who is enjoying a slight rise in popularity according to a national survey.
While King Willem-Alexander celebrated his 57th birthday with his family in the northeastern city of Emmen, people from all over the country took part in the traditional “free markets” held that day, selling toys, books and other items on Monday. hand. Others roamed the historic canals of the capital, Amsterdam, as orange smoke from flares raised atop a boat wafted over ships of all shapes and sizes jostling for space in a busy canal.
“Celebrating your birthday with your own family is the most beautiful thing you can experience. I’m very happy that everyone is back,” Willem-Alexander told Dutch broadcaster NOS during a walk in Emmen, 190 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of the Dutch capital.
An annual poll published by NOS for King’s Day showed that Willem-Alexander’s popularity rose slightly from last year, to 6.6 out of 10. His Argentine wife, Queen Máxima, got 7.1 out of 10 in the poll with 1,015 people, held at the beginning of this month.
The royals’ popularity took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic after Willem-Alexander and his family went on holiday in Greece during a partial lockdown. The royals cut short their break amid the national uproar and Willem-Alexander took the unusual step of issuing a video message to express his grief and regret over the trip.
The king’s three daughters, Amalia, Alexia and Ariane, have spent some time out of the country recently – Ariane is studying in Italy, while Alexia took a gap year to travel. The eldest and heir to the Dutch throne, Amalia, also returned before the king’s birthday, after being forced to leave her student accommodation in Amsterdam and move to Madrid, following threats from the criminal underworld.
Amália, 20, who studies Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at the University of Amsterdam, told NOS that she was “extremely grateful to everyone who made it possible” to live in Spain, where she said she was able to enjoy more freedom than in the past . Netherlands.
But she added: “I’m happy to be back.”
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
