When we get a new king or queen in the Netherlands, we often speak of a coronation. But that’s not right. Prince Willem-Alexander will also not be crowned. Prince Willem-Alexander is inaugurated. What is crowned for free has to do with the Constitution. Furthermore, all previous kings have also not been crowned.
Crown, the jewel of the Kingdom
Although kings are not crowned in the Netherlands, there is a crown in the Nieuwe Kerk where Prince Willem-Alexander is proclaimed the new king. However, this jewel of the kingdom is only a symbol for royalty. It is also a jewel that cannot be worn because it is much too large for the head of a monarch.
King William I wanted to be crowned
King William I wanted to be crowned as king. He thought this was a good start for his new kingdom that was formed in 1815. However, it never came to that. In the year in which he wanted to be crowned, there was a lot of unrest in Europe, because the deposed emperor Napoleon managed to escape from exile. When that was done, he made another attempt to come to power in France. Napoleon’s attempt was stopped at the Battle of Waterloo (near Brussels). Forever.
Inauguration of the King
William I still wanted to be crowned, but he decided to wait until general peace and quiet had been restored. He had already been inaugurated in Brussels. In the end it never happened again.
Coronation has religious symbolism
A coronation has an age-old symbolism that stems from the crown itself. That has also caused problems in the past; In the time of William I, our country consisted of the Protestant north and the Catholic south. The king’s crown consists of a (yellow) gold diadem decorated with upright figures, crosses and symbols.
The orb at the top is a symbol that the king is a Christian ruler.
The crown of the royal family
The kings who came after William I no longer wanted a coronation. William II did have a new crown made. The first crown he had made didn’t look very good. This was because his father wanted a real royal crown to be made later. This had to be used at the real coronation.
Enthronement and coronation
Although there are no longer coronations, people still use that word when the throne is changed.
Coronation still in England
In Europe there is one more country where kings and queens are crowned and that is England. This last happened in June 1953 when Queen Elizabeth was crowned a year after taking office. There was a lot of time between the accession to the throne and the coronation because a long time was needed for the preparation. In addition, it also had to do with the fact that the royal house did not want a big party to be held immediately after the death of a monarch. Elizabeth practiced with the crown for days: she tried to walk with it and sit with it.
Accept kingship
A coronation is therefore not necessary to become a monarch and accept the kingship.
The king is dead, long live the queen
In principle, in both the Netherlands and England, a monarch must first die before the next one takes over the throne. We often use the expression for this: the king is dead, long live the queen.
Abdication or abdication
When a king or queen abdicates the throne, it is called abdication. This always happens when the new king or queen succeeds a living predecessor.
Taking oath
In the other monarchies of Europe, an oath is taken in parliament or parliament is involved in the succession to the throne.