The Netherlands is a kingdom, but the king does not make political decisions on his own: the country is a parliamentary monarchy. The royal family stands for the unity of the country.

The flag and orange

The Dutch flag (de vlag) has three horizontal stripes: red, white, blue (rood, wit, blauw).
Orange (oranje) is not in the flag. Orange is the colour of the royal family, whose name is Oranje-Nassau. On King's Day (Koningsdag) and at international football matches people wear orange. That is why it is easy to confuse orange with the flag; be careful.

The royal family

Koning Willem-Alexander: king since 2013.
Koningin Máxima: the queen, born in Argentina (Argentinië).
Prinses Amalia: their eldest daughter, the crown princess (de kroonprinses). One day she will be queen.
Prinses Beatrix: Willem-Alexander's mother, the former queen. Her husband prins Claus died in 2002. In the exam, older photos show Beatrix and Claus; newer ones show Willem-Alexander and Máxima.

Where does the king live?

The king and his family live in the Huis ten Bosch palace in Den Haag (The Hague). The Hague lies in the province of Zuid-Holland (South Holland). The king's working palace is also in The Hague. Amsterdam is the capital, but the king does not live there; the palace in Amsterdam is mainly used for official ceremonies.

The link with history

The royal family's name comes from Willem van Oranje, the leader of the revolt against Spain. That is why orange still carries a national feeling today.