Princess Beatrix, Princess Margriet and Pieter van Vollenhoven joined King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands as they held the traditional New Year’s Reception for Dutch guests at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on January 12th.
At the New Year’s reception on Monday, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima welcomed several hundred guests from the political and public sectors and various sectors of Dutch society. This year, they also invited themed guests from the arts and culture sectors in both the city and the region. Their Royal Highnesses Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven attended the reception for Dutch guests.
Queen Máxima wore her Tanzanite and Moonstone Suite.
Princess Beatrix and Queen Máxima
Princess Margriet and Pieter van Vollenhoven
Ladies and gentlemen,
Welcome to the Royal Palace Amsterdam! We are delighted to greet you all at the start of this new year.
It’s a wonderful tradition to ring in a new year in a packed Citizens’ Hall. You represent the Netherlands in all its diversity. The most diverse visions and responsibilities converge here. These differences are allowed—and must—to exist.
At the same time, there is a powerful force that unites us. That is the intense commitment of each of us to the Netherlands and to our Kingdom, each in their own role. This solidarity is more important than anything else and encompasses all beliefs, backgrounds, work, and political ideals.Whatever your intentions and plans for 2026, you’ll need others to make them a reality. I think there’s a 100% chance that some of the people you need are here today. I’m confident in making that prediction.
But that gives us all the certainties. After all, no one knows what 2026 will bring.
The world around us is in flux. The international rule of law is under pressure, and that’s worrying. Shockwaves from outside are reverberating through Dutch cities and villages, meeting rooms, classrooms, and living rooms. Fault lines originating far away are unsettling our communities, institutions, and groups of citizens.
The emotional seas are running high, sometimes too high.
They are being stirred up by understandable anger at injustice. And by deep-felt concern for everything happening in Ukraine, Sudan, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and so many other places.In our own country, we face far-reaching choices. How can we sustainably maintain our prosperity in the future and strengthen our resilience? There are no simple answers or easy solutions. Everything is interconnected. This makes finding support for sustainable solutions difficult.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be asking ourselves what 2026 will bring.
But what we will bring to 2026.
What our personal efforts will be to make it a good year. Learning from past mistakes. And building on what gives us strength and courage.I would therefore like to express my deep appreciation to all those among you who, with a great sense of responsibility, work for the public good in the Netherlands and the Caribbean parts of our Kingdom.
To administrators and elected representatives who, in good conscience, weigh interests and make choices within the framework of democracy and law.
The pressure can be immense. You’re faced with a lot. It can be lonely and bleak when you’re caught in the storm. When you’re confronted with suspicion, intimidation, and threats. When your integrity is questioned. While you’re doing nothing but serving our democratic constitutional state for the benefit of all of us.
Threatening political officials, elected representatives, judges, police officers, regulators, aid workers, scientists, journalists, and artists is an unacceptable undermining of our collective freedom. The same applies to fanning the flames of hatred and violence.
Therefore, my sincere thanks to everyone who is standing up against this. Your words and actions are essential. Resilience in a threatening and unpredictable world starts with resilience against threats close to home. Let us support and protect each other in this.
This is especially relevant now that municipalities are preparing for the Municipal Council elections on March 18th. Let us be grateful that people want to run for office and contribute to sound democratic decision-making at the local level. They deserve respect and, at the very least, a safe living environment for themselves and their loved ones.It’s important that, despite all the discontent, we always remember how much is going well in our country.
Yes, there are complex issues that urgently need to be addressed. But there’s no doubt that the Netherlands is an attractive country where entrepreneurship flourishes, where healthcare is of a high standard, where young people are given opportunities, and where the majority of people are happy. A successful country.
And a fantastic sporting nation, too! A country that’s going to go far this summer in the World Cup, just like Curaçao! You might be wondering how I can be so sure, given the unpredictable future I mentioned earlier… Yes, some things you just feel.
Among the Netherlands’ many strengths is certainly its fantastic cultural offerings, in every part of the country. The identity and pride of cities and regions is largely based on their cultural distinctiveness and the creative initiatives that flourish there. Culture is essential to who we are.To make this visible, the Queen and I have invited a special group of people. Representatives of cultural organizations rooted in a specific city or region, from which they have built a wide reach, both nationally and even internationally.
And we are incorporating all forms of culture: theater, music, dance, museums, design, historical heritage, language, and landscape art.
From the Zeeuws Museum to the Zaanse Schans.
From Oerol to Opera Zuid.
And from Poppodium 013 to the Passion Play in Tegelen.If you’ve resolved to get more involved in arts and culture this new year, we’re making it easy for you. We have many enthusiastic ambassadors here who are happy to provide you with helpful tips.
I hope that 2026 will be a year in which faith in the future grows. In which we dare to overcome our own limitations and seek each other out to solve pressing problems. And in which we jointly protect what we hold dear: our freedom, our democratic rule of law, and our culture of creativity, openness, and mutual respect.
I’d love to raise a glass with you.
To 2026!
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