King Willem-Alexander: study on House of Orange and colonialism is “painful and confronting”

THE HAGUE — King Willem-Alexander has described the findings of a study into the role of the House of Orange-Nassau in the Netherlands’ colonial past as “painful and confronting.”

Speaking after receiving the report, the king said the conclusions had affected him personally. The research found that members of the House of Orange supported colonialism for centuries and profited financially from it. At the same time, the study found that their direct influence over Dutch colonial policy was limited.

According to the report, until Queen Juliana took the throne in 1948, the House of Orange never seriously used its institutional influence to challenge the colonial system.

Willem-Alexander stressed that the research had to be completely independent, scientifically rigorous and publicly accessible. He thanked lead researcher Gert Oostindie and his team for what he called a thorough and deeply conducted investigation.

The king acknowledged that the past cannot be changed, but said he can try to make a positive contribution to the present and future.