King’s inauguration committee publishes plans, looks for funding

The public contributions to the inauguration of king Willem-Alexander at the end of April will be put together under the motto mijn droom voor ons land, inspiratie for onze koning – my dream for our country, inspiration for our king.

The committee organising the public side of the celebrations announced its plans late on Monday.

The idea behind the slogan is to get the Dutch to think about the future of the kingdom, committee chairman Hans Wijers told a news conference. ‘We are inviting everyone to illustrate the ideal future,’ he said. ‘It could be a wish, a poem, a film or a piece of music – you can do what you like.’

Book

The ideas will be collected via a website and the best will be put into a book for the new king and queen and for departing queen Beatrix. ‘We want to give the king inspiration for the kingdom he will represent,’ Wijers said.

The book may also be made available to the general public, Wijers said.

A number of artists are also being asked to compose a royal song which will be played and sung all over the country at the same time on April 30.

Primary school children will also be given a day off lessons on April 26 to take part in a special sports day, starting with a communal breakfast. The games will be opened by prince Willem-Alexander and the committee hopes a number of prominent sportsmen and women will take part.

The committee has also urged the private sector to finance the celebrations. A number of organisations, including employers’ bodies, the LTO farming association and the postcode lottery, have already said they will help with the funding, Nos television reported.

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