Prime minister keeps cost of renovating royal coach secret
Prime minister Mark Rutte has refused to inform parliament about the cost of renovating the royal family’s golden coach.
Rutte sent a briefing to MPs on Tuesday in which he said the restoration work is included in the king’s budget. It is up to Willem-Alexander himself to decide how to spend the money, Rutte said.
The renovation work, which is expected to take several years, will not have an additional impact on the taxpayer, Rutte told MPs.
Publishing the information would be in contravention of the constitution, which states the king has the right to organise the royal household as he sees fit, Rutte said.
The coach was given to queen Wilhelmina by the city of Amsterdam in 1898 to celebrate her inauguration.
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