King Willem-Alexander has revealed that he has more in common with some of his subjects than you might think: he, too, has been refused planning permission because his house is designated a monument.

RTL Nieuws reported on Thursday that the Dutch king wanted to put sun panels on his palace but this was ‘not yet’ allowed.

He was, however, apparently determined to fight the good fight with the monument preservation services. ‘We will take small steps forwards,’ he added.

He was talking to the green committee of a home owners’ group in Amsterdam, which also wants to put solar panels on its five houses in the Marcantilaan.

Princess Beatrix, the former queen, had mentioned the battle to make the royal home more environmentally friendly back in 2011. When visiting solar panel factory Solarwatt, she apparently said: ‘It is annoying if you don’t get permission for this kind of thing.’

There’s good news for the royals, though. Earlier this week, a climate accord between government, industry and social organisations outlined plans for far more alternative energy sources in future years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

And in any case, the sun was shining on Friday for the annual summer photo session for King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and the princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane.