More than 3,300 people have received honours in the annual ‘lintjesregen’ to mark king Willem-Alexander’s birthday on Saturday.

Among those recognised by the monarch are television presenter Yvon Jaspers, who fronts popular reality soap Boer zoekt Vrouw. Private investor and zoo owner Marcel Boekhoorn is also honoured for his wide ranging charity work.

The highest honour award this year, that of Commander in the Order of Oranje-Nassau, went to Japanese national Kenzo Hiroki, a former civil servant and a worldwide expert in water management and combating natural disasters. 

Most of the 3,372 people selected for honours were nominated by their community for their role as volunteers.

As in previous years, men were nearly twice as likely as women to receive a distinction. 

The oldest recipient is Albert de Gooijer, 98, who has been recognized for his work as treasurer of scouting organisations and the Wilhelmina church in Utrecht. The youngest is Jeron Groeneveld, aged 29, who has been a volunteer for local radio station Studio Alphen since he was 16.