Prince’s Day

Prinsjesdag, or “Prince’s Day,” is a significant annual event in the Netherlands, held on the third Tuesday of September. On this day, the Dutch monarch delivers the “Troonrede” (Speech from the Throne) in a ceremonial session of the Parliament in The Hague. The speech outlines the government’s plans and policies for the upcoming year.

Prinsjesdag also marks the official opening of the parliamentary year. Traditionally, the king or queen travels to the Ridderzaal (Hall of Knights) in a golden carriage, escorted by a royal procession. It is a day full of pageantry, and it’s an important moment for Dutch politics and governance.

Nearly 1,700 flower stems from Deventer were displayed throughout the Royal Theatre in The Hague, where King Willem-Alexander delivered the Speech from the Throne. In total, we created twelve floral arrangements incorporating these 1,700 stems.

We chose seasonal flowers commonly found in Dutch gardens. It’s a classic yet contemporary approach! Every project we get to work on is beautiful and unique, but providing the flowers for Prinsjesdag is truly the crowning achievement of our work. Reusing the flowers is an important condition that is set each year.

The Wednesday after Prinsjesdag, at 6:00 AM, the city center of Deventer was dark and quiet. Our car headlights illuminated the Grote Kerkhof, allowing us to see what we were doing. Slowly, a bench and a trash can transformed into an explosion of colors and scents. Here, residents could “pick” a flower and bring home a piece of the floral arrangements that had shone beside the King on Prinsjesdag! See the full article here.