Never before have the people of the Netherlands had so little confidence in King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. This is the result of the annual "Koningsdag survey" by the news program "EenVandaag". The inevitable question now is how much longer they can maintain the monarchy.
The people no longer trust King Willem-Alexander
28,000 people took part in the survey and only a narrow majority, 56 percent to be precise, are in favor of the monarchy - orfor King Willem-Alexander. His wife does at least a little better with 69 percent. But especially in the past two years, the popularity of the royal couple has fallen sharply. This could be due to their behavior during the corona pandemic. Because time and time again they have attracted negative attention due to their misconduct. Before the pandemic, the king's poll rating was still around 80 percent.
The Royals do not follow the Corona rules
While the people were urged to stay at home, the royals enjoyed a holiday in Greece, for example. A trip for which Willem-Alexander and Máxima even publicly apologized afterwards, because the criticism from the people was just too loud. Last December, the royal family also organized a hilarious birthday party for Princess Amalia. The royals should actually set a good example in their representative role.
Respondents think Willem-Alexander's salary is too high
In the course of the survey, Willem-Alexander's royal appanage was also put up for discussion. The Dutch king collects around one million euros a year as a salary from the state, including around five million euros for staff and expenses. Clearly too much, thinks the majority of those surveyed. Now it's up to the king and queen to learn from their past mistakes and restore their tarnished reputation. Because the monarchy in the Netherlands can only last in the long term if the people regain their trust in their king.
