ROYAL HOUSE OF THE NETHERLANDS - Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day ceremony at Dam Square

The National 4 and 5 May Committee organises the Remembrance Day ceremony held at Dam Square in Amsterdam. The ceremony is attended by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima and representatives of the government, victims of war and next-of-kin.

The ceremony begins at 18.50 with a 30-minute service at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, which is broadcast live on television. During the service the 4 May literary lecture is given, delivered by a different author each year. The King and Queen then return to Dam Palace.

At 19.50 they leave the palace again. Together with other political and military dignitaries the King and Queen walk through a guard of honour formed by veterans and military personnel to the National Monument on Dam Square. The group comes to a halt before the monument.

The Master of Ceremonies representing the National 4 and 5 May Committee gives a short speech and the King and Queen lay a wreath on behalf of the Dutch people. The Taptoe (the Dutch equivalent of The Last Post) is then played, ending at 20.00 precisely. As the Dam Palace clock strikes the hour, a two-minute silence is observed in remembrance of the fallen.

When two minutes have passed, the first verse of the national anthem (‘the Wilhelmus’) is sung and a young person reads a poem. War survivors lay five wreaths representing different groups of victims of war, followed by a wreath from the Dutch government. A short speech is then given. The ceremony ends with flowers being laid by Dutch schoolchildren. The number of children is equal to the number of years the country has enjoyed peace. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, followed by the other dignitaries present, then file past the monument.