News about Mark Rutte

Princess Amalia (pictured left and right, with father King Willem-Alexander) said she was 'very grateful' to everyone who helped protect and keep her safe from kidnapping threats. Amalia was forced to abandon plans to live in student halls over security fears, just weeks after she started at Amsterdam University to study politics, psychology, law and economics in October 2022. The 20-year-old said her time in Spain made her life in the Netherlands 'somewhat possible' again and thanked everyone who helped her make the swift move possible. Amalia spoke for the first time about her ordeal during celebrations for her father's birthday, where she was joined by her parents, Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and her sisters, Princess Ariane, 17, and 18-year-old Princess Alexia.

The Dutch Royal, 52, and her husband King Willem-Alexander, 56, were in high spirits as they met with school pupils of KBS Klippeholm and CBS Vesterhavet in the northwestern province.The royal couple were dressed elegantly for the occasion, opting for chic leather and a suit respectively - a fitting choice ahead of the King's 56th birthday tomorrow. (Pictured left and right: Queen Maxima enthusiastically greets school students during King's Day; right: the Queen and King Willem-Alexander oversee a game of football)

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (left and top right) was on top form today as she greeted the President of Nigeria in The Hague. The royal, 52,  looked elegant as she channeled spring in a stunning blue satin trouser suit which she matched with a nude-coloured blouse. The crisp, tailored blazer cinched in at the waist, showing off the Queen's sophisticated, slender figure. She met President Bola Tinubu at the Palace as part of her role as the United Nations Secretary General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. Her husband, King Willem-Alexander looked suave in a suit as he also met with the President  at the Palace (bottom right).

The motorway speed limit used to be 130kmh (81mph) until 2019 when it was cut to 100kmh (62mph) after Dutch courts ordered the government to cut air pollution to meet EU net zero targets. Repealing the low speed limit has increased in popularity after a study showed the 60mph limit, which only applies between 6am and 7pm, reduced nitrogen emissions by at most 0.2 per cent. Even the current caretaker conservative prime minister Mark Rutte said it was a 'rotten measure' when he imposed the lower limit four years ago at the diktat of the EU courts. The speed cut put the Netherlands alongside Cyprus with the lowest motorway speeds in the EU.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands (pictured right, in left image) honoured King Felipe of Spain with a touching thank you message at a lavish state banquet in Amsterdam on Wednesday. The monarch, 56, and his wife Queen Maxima, 52, were hosting the Spanish royals for a glitzy dinner at the Royal Palace as part of their two-day state visit to the country. Joining them was their eldest daughter, 20-year-old Crown Princess Amalia (right), who was making her debut at her first-ever state banquet in the Dutch capital. It was revealed earlier in the day that the Dutch princess had fled to Spain to escape threats to her safety and studied in Madrid for more than a year, according to a report by local media.

Amalia, 20, was forced to abandon plans to live in student digs over security fears, just weeks after she started at Amsterdam University to study politics, psychology, law and economics in October 2022. The heir to the Dutch throne was captured beaming by photographers when she started her studies, with much made of the fact that she planned to live in student accommodation. But the royal couple later said their daughter had been forced to return to the heavily guarded palace in The Hague following kidnapping threats. A new report by Dutch public broadcaster NOS this week revealed the 'Princess of Orange' did ultimately escape the confines of The Hague and has studied in Madrid for more than a year, citing royal sources. Amalia, the eldest of three sisters and first in line to the throne, is said to speak fluent Spanish thanks to her mother, who is Argentine by birth (Amalia pictured right with mother, Queen Maxima, and father, King Willem-Alexander)

After a girl said she had seen a picture of his family, the Dutch King, who is a distant cousin of King Charles, joked with a group of schoolchildren in Zutphen during a visit. Every year, the Dutch royals photograph a series of glamorous Christmas portraits in which their poodle, Mambo, makes a show-stealing appearance, but the King was quick to point out that such pictures aren't edited after they were taken. Since she confessed to 'editing' the Mother's Day photo that was posted by Kensington Palace on Sunday, his parody seemed to be a quip at the Princess of Wales.

During a royal tour in Zutphen, one of the country's oldest cities, one young girl informed him of a portrait of him with his whole family. And the quick-witted king laughed - saying: 'At least I didn't photoshop it!' To the raucous of the crowd. It comes as William and Kate's relationship are being closely scrutinized after the Princess apologised and confessed to digitally editing a family portrait taken by her husband's wife's family photo and released by Kensington Palace on Mother's Day last Sunday.

Nato is trying to choose a replacement for Jens Stoltenberg, who will have been in the role for a decade by October. Mr Rutte (left), the Netherlands' longest-serving prime minister, declared in July that he would leave politics following his coalition government's demise. Though talks about the formation of a new government in the aftermath of the country's November elections dragged on, he has been a caretaker prime minister.

Navalny died after being sick on a walk at the Arctic penal colony, where he was detained, according to Russia's federal prison service. In remarks from the White House last night, Biden said, 'Make no mistake, Putin is to blame for Navalny's death.' He was a strong voice for the truth even in prison.' Navalny had been "brutally murdered by the Kremlin," according to Latvia's president, Edgars Rinkevics, while French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said his death "reminds us of the truth of Putin's regime." Across the world, demonstrations have erupted, with hundreds of people gathering to pay their respects to Navalny and brand Putin, a 'killer' on self-made signs.

The Netherlands is one of only three EU countries where assisted dying is legal, with human rights organizations arguing that it gives people fighting terminal illness or crippling disease the right to end human suffering. However, some believe that gradual easing of euthanasia law could lead to a'slippery slope' that will see physically and mentally fit people who have died early. According to the Netherlands Regional Monitoring Committees (RTE), no scientific study has been done to determine a reason for the surge in people choosing to euthanize themselves, there is no scientific evidence available. In 2022, a total of 29 couples decided to end their lives together, up 70% on the 17 couples who died in 2020 and a whopping 222% compared to 2018, when only nine couples decided to die by euthanasia. In comparison, the new RTE estimates show 8720 people died by euthanasia in 2022, an increase of 14% year on year.

van Agt suffered a brain hemorrhage while giving a speech at a commemoration event for Palestinians after which he never fully recovered. Since being a Christian Democrat prime minister of the Netherlands from 1977 to 1982, countless tributes have been paid.

After writing into English, expats in the Netherlands were told to 'f**k off where you came from,' they told a local church to avoid ringing its bells at night. In a note, an anonymous author shared his doubts with fellow Amsterdamans that the Cathedral's in-progress reconstruction of the nearby Westerkerk clock tower could cause the Cathedral's tolling of its bells to resound 'every 15 minutes, all day and all night.' According to the note, the City of Amsterdam had already received reports, but would need more to insist that the church keep to sociable hours, causing the author to encourage neighbors to call the church if 'bothered by the bells'.

On Monday, Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands expressed joking as they welcomed guests to a traditional New Year's Reception. The Dutch royal, 52, and her husband, 56, waved as they prepared to welcome hundreds of visitors from political and public administration, as well as other areas of Dutch society and the Royal Palace. The Queen wore a camel-coloured coat, with a roll-neck jumper underneath to keep warm.

The Dutch royal family enlisted their poodle to accompany them in the annual Christmas shooting, which took place at the Huis ten Bosch Palace in Amsterdam. The eldest of the couple's three children, 20-year-old Crown Princess Amalia, holds Mambo in her arms as she wears a scarlet wrap coat in a full family picture (right). Queen Máxima was seen fawning over the poodle in another snap, being caught up by a King who can't avoid smiling (inset).

This is the frustrating moment for Rishi Sunak and outgoing Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte to find themselves unable to get into 10 Downing Street this evening. According to a No10 spokesperson, Mr Sunak welcomed Mr Rutte to No10 this evening to discuss immigration reforms, as well as illegal immigrant policies. Mr Rutte, Netherland's longest-serving Prime Minister, resigned in July after his four-party coalition government fell into an irreconcilable deadlock over how to deal with immigration.

On Friday, Dutch party leaders met to start the long and complicated process of forming a coalition. On Wednesday, the populist and anti-Islamist Party (PVVD) gained 37 seats out of 150, much ahead of 25 for a joint Labour/Green ticket and 24 for the conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Wilders, who is also known as the 'Dutch Trump', has a more favourable position in forthcoming coalition talks as he prepares to form a coalition. Although Wilders is now fighting to form a government and become the next Dutch president, his surprise victory is the latest in a series of recent political controversies that have seen right-wing populist parties gain traction across Europe. However, with his ferocious rhetoric, he has alienated almost all of the country's political parties.

MARK ALMOND: Mark Rutte, Holland's outgoing prime minister, once branded him a "political pyromaniac," and Geert Wilders' dramatic election victory has certainly put an end to his country's famously liberal establishment. The Dutch awakened yesterday that the Wilders' anti-Muslim, anti-immigration, and anti-EU Party for Independence (PVV) gained an unexpected victory. The shocked 60-year-old, who has spent a quarter of a century on the political frontlines, announced: 'The PVV will no longer be ignored... We will govern!' The people of the Netherlands will restore their country, and the refugee and immigrant tsunami will be minimal.'

Most people are celebrating turning 18 with their first alcoholic drink or a night out with friends. However, if you're a future king or queen of Europe, your adulthood celebrations may be a little different. If much more common for royalty, grand galas, state addresses to parliament, and documentaries about your life. Prince Christian of Denmark celebrates the occasion this weekend and will have a grand gala in his honor, with many of Europe's top churches attending.

Prince Bernhard (left shortly before his death and right in 1937) vehemently denied any links to the NSDAP party, which later became known as the Nazi party until his death in 2004. I can say with my hand on the Bible: I was never a Nazi,' he said in a interview shortly after his death. I never paid for party membership, but I never had one.' He admitted to being a member of two Nazi organisations after 1933, including Hitler's notorious paramilitary group the SS, but argued that initial participation was a necessity and later went on to lead elements of the Dutch resistance forces after the Royal Family fled to Britain. Nevertheless, more evidence was uncovered over the course of decades - a copy of what was believed to be a membership card from 1996 and another card that appeared to indicate that the Prince joined the Nazi Party as a student in 1933. Flip Maarschalkerweerd, the former head of the Dutch royal family's palace archives, has found the original membership card, which has been officially confirmed by government officials.

Fouad L., the 32-year-old suspect who has been described in Dutch media as Fouad L., was arrested by armed police after reportedly killing a mother and a daughter in their own house and set it on fire before heading to a nearby Erasmus medical university where he shot dead a 43-year-old professor (right). According to Dutch media, Fouad L., who is believed to be a former Erasmus student, appeared to be a devoted 4Chan user who talked about his deeply troubled past, which included a sentence for insulting his rabbit while inebriated. Alleged court documents leaked to 4Chan understood to be linked to the alleged shooter reveal Dutch prosecutors took him to court for violently kicking his rabbit while blackout drunk, for which he received a 40-day community service (mourners bottom right at university)

A suspect has been arrested after a gunman wearing military clothing opened fire inside a classroom at a Dutch university hospital and injured at least one person. The shooting in Rotterdam's port city ignited mass panic as terrified students, physicians, and health workers ran for their lives outside the Erasmus Medical Centre. A man was arrested by armed cops after they had stormed the building to see if the shooter, who had been described as a tall man wearing combat clothing, was still inside, according to a video later.

According to police, a man dressed in military clothes and holding a handgun shot and wounded a person in a classroom at a university hospital in Rotterdam's Dutch port city. According to a message sent by Rotterdam police on X, which is now Twitter, another individual was wounded in a home near. It wasn't immediately clear if the two shootings were linked. The gunman might have fled the scene on a motorcycle, according to police, who are seeking witnesses.

In Rotterdam, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands paid a visiting to the Wood and Furniture College (HMC). In a chic white dress with a brown belt, the royal mother-of-three, 52, looked sophisticated. The trip focuses on practical entrepreneurship education and sustainability in education.