His cousins have been part of Queensday/Kingsday all their lives (yes there have been a few years without them i know).
So i assume in time they will drop off. At present they say they enjoy the day and are helpful to meet as many of the crowds as possible. In time when the princesses get married i expect the group will scale down to the King, Queen, their daughters and their spouses, Constantijn and Laurentien.
Besides the Apeldoorn-branch is quite popular. They may be a few who are less keen on Bernhard for his co-ownership of a house letting business but you also have to counter that with his initiative for a sporting event to raise money for cancer research. While some might not be into formula one racing most Dutch like the fact that he helped getting a race back to Zandvoort. His older brother Maurits with his wife Marilene have always been popular with the public. The two younger brothers and their wives have managed to stay out of trouble as well and so anything positive they do helps to raise their popularity.
In all, the King has already altered the future attendance of Kingsday by leaving his nieces and nephew out and at the moment keeping his cousins there is useful. That will probably change once the princesses get married but the youngest is only 15 so that might take another 10 to 20 years.
I have a question for our King on his birthday: Why are your cousins still part of the royal visits on Kings Day anno 2023?
Your Van Vollenhoven cousins - whom nobody knows outside readers of the tabloids or Quote 500 - have absolutely no role in todays monarchy besides being way down on the reserve list of succession.
Correct me if I am wrong but I also do not get the impression you all meet in private very regularly, if ever. And on the 27th April they are invited as part of the big warm fuzzy royal family? It all comes across as a bit hypocritical and fake.
You basically invite your cousins to put up a royal act for 3 hours straight before they get in their cars and drive back to their mondaine non-royal lives. Is there anything more silly really?
Why on earth are your cousins still going along with this charade? To be called prince and princess and being adored by small children who have no idea who they are, for a few hours a year?
When Beatrix became monarch and all the cousins were still young and in line to the throne I understood why they joined in. The celebrations and program was catered to young kids. But come on you are all adults now - even the Kings children are young adults! People lining the routes just take pictures of and with them and then have to google who they were...
Maybe its time for a change Your Majesty. It was fun while it lasted but times have changed. Focus on the core royal family. Sorry to break the news to your cousins but they are utterly irrelevant for the monarchy in 2023.
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