King of the Netherlands visits UK Parliament on 23 October 2018

it is my enormous pleasure to welcome your majesty and Queen máxima to this Palace of Westminster and the interest your Majesty's in your visit and the significance that members of both houses attached to it are very clear from this full royal gallery this afternoon the ties between our two countries are unique the personal and the economic relationship that we have enjoyed has lasted for centuries London Amsterdam in particular have at times seemed like sister cities your royal family and ours have been particularly close for an extremely long time and I am pleased to note that your place in the line of succession to our own throne Your Majesty if a little distant was restored in 2013 whatever the eventual outcome of the debate over our future relationship with the European Union I am certain that nothing will break the bones of history that have joined us for so long and which have served us both so well being no doubt let it be stated explicitly this your Majesties is a gathering of friends that Accord is represented by you personally you spent part of your education at the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales and have been on countless visits to our shores those links will have been intensified by your service in the Dutch Royal Navy which has such an intimate association with our own Royal Navy you will also hear of course for the London Olympics in 2012 and you have offered sterling service to that movement as a member of the International Olympic Committee this is if I may make so bold as to say so fitting for a man and the monarch with a flair for ice-skating cycling American running among other frighteningly energetic activities for my part as is nothing together a state secret women in tennis great indeed I would go so far as to say consuming passions the late not only in the Netherlands not only in the United Kingdom but globally be an icon to me your majesty I hope I can be permitted to say say because I am going to say say as an Arsenal fan so will another Dutch footballing might Stroh Dennis Bergkamp in tennis my personal passion richard krycek Wimbledon men's singles winner in 1996 that legendary doubles player from the 1970s Betty Stover and now Robin Haase are great ambassadors for your country a spirit is however part of your intriguing persona to the interest even of the British media it has become no that for a number of years you have operated incognito as a first officer on KLM flights this presumably means that for a number of Dutch citizens and indeed possibly British travelers to the letters KLM stand for King that landed me your majesty it is my to ask you to address us [Applause] [Applause] right on the road members of parliament my Lords off-script I still fly for KLM so if you still want a chance for KLM go ahead it is my privilege to address you here at the heart of British democracy you represent the British people in all their diversity it is here that the interests and concerns but also the hopes and expectations of millions of British people come together I can think of no better place to express the affection that the Dutch feel for the United Kingdom you are our Morsi neighbor but you're also much more than that your you are a friend and in many ways you are a source of inspiration to us we Dutch will never forget the courage and self-sacrifice of the British Armed Forces who fought in two world wars for freedom in Europe back then the United Kingdom stood firm in the face of violence and terror and that image is engraved in our collective memory the same light motif runs through the history of both our countries the world to fight for freedom of conscience and for the society built intolerance and the spirit of enterprise an open-minded society in this respect the British has often been an example to us and the reverse is also true for some writtens the Dutch Republic was a haven where they could develop their ideas in freedom the great English thinker John Locke wrote his famous letter concerning toleration in Amsterdam as free nations on the Nerf see Wien combatted encountered each other regularly over centuries and our contacts were not always peaceful new allies but also rivals the English and the Ducks forth no fewer than four maritime words last year our countries jointly commemorated the raid on the Midway 350 years earlier it was impressive to see two countries that at once fired cannons at each other coming together to remember the past and to notes that history always offers new opportunities the raid led to a reform of the British fleet follow it followed by two centuries of Britannia ruling the waves so it wasn't a bad outcome for the English in the end tomorrow my wife and I will see the UK NL amphibious force in action on the tenant's the display ties in with the 45th anniversary of the force in which the Royal Marines and the Dutch Marine Corps that work side-by-side indeed the days of the raid on the Midway are way behind us it was a member of the House of Orange who had the dubious honor of leading the last successful invasion of your country I am of course talking about the glorious revolution in 1688 in which Dutch start rolled away in the 3rd Prince of Orange played a central role the reel of Marian William went hand in hand with the reaffirmation of the rights of Parliament's free elections freedom of speech and protection from arbitrary power or a status rind in the Bill of Rights this laid the foundation for the strong constitutional monarchy of which the United Kingdom is justly proud you are all heirs to these values that were laid down almost 330 years ago ladies and gentlemen although the wish to be truly free was the compass that guided our forebears they knew too that good relations and cooperation were necessary to acquire and serve that freedom not only in their own countries but also with like-minded partners beyond their borders today this is more evident than ever our interests are so closely entwined that we rely on other countries for our prosperity and well-being and you don't lowly mention a few topics that you often discuss here in the Palace of Westminster security upholding the international legal order sustainable economic growth climate change and health these are matters that concern us just as much in the Netherlands there are matters on which we in the UK nearly always see eye to eye 35 years ago the excellent relationship between our countries gained an extra dimension when the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community banding together within the EU has brought many benefits yes the Union has its flaws but we should not close our eyes to its achievements unlike former generations most people in Britain and the Netherlands today grew up in a peaceful in Europe where prosperity and freedom steadily gained ground the United Kingdom has decided to leave the European Union it truly summons us to see a close partner leave but of course we fully respect your country's choice for seeing the consequences of brexit is a highly complex task as is finding a solution in the time available that is acceptable to everyone and in line with the relevant treaties all the parties involved are working hard to bring this to a good conclusion we see how much this issue is on people's minds but underneath all this there's an unwavering truth our ties will never be broken however the waves may rise the United Kingdom remain an important partner for the European Union and for us your North Sea neighbor so brexit does not mean farewell our close historic relationship will continue albeit on a different footing let us always keep in mind how much we have to thank each other for our countries are among each other's name Trade and Investment Partners every year teams of British and Dutch academics produce many thousands of research papers together designers and artists from both countries create wonderful things and this is all worth a great deal one group deserves special attention the 50,000 British nationals who live in the Netherlands and 150,000 Dutch nationals who live here in the UK many of them have lived and worked here for many years they feel at home in the local community and the contribution to society is valued Weathers employees colleagues neighbours or volunteers every day they prove how good the match is between the British and the Dutch yet all these individuals now live under the shadow of uncertainty about their future status I understand how difficult this is for them and a trust this uncertainty will be resolved people need something to hold on to and that need is only amplified in this time of international upheaval and unpredictability polarization in the world is getting worse people here in the UK are seeing that too it sometimes feels like the extreme has become the new normal to retain a degree of control in an uncertain world it is crucial to work together with like-minded partners in Europe and elsewhere the Kingdom of the Netherlands strongly believes we consider the UK's active contribution as essential for a thousand years now thinkers scientists inventors entrepreneurs designers artists politicians from these aisles have been making their mark on the world their legacy has enriched our lives and we are grateful to them the American women in turn has profited from the input of countries on the other side of the North Sea and further afield in facts that outward looking attitude is precisely what has made you the strong proud nation that you are it has brought freedom based on exchange and partnership the Kingdom of the Netherlands will continue seeking to work together with you in every possible way as a neighbor as a partner and as a friend I'd like to conclude by quoting John Locke who lived them works as we heard in Holland for five years when he returned home in 1689 in the wake of the prince of orange he wrote to a friend in amsterdam about a stay in the Low Countries and I quote I have found here another fatherland and had almost said other kinsmen I call myself happy that my surgery of these years among you has been put to so much good and profitable use these are words that reflect my own experience in my youth I spent two years in the UK as a student at the United World College in South DeMorgan the memory of that time and of all my friends of those days is very very dear to me this personal experience created a bond for life with this wonderful country and I very much hope that in the spirit of kinship and friendship we continue to seek each other out and find one another thank you very much your Majesties my needs distinguished guests ladies and gentlemen first I would like to thank your Majesty for your speech and your words about the strong relationship which our two countries enjoy it is an honor to welcome you both here today the very January here is the theme for one of the most comfortable days in our parliamentary calendar the State Opening of Parliament I know that you have a very similar ceremony in The Hague it is another example of our common history and traditions traditions are an important thread in the tapestry which is our national story but we share something far more fundamental we're both long-established parliamentary democracies this stability has built our two countries something which we cherish and in today's world this stability should not be taken for granted the close relations between our two countries continue not only in a general sense but in a very personal sense as your friendship with the Majesty the Queen shows here indeed your majesty I am informed by one newspaper that you are in fact 889 in the line of succession to the British crown a little distant said the speaker 839 but I'm afraid I have even worse news with the birth of the charge of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex he promised 890 but in all seriousness we welcome you here to the writing kingdom and here to Parliament we've never hoped I have to say that you would have arrived Pyrus in your own plane there are not many marks today who have a license to fly a commercial airliner and I can say with absolute sincerity that I would not trust any of my colleagues to take the controls of an Airbus Maxima and say how much we admire the way she is working worldwide to make financial services available to all including low income groups and small businesses Your Majesty you spoke of the link between our two nations and as you said there is a large Dutch community here in the United Kingdom and there are many British citizens living in the Netherlands that is a relationship which will continue whatever the political changes we calculate on defence and security matters and we work very closely in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism trade between our two countries is healthy our economic ties are strong looking around this gallery we see paintings of some of the kings and queens who have ruled our land over the centuries and we see a statue of course of we're in the third on my left one Bishop at the time wrote that William spoke little and slowly but with dryness the bishop said that saved a recent historical playful counted him as one of Britain's greatest monix this year we celebrate as you indicated the three hundred and thirtieth anniversary of the Glorious Revolution the arrival of William and Mary on these sharp shows marked the beginning of a new age and in February 1688 they were declared king and queen by Parliament here in Westminster the Bill of Rights which was thrown up the foreign year is something we hold very dear indeed for the first time the monarch could not set aside or dispense with laws without parliamentary approval perhaps the 17th century equivalent of the meaningful vote today [Applause] today that a constitutional settlement still underpins our parliamentary democracy and our commitment to free speech I should also point out that king william ii of the netherlands fought at Waterloo the battle depicted here also in this moon here is just 23 at the time and I should add most importantly that he was on our side the majesty our relationship should not simply be confined to the history books our past should speak to our future we're leaving the European Union but our friendship and our strong alliance will continue we are not turning our back on Europe and we are not certainly not turning our back on the Netherlands we sit together on the United Nations Security Council we are both founding members of NATO and our economic partnership will continue these ties will not be broken your Majesties it is a great honor to have you with us today your presence speaks of a deep relationship a relationship with deep historical roots and a bright future and I would like to end with a cry that I hope should be familiar to you and you must excuse my Dutch at this particular point ladies and gentlemen [Applause]

Channel: UK Parliament

Views: 51,364

Keywords: UK Parliament, The Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander, House of Lords, House of Commons

Id: sqFdWl0CODo

Length: 21min 49sec (1309 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 24 2018