Royal Jewels of King’s Day 2022

King’s Day is a national holiday in the Netherlands, celebrated on King Willem-Alexander’s birthday. Happy Birthday to HM! He turned 55 yesterday, and he was surrounded by family members for the celebrations. Here, he poses for a group photograph with his wife, Queen Máxima, and their daughters. From left to right: Princess Ariane (the youngest), Princess Alexia (the middle child), the Queen and King, and Princess Amalia (the Princess of Orange, heir to the throne).

A different Dutch town or city hosts the main festivities each year, and this year’s celebrations were held in Maastricht. Queen Máxima wore a pink ensemble by Natan for the day, plus a beige and tan cape for the chillier morning events. She wore a coordinating hat in a shade of dusty pink, plus additional tan accessories.

She also wore pink jewels from two different royal suites with her outfit.

She wore her modern diamond and kunzite drop earrings, which have an interesting twist design at the top of the pendant.

She also wore the coordinating diamond and kunzite ring on her right hand. And on her right wrist, she wore the necklace from Queen Juliana’s rose quartz suite as a bracelet.

The three young Dutch princesses wore lots of gold jewelry: hoop earrings, necklaces, stacked bracelets. You can see Amalia’s hoops in this photo.

Alexia also wore gold hoop earrings, plus a gold chain necklace with a pendant.

And Ariane wore a major pair of leafy gold earrings.

Lots of members of the extended family were present too, including the King’s brother and sister-in-law and several of his cousins and their wives.

Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, the King’s brother and sister-in-law, were on hand to join in the fun.

Laurentien, who always has a delightful flair for the dramatic, wore major statement earrings and modern rings.

There were also several members of the van Vollenhoven family (Princess Margriet’s sons and daughters-in-law) in attendance. Here, Princess Annette wears several earrings, including large gold bamboo hoops, and Prince Bernhard wears a dynamite pair of glasses.

Here, Princess Annette, Princess Laurentien, Prince Constantijn, and Princess Anita (wife of Prince Pieter-Christiaan) have a quick drink. I also spotted Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène in the group photos.

King’s Day is one of the most boisterous and interesting royal events of the year, and we always get lots of fun photos from the various events. This year was no exception! Here, the King and the Princess of Orange show off a special coin minted just for the celebrations in Maastricht.

And there’s always a ton of food! King Willem-Alexander was enthusiastic about this ice cream display.

Prince Pieter-Christiaan modeled some orange-colored treats as well.

Princess Alexia pitched in to help make some of the food, trying her hand at baking Limburg pies.

There was plenty of music, too. Here, Queen Máxima greets the famous Dutch violinist and conductor Andre Rieu. He and his orchestra performed several selections, including a special song just for Máxima.

The King even grabbed a can of spray paint and contributed to a community mural.

All in all, it looks like it was a very successful birthday celebration indeed!