Dutch Royal Regalia
Encyclopedia
In comparison to many European monarchies' regalia
, the Dutch Regalia are relatively new, having been commissioned by King Willem II
in 1840. An earlier, more modest set of regalia made of silver were commissioned by King William I in 1815.
The regalia of the Netherlands consist of the following:
Both sceptre and orb were made by court jeweler Meijer from The Hague.
All these objects, including the coronation mantle are only used at the enthronement of a King or Queen and have been given by Queen Juliana to the "Foundation Regalia of the House Orange Nassau".
in Amsterdam, where the inaugurations take place. The Gonfalon of State and Sword of State are carried in the royal procession from Dam Palace to the Church and are held on either side of the royal dais in the Church during the swearing in ceremony.
Sometimes the regalia are dubbed "crown jewels". This is not exact. There are no crown-jewels that belong to the crown as an institution.
In the past the terms House-diamonds, House-jewels (Will of William I in 1841, Art. 12) and family jewels (1784 in the will of William V) have been used. In 1790 the term "Bijoux de la Couronne" was used by Luise of Brunswick -Wolfenbüttel aa the beneficiary of het large diamond from Borneo. In 1896 the Firm of van Kempen&Begeer wrote about resetting the jewels of the Crown ("juweleelen der kroon"). Queen Juliana gave a selection of her formal jewelry to the new Foundation Regalia of the House of Orange-Nassau, instituted on 27 July 1963. In 1968 a Foundation "Kroongoederen van het Huis van Oranje-Nassau" was instituted. It owns the regalia and the House-JEWELS.
The Houses of Orange and Nassau have collected a fabulous collection of jewels, including important diamonds and pearls. The famous Small Sancy diamond of 34 carat was bought by Frederik Hendrik, it is now in the collection of the Prussian Royal Family. These collections have been dispersed several times. After the death of William III in 1702 there were several heirs in Germany, descendent of his grandfather Prince Frederik Hendrik. The famous Orange pearls were sent to Prussia. In the 19th century the daughters and granddaughters of William I and the daughter of William II were given a large collection of jewels when they married. The jewels are now by inheritance in the collections of the royal and princely families of Sweden, Danmark, Prussia and Saxen-Weimar. Consecutive Princes of Orange and Kings of the Netherlands have tried to institute a collection of crown-jewels that weren't a fideï comis and were therefore inseparable. They did not succeed. It was King William III of the Netherlands who decided that a number of gems and jewels were to be "the diamonds of the Crown". They were to be reserved for the ruling monarch and his consort.
Amongst these "crown jewels" are large and old fashioned tiaras, devants the corsage and necklaces set with large emeralds, sapphires, diamonds and rubies. They are sometimes worn during state-banquettes.
The most impressive solitaire in the collection is a dropshape rose-cut Indian diamond that once belonged to Queen Mary II of England
. It is as "large as the egg of a dove and as clear as water". It is seldom worn and as the Dutch Royal family is very secretive the weight is unknown. The diamond has no official name but it has been referred to as the "Stuart" or "Holland" diamond in the past.
The beautiful sets of diamonds, rubies and saphires that were given to Queen Wilhelmina and Queen Juliana were not legally part of these collection. The set of jewels containing 800 diamonds and the famous "Garuda" bracelet from the Dutch East Indies that were given to the then Princess Juliana were broken up after their deaths. The stones are now part of several earrings, brooches and other jewels.
Regalia
Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
, the Dutch Regalia are relatively new, having been commissioned by King Willem II
William II of the Netherlands
William II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death in 1849.- Early life and education :...
in 1840. An earlier, more modest set of regalia made of silver were commissioned by King William I in 1815.
The regalia of the Netherlands consist of the following:
- the crownCrown of the NetherlandsThe current Crown of the Netherlands is of relatively modern origin. In 1813 the new "Sovereign Ruler" of the Netherlands, Prince William of Orange, son and heir of the exiled Stadtholder William V of Orange was sworn in Amsterdam...
, symbolising the sovereigntySovereigntySovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
of the Kingdom of the NetherlandsKingdom of the NetherlandsThe Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
, which presently consists of the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in Western Europe and three overseas constituent countries in the Caribbean: CuraçaoCuraçaoCuraçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, Sint Maarten and ArubaArubaAruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
. It also symbolises the dignity of the Sovereign as head of stateHead of StateA head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
. The crown was manufactured by the Amsterdam goldsmith Bonebakker. It is made of gilded silver, adourned with coloured stones and imitations of pearls.
- the sceptreSceptreA sceptre is a symbolic ornamental rod or wand borne in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia.-Antiquity:...
, symbolising the reigning King or Queen’s authority;
- the orbGlobus crucigerThe globus cruciger is an orb topped with a cross , a Christian symbol of authority used throughout the Middle Ages and even today on coins, iconography and royal regalia...
, symbolising the Sovereign territory;
Both sceptre and orb were made by court jeweler Meijer from The Hague.
- the sword of stateSword of StateA sword of state is a sword, used as part of the regalia, symbolizing the power of a monarch to use the might of the state against its enemies, and their duty to preserve thus right and peace.It is known to be used in following monarchies:...
, standing for the Monarch's power;
- the Gonfalon of State (Rijksvaandel or Rijksbanier), a banner of white moiré silkSilkSilk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
suspended from a gilded spearSpearA spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
, painted with the coat of arms of the NetherlandsCoat of arms of the NetherlandsThe Greater Coat of Arms of the Realm, , is the personal coat of arms of the monarch of the Netherlands . The government of the Netherlands uses a smaller version without the mantle or the pavilion or sometimes even only uses the shield and crown...
as decreed on the 24th of August 1815, symbolising the nationNationA nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
. The arms of the Netherlands have changed since 1815, but the depiction on the gonfalon has not. The artwork was by Batholomeüs Johannes van Hove.
All these objects, including the coronation mantle are only used at the enthronement of a King or Queen and have been given by Queen Juliana to the "Foundation Regalia of the House Orange Nassau".
Usage
Dutch monarchs have never been physically crowned. During royal inaugurations, the crown, sceptre and orb are displayed on a table in the Nieuwe KerkNieuwe Kerk (Amsterdam)
The Nieuwe Kerk is a 15th-century church in Amsterdam, located on Dam Square, next to the Royal Palace.-History:The bishop of Utrecht gave the city of Amsterdam permission to use a second the parish church in 1408 because the Oude Kerk had grown too small for the growing population of the city....
in Amsterdam, where the inaugurations take place. The Gonfalon of State and Sword of State are carried in the royal procession from Dam Palace to the Church and are held on either side of the royal dais in the Church during the swearing in ceremony.
The Crown Jewels
In the past the terms House-diamonds, House-jewels (Will of William I in 1841, Art. 12) and family jewels (1784 in the will of William V) have been used. In 1790 the term "Bijoux de la Couronne" was used by Luise of Brunswick -Wolfenbüttel aa the beneficiary of het large diamond from Borneo. In 1896 the Firm of van Kempen&Begeer wrote about resetting the jewels of the Crown ("juweleelen der kroon"). Queen Juliana gave a selection of her formal jewelry to the new Foundation Regalia of the House of Orange-Nassau, instituted on 27 July 1963. In 1968 a Foundation "Kroongoederen van het Huis van Oranje-Nassau" was instituted. It owns the regalia and the House-JEWELS.
The Houses of Orange and Nassau have collected a fabulous collection of jewels, including important diamonds and pearls. The famous Small Sancy diamond of 34 carat was bought by Frederik Hendrik, it is now in the collection of the Prussian Royal Family. These collections have been dispersed several times. After the death of William III in 1702 there were several heirs in Germany, descendent of his grandfather Prince Frederik Hendrik. The famous Orange pearls were sent to Prussia. In the 19th century the daughters and granddaughters of William I and the daughter of William II were given a large collection of jewels when they married. The jewels are now by inheritance in the collections of the royal and princely families of Sweden, Danmark, Prussia and Saxen-Weimar. Consecutive Princes of Orange and Kings of the Netherlands have tried to institute a collection of crown-jewels that weren't a fideï comis and were therefore inseparable. They did not succeed. It was King William III of the Netherlands who decided that a number of gems and jewels were to be "the diamonds of the Crown". They were to be reserved for the ruling monarch and his consort.
Amongst these "crown jewels" are large and old fashioned tiaras, devants the corsage and necklaces set with large emeralds, sapphires, diamonds and rubies. They are sometimes worn during state-banquettes.
The most impressive solitaire in the collection is a dropshape rose-cut Indian diamond that once belonged to Queen Mary II of England
Mary II of England
Mary II was joint Sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, from 1689 until her death. William and Mary, both Protestants, became king and queen regnant, respectively, following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of...
. It is as "large as the egg of a dove and as clear as water". It is seldom worn and as the Dutch Royal family is very secretive the weight is unknown. The diamond has no official name but it has been referred to as the "Stuart" or "Holland" diamond in the past.
The beautiful sets of diamonds, rubies and saphires that were given to Queen Wilhelmina and Queen Juliana were not legally part of these collection. The set of jewels containing 800 diamonds and the famous "Garuda" bracelet from the Dutch East Indies that were given to the then Princess Juliana were broken up after their deaths. The stones are now part of several earrings, brooches and other jewels.