It has been announced that for the third year in succession that the Noordeinde Palace will once again open to the public on specific days. This will offer people a chance to see what this modest Dutch palace looks like on the inside. It has been decided that two of the rooms the public will be able to visit, the Marot Dining Room and the Grand Ballroom will be laid out as they were for recent functions at the Palace. The Marot Dining Room, for example, will be laid out as it was for a lunch on the 11th April of this year.
The dining room takes its name from the French furniture designer Daniel Marot who, being a Protestant, fled France to the Netherlands and worked for the Royal Court mainly at Het Loo Palace before travelling to England with the man who became King William III. The State Rooms will be open on four consecutive Saturdays from the 28th July between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm.
Whilst the State Rooms are opening at weekends, during the week you have a chance to visit the Royal Stables, but don’t think this is just for a chance to admire the horses! This is the home of all the royal vehicles that are used by the Dutch Royal Family, and a selection of these will be on display for people to look at covering all methods of transport and manufacturers from all over Europe including Austin and Mercedes.
The complete collection of vehicles and carriages is spread between Noordeinde Palace and Het Loo Palace and is around seventy carriages. Perhaps the most splendid of these carriages is the Glass Carriage; this was a gift from the people of Amsterdam to Queen Wilhelmina when she ascended the throne aged 18 in 1898. The coach is made from wood covered in gold leaf, and the panels are decorated with many allegorical images. The coach is used once a year, on Prince’s Day, the third Tuesday in September when it transports the King – Willem-Alexander and other members of the Royal Household from the Palace to the Binnenhof.
