King Willem-Alexander sets off for forty-year reunion

As we get older and move through phases of life, many of us are lucky enough to have reunions where we see old friends, classmates, and colleagues. Royals are no different, and one king is enjoying a very special reunion this week. 

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands is known for being a pilot, often being spotted flying commercial flights for Dutch airline KLM on their KLM Cityhopper group. However, he originally trained in the navy. 

The Dutch Royal Family shared that Willem-Alexander first began his Royal Netherlands Navy training on 19 August, 1985 with several photos of a baby-faced the Prince of Orange aboard the ship. 

The king and twelve of his former classmates have sailed out from Monnickendam on the Groene Draeck yacht for a fitting reunion. 

Then then-Prince of Orange trained on the HNLMS Tromp, the HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen, and the HNLMS Van Kinsbergen.

In 1986, Willem-Alexander was sworn in as a lieutenant-at-sea. He was then named in 1995 as a lieutenant commander, a commander in 1997, and in 2001 a Captain at Sea. Finally in 2005, he was promoted to Commodore. 

Notably, the Dutch King is not Commander-in-Chief of the military like many of his European counterparts.