A Syrian couple has named their newborn after the King of the Netherlands.
The couple, from Putten, named their son Willem-Alexander as a way to thank the Netherlands for taking them in.
The father said, “I would like to say thank you to the Netherlands in this way,” when speaking to Omroep Gelderland. A friend helped translate for him as he is still learning Dutch.
Hussein added that he and his wife are so grateful to live in a safe place, “The children can go to school here, everyone is helpful and I sleep well. That was different in Syria.”
The baby boy was born on Tuesday, 17 March at St Jansdal hospital in Harderwijk at 9.03.
The baby’s parents, Hussein Kaymoz and Ilham Khudeir, came to the Netherlands via Turkey from Syria around three years ago with their two older children. They first landed in Ter Apel and spent time in different asylum centres before settling in Putten.
