C.goodbye golden herringbone. THE royals of Holland they will no longer use the Gouden Koets, the iconic means of transport used for generations for ceremonies and official events. A choice that the sovereigns William Alexander and Máxima Zorreguieta made for a very specific reason: the painting that decorates the side of the carriage, titled Tribute from the Colonies, calls up the colonial past of the country, with references to slavery and even racism.
Royals of Holland: farewell to the golden carriage
The historic golden carriage of Dutch rulers (Getty)
A revolutionary choice that of the Dutch royals, announced with a video message from King William Alexander himself. “We cannot rewrite the past, we can try to accept it together. This also applies to the colonial past“He explained during an interview with theAssociated Press and immediately recovered from international press. And specifying that the gesture is part of the desire to eliminate the weight of discrimination still felt in Dutch society.
Against discrimination
The carriage, which recently underwent a very expensive restoration, is now on display in a museum in Amsterdam. “As long as there are people in the Netherlands who experience the pain of discrimination on a daily basis, the past will still weigh on the presentSaid the sovereign. Even in the awareness that «The simple prohibition of historical objects and symbols is certainly not a solution. It takes an effort that goes deeper and takes more time. An effort that unites us instead of dividing us ». And concluding: «IGouden Koets can only be used again when the Netherlands is ready for it. Now I’m not“.
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