Justine Marcella, royalty journalist for the Story, is annoyed by people who grumble about the costs of the royal family. She doesn’t understand that stinginess. “Cheaper than cappuccino.”
The comments posted on the internet under news articles about the royal family cause unprecedented annoyance to Justine Marcella, royalty journalist for the Story. She always reads those comments and almost feels sick afterwards. What pettiness, she thinks it all is. According to her, those costs are not too bad.
3.50 euros
According to Justine, the monarchy is not that expensive at all. “Here the monarchy costs about 3.50 euros per inhabitant per year. That is less than a cappuccino on a terrace.”
A bargain, she writes in the Story. She lists that for that amount you get a king, a queen, a former queen, a queen in training, state visits, foreign trade missions, ribbon showers and Budget Day. “And a family that brings hundreds of thousands of people out every King’s Day.”
‘Always about money’
According to Justine, a president often costs even more money. “What always fascinates me is that the discussion is almost exclusively about money. While perhaps the question should be: what do you get in return?”
A lot, she continues. “King Willem-Alexander does not open a highway because he likes it so much. Queen Máxima does not travel around the country for pleasure to put mental health on the map.”
Cappuccino
Justine thinks it’s all worth it. “We discuss endlessly about those 3.50 euros per Dutch person, while without thinking we pay 6 euros for a cappuccino with oat milk on a sunny terrace.”
She concludes: “For less, we have a king who represents our country, a queen who opens doors worldwide and a tradition that has been part of our national identity for more than two centuries.”