King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has revealed that his daughters ‘see everything’ posted about them on social media but said that they have to learn to deal with online criticism.
Speaking on the Through the eyes of the King podcast yesterday, Willem-Alexander, 55, told Dutch radio presenter Edwin Evers that he has ‘very open discussions’ with his three daughters who are encouraged to share their feelings about online trolling.
Willem-Alexander and his wife, Queen Maxima, 51, have three chidren: Catharina-Amalia, 19, who is heir apparent to the Dutch throne, Alexia, 17, and Ariane, 15.
As quoted in the NL Times, he said: ‘They are not blind and deaf, they see everything on social media, they read everything, they hear everything. We don’t cut them off from anything. And they talk about it.’
‘It affects them,’ he added, saying that he has also had to learn to deal with negative comments on social media during his time in the public eye.
King Willem-Alexander said that his three daughters ‘see everything’ posted about them on social media. Pictured L-R: Princess Ariane, King Willem, Princess Alexia, Queen Máxima, Princess Amalia
The monarch explained that he encourages his daughters not to see social media criticism as a personal attack, saying that for children growing up, it was ‘very annoying’ to see the criticism posted online.
‘Kids don’t have a filter in that regard, but it’s reality, and they have to learn to deal with that.’
He said it is important to teach his children not to take things personally as, for the most part, he believes online trolling is not personal.
According to RoyalCentral, the King has recorded ten episodes of the podcast to mark his first decade on the Dutch throne.
Elsewhere, Willem-Alexander told the podcast that he hopes his eldest daughter Catharina-Amalia, formally known as the Princess of Orange, can enjoy spending time on herself and with her family before she becomes a monarch in the ‘distant future’.
He said he wished the heir apparent a long time to prepare for the role so she can start a family or do whatever she pleases.
Then he revealed he will sit down with his daughter to decide together when she will ascend the throne, but added it was a decision to be made ‘between Amalia and me’.
He said that he has ‘very open discussions’ with his three daughters Catharina-Amalia (centre), Alexia (right) and Ariane (left) who are encouraged to share their feelings about online trolling
King Willem-Alexander spoke to Edwin Evers about his reign so far on the Through the Eyes of the King podcast yesterday
King Willem-Alexander said he hopes his eldest daughter, Princess Catharina-Amalia (left), will have time for herself before she becomes monarch
Willem-Alexander ascended the throne in 2013 after his mother, Queen Beatrix, abdicated.
He told Evers that he and his wife had known about his mother’s plans a year and a half before the event, and that during that time, they were the only people to know.
In an authorised biography entitled Amalia, released in 2021, the heir apparent admitted she did not feel ready to be Queen yet.
She said she would ask her mother to step in temporarily if her father were to die suddenly.
‘But I said to my father: you just keep on eating healthy and exercising a lot,’ the teenage princess added.
The young princess joined her parents for a two-week tour of the Dutch Caribbean Islands earlier this year – her first official tour of her career.
The trio travelled to Bonaire, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba to introduce Amalia to those parts of the Caribbean with links to The Netherlands.
The King’s comments about his daughters come after Catharine-Amalia, was forced to move out of her accommodation at the University of Amsterdam last year due to safety concerns.
The Princess began studying Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics in September, revealing she would live in a rented houseshare with her fellow students but returned to The Hague the following month because of a gangster plot to kidnap her.
Princess Catharina-Amalia, heir apparent to the Dutch throne, was forced to leave her student accommodation last year because of a gangster plot to kidnap her
Her mother, Queen Maxima (right), said Catharina-Amalia can ‘hardly leave the house’
The young princess joined her parents for a two-week tour of the Dutch Caribbean Islands earlier this year – her first official tour of her career
Earlier this year, the royal opened up about ‘missing normal life’ over the incident and in a clip shared by Dutch broadcaster NOS, she said: ‘I’m going to be very honest, I’m still having a very hard time.
‘I miss the normal life, the life of a student. Walking the streets, being able to go to a store,’ she added.
Her uncle Prince Constantijn spoke out about the Princess’s ‘very restrictive’ existence.
According to RoyalCentral, while speaking on NPO 1 he said: ‘If you are a young woman you want to be able to live freely during your student days and that is not granted to her.’
Speaking candidly about her daughter’s situation while on a state visit to Sweden, Maxima was quoted by Dutch news agency ANP saying: ‘She can hardly leave the house.
‘The consequences are very difficult for her. There is no student life for her like others have.’
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