Royals
Trust in King Willem-Alexander has fallen dramatically
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2020 was not the best for the Dutch royals. Although King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima got involved in the corona pandemic, they also made some mistakes. That costs the king dearly.
Clap for King Willem-Alexander, 53: His popular favor has waned, and significantly. This is the result of a survey by the market research office "IPSOS" on behalf of the news program "Nieuwsuur". The survey was carried out between December 18 and 20.
These numbers will not please King Willem-Alexander
As of April 2020, 76 percent of Dutch people had a lot or quite a lot of trust in their monarch. Now it's only 47 percent. And: While 67 percent were satisfied with the way Willem-Alexander worked in April, this is now only 51 percent. It is not known how many Dutch people gave their opinion. Either way, the result is likely to hit the king hard, because hardly anything is as important in a monarchy as the encouragement of the people.
Criticism of the Royals
In 2020 King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima had to take harsh criticism. In August, they had themselves photographed with a restaurant owner during their vacation in Greece, without maintaining the Corona distance and without wearing mouth and nose protection. The outrage followed immediately. The couple apologized in a written statement.
The family traveled to Greece again in October, despite the fact that the government had called on the population to stay at home a week earlier. The scandal was so great that the King, Queen and Princess Ariane, 13, turned back the day after arriving at the resort. However: Princess Catharina-Amalia, 17, and Princess Alexia, 15, stayed in Greece for a few days. The royal couple apologized again, this time by video.
People punish vacation
The repentance apparently did not convince the people. Three quarters of the respondents think it is "not wise" that the royal couple flew to Greece and almost 70 percent think that this has damaged the family's image. Small consolation: 40 percent judge that King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima showed solidarity in the corona crisis despite their missteps.
Hope for the royal couple and their country
The latest reports from the king and queen regarding Corona are harmless. On Instagram today, January 6th, they celebrate an important milestone in the fight against the virus: "The start of vaccinations is a turning point that gives hope for a way out of this crisis. Thank you to everyone who works together! Now it is important to to hold out together. "
Sources used: Dana Press, nos.nl
This article originally appeared on Gala.de.