After the wedding ceremony, the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima made a ride through the centre of Amsterdam in the Golden Carriage. The tour started from the Nieuwe Kerk, proceeded down Nieuwezijdsvoorburgwal, Spui and Singel, then turn left at Muntplein and proceeded up Rokin to finish at the Royal Palace on Dam square. The Golden Carriage has been used for the same purpose a number of times in the past: in 1966 for the wedding of the present Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus, in 1937 for the wedding of Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard, and in 1901 for the wedding of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik, the occasion the carriage was first put into use. The Royal Family have also used the Golden Carriage on several other occasions. Normally for most of the year the Golden Carriage stands in the Royal Stables behind Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. It is only taken out for the State opening of Parliament each year.
The Procession with the Golden Carriage
The procession was under command of Colonel G.E. Wassenaar of the Royal Military Police, Equerry to Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
The Golden carriage
On 7 September 1898 the young Queen Wilhelmina accepted the gift of a remarkable state carriage, the Golden Carriage, a tribute from the city of Amsterdam. This "fairy-tale" carriage was the result of an initiative by a small group of people from a working-class neighbourhood of Amsterdam, calling themselves the Friends of the House of Orange. Their idea was taken up with enthusiasm by the entire population of the city and the realisation of the plan became possible thanks to the generosity of the citizens, who wished to offer a token of loyalty to their sovereign on the occasion of her investiture. The name of the Golden Carriage is misleading. It is in fact built of teak from Java, the wood being partly painted and partly coated in gold leaf. Other materials used in its construction also came from different parts of the Kingdom and its overseas territories: flax from the province of Zeeland, leather from the province of Brabant and ivory from Sumatra. The coach is decorated in Dutch Renaissance style reminiscent of the Golden Age. Plants, animals, emblems and symbols from antiquity and legend were used for the allegorical representation of the good wishes and blessings bestowed by the Dutch people on their sovereign. On the roof of the coach a group of allegorical figures, representing the four activities on which the prosperity of the nation depends, support the Crown resting on a cushion with the Sceptre and Sword of State. These activities are Commerce, symbolised by a mace and a lion; Labour, with a hammer and a salamander, the symbol of fire; Agriculture, represented by a sheaf and a sickle and a sheep for animal husbandry; and Shipping, symbolised by a sextant and a dolphin. At the four corners of the roof are miniature figures of children wreathing the Royal Arms with laurel, while cherubs plait triumphal wreaths round the Royal initials above the doors. The cornice bears the coats of arms of the (then) eleven provinces. The corners of the cornice are supported by four mythical figures holding lanterns surmounted by a crown. A frieze runs under the windows with symbolic figures in relief, representing Religion, the Army, Justice, Art, Science and Labour. Further ornamentation includes cornucopias, court jesters holding ivory handles, lilies and roses - symbols of Loyalty - and a cartouche showing the year 1898.
Photos and copyright (apart from the plan): Netty Leistra