Prince's Day

The third Tuesday in September is 'Prince's Day' (Prinsjesdag) in the Netherlands. On that day, in her capacity as Head of State, Queen Beatrix delivers the so-called 'Queen's Speech' (Troonrede) in the Hall of Knights in the Binnenhof in The Hague. Subsequently, the Minister of Finance presents his famous 'Third-Tuesday-of-September'-briefcase to the President of the House of Representatives. This briefcase contains the Budget Memorandum and the National Budget. Prince's Day is an important day in Dutch politics, as it marks the start of the parliamentary year. Her Majesty The Queen delivers her speech before a joint meeting of both chambers of parliament in the Hall of Knights. The members of the Cabinet and the Council of State, as well as a number of invitees are present too. The President of the Senate chairs the joint meeting and opens it with the phrase: 'The joint meeting of the States General, as referred to in article 65 of the Constitution, is hereby opened'.