Dutch royals do not come cheap

The Dutch monarchy is the second most expensive one in Europe, only after the UK’s, according to Belgian professor Herman Matthijs.

The Brussels' professor of political science came to this conclusion after studying the costs incurred by Europe’s various royal families.

Matthijs’ findings are based, in part, on data presented by a special commission chaired by Gerrit Zalm last year. The former Dutch finance minister Zalm then designed a new royal budgetary regime, allowing for greater transparency of the queen’s finances.

The Dutch monarchy, currently ruled by queen Beatrix, costs the Netherlands 39,6 million euros annually. Only the British have a more expensive royal family, which costs them 46,6 million euros a year. The Norwegian come in at 28 million, and the Belgians pay 13,7 million for their royal family. Luxembourg pays 8.7 million euros, but this buys the small country only a grand duke, not a true king or queen.

Matthijs did not incorporate the cost of security, official state visits or the maintenance of palaces in his calculations, and neither did Zalm. Had these been included, the total costs of the Dutch monarchy would surpass 100 million euros.

The Dutch royal finances are more transparent than the Belgian ones. In the latter country the distinction between salary and expenses is not as sharp as it is in the Netherlands.