The Constitutional Monarchy

Dutch Government

Queen Beatrix is the Dutch Head of State. Together with the Ministers, she forms the Dutch Government. The Prime Minister is head of the Cabinet (Ministers and State Secretaries). The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system, which means that the Parliament makes the decisions.

The Netherlands has a multiparty system. Every four years, a new Parliament is chosen. The Parliament consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The latter and the Cabinet develop laws and monitor the implementation, while the Senate monitors the House of Representatives.

The Constitutional Monarchy

The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the position of the Queen or King is established in the constitution. The King or Queen is the head of the Dutch state and forms the government together with the ministers. Queen Beatrix has been the head of state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1980.

Succession to the throne

When Queen Beatrix dies or abdicates the throne, her oldest son, Prince Willem-Alexander, will be the first successor to the throne. The Prince is married to Princess Máxima and together they have three daughters; Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane.