"MAJESTY" "Beatrix, what do you want?" "It's egocentric of you to think that I was lured into your golden mousetrap and got stuck and therefore was unhappy." "I always knew very well what I got into." "I did it all with a clear mind." "You're the best thing that ever happened to me." "Did I do all right last year?" " Yes." "So I didn't." "Sure you did." "You did very well." "Can't you tell?" "So why are you so nervous?" "Mother." "She usually calls me beforehand to go over it." "Perhaps because your father is no longer here..." "That's exactly why we have to confer." "This is the most important parliamentary event of the year." "But that's against protocol." "Yes, I know." "I don't like it either." "But it's either this or the end of my cabinet and I don't want that." "Majesty, I apologize for the intrusion." "Majesty, the prime minister would like a revision in the speech from the throne." "A revision?" " We are aware that it's highly unusual." "Have you all gone crazy?" "The impudence!" "I drafted the speech with the Prime Minister and I shall deliver it in the way it written." "Unfortunately, that's not possible..." " This is extraordinary." "Revisions at the last moment?" " That's right, majesty." "We deliberated for three days and now you're here with this disgraceful mess." "Majesty, this mess is the opinion of the cabinet." "It was discussed during the night." " I'm not some hired actress." "The prime minister..." " Let him come here himself." "That's impossible given today's procedures." " That's what I mean." "Given the ancient and respected procedures the speech can't be rewritten at the last moment." "Please leave." "Perhaps we can..." " I shall deliver the text as is and nothing else." "Majesty, you can send me away, but not the prime minister." "I look like a piece of candy." "The candy special." "Thank you." "I love this glitter." "Be careful you don't stab my baby." "It's gorgeous." "It's very beautiful." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Compatriots..." "Yes?" " Mother, how are you?" "Renewed energy." " OK." "Fine." "I'll see you soon." "If it were up to me, I'd like to turn into a quiet side street." "Ring the doorbell somewhere." "And ask a sweet lady if I could live with her and the children." "Forever." "The cabinet would never approve." "I would make airplanes out of these phony words, for those children." "Airplanes?" " Yes." "Like this." "Don't do that, grandma." "The prime minister is on his way over here." "Majesty, not so close to the window." "The dog is always present." " Come here." "Be careful for his hair." " A real dog doesn't shed hair." "Maybe that could be my opening sentence." "Members of the States-General a real dog doesn't shed hair." "Let me." "Mademoiselle..." "Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" "Aren't you deeply ashamed of yourself, Mr. Prime Minister?" "Majesty, yes I am and I feel quite unhappy." "But that's not as important as the cabinet-supported speech from the throne." "Such awkward nonsense!" "Twenty minutes before the carriage ride you come up with another text!" "Majesty, it concerns only a single sentence." " I refuse." "I'm afraid that that's impossible." "For three long days we..." "Three days." "That's the nice thing about our job:" "You can't lie about the future." "But were we to put in the speech that Monrovia would next year no longer be the capital of Ivory Coast but of Gelderland then what?" " The same thing applies." "I would bet that that is unlikely to happen, but you can't call it an outright lie." "Yes, you can." "Monrovia isn't the capital of Ivory Coast, but of Liberia." "In the draft it says:" "The fact that the notion 'multi-cultural society' has currently lost its strength and makes room for a broader vision of our colorful society can be seen as a success of our integration policy." "Success of the integration policy?" "That's a lie." "Your deep sigh is rather insulting." "Majesty, isn't it only possible to judge the success of a society after 100 years?" "Then don't venture an opinion by calling the deportation of asylum seekers a success policy." "But all we have are opinions." " I agree." "That's why I turned it into:" "The fact that the contrasts in our multi-faith society are becoming sharper and might unleash a religious war are increasingly worrisome to the government." "After much deliberation I was able to convince the government to allow your words about the multi-faith society." "You were successful on that point." " So which words are you talking about?" "Stay away from the window." "People might assume one of us is getting reprimanded." "That always works out worse for you." "It's indeed about that other text." "With the support of several departments, resources will be made available to aid the continent of Africa in several aspects." "Trade restrictions disadvantageous to Africa will be undone in the short term." "That's how we drafted it after much deliberation and that's how I will deliver it in 45 minutes." "No, you won't." "When I recited the speech from the throne last year, I fell into a sleepy trance." "The doors of the Knights' Hall opened and I saw light." "I only woke up at the "Long live the Queen."" "Later, I saw on television that I had read the speech flawlessly." "But in that Knights' Hall I had a completely different thing..." "I was thinking about the past." "Ready?" " Yes, come quickly." "This is where you were born." " No." "I crawled out of the egg here." "Isn't it beautiful?" "I forgot the camera." "I want explicit measures for the relief of hunger and disease in Africa." "No, majesty." "You know quite well that that leads to arbitrary policy." "I know that?" "The government feels that such an addendum goes too far." "I don't." "Majesty you have to be compliant." "Bea?" "Come here." "Come." "You have to be compliant." "Good girl." "A human being who only dances to the tune of others who is compliant, as you call it, withers away slowly." "It's nice that Prince Claus loved Africa, but we can't base a policy on that." "It already says that we will continue to think about Africa." "And that there will be a separate fund for peace and stability within the Foreign Affairs' budget." "That's the gibberish of a prudent shopkeeper." "A separate fund?" "What is that?" "Have you ever heard of an inseparate fund?" "And that pitiful "continue to think about" sounds very much Like a Merry Christmas card." ""A fund for peace and stability within the Foreign Affairs' budget."" "That's just shoving around money within a set budget." "Not a single extra effort for Africa." "Not a nickel for a continent that's devoured by civil war, trade restrictions and AIDS." "Majesty, you know how budgets..." "The point is that fishers, farmers and factories can offer their products on our market" "And that we offer our medication, condoms, scientific knowledge and sincere love." "You sound like an anti-globalist." "That doesn't say anything about the content of my ideas." "Moreover, the world is bigger than Africa." " No, it isn't." "A fund for peace and stability will be established within the budget of Foreign Affairs." "That's the text you will read." " Unfortunately." "For you." "Majesty, you are permitted to have an input in the speech from the throne." "But you can't determine its content." "It's determined by your fickle change of mind?" "That's how it is." "Do you find the monarchy a viable form of government?" "Yes, it's a form wherein the people know they are represented." "And in which they can openly criticize the government." "So in that sense our monarchy is important." " No, it isn't." "Not anymore." "The monarchy is extremely undemocratic, an immature and a rather ridiculous institution." "Isn't it?" "The two of us here..." "Is that a civilized democracy?" "We're performing a play that was written in the 19th century." "Isn't that so?" "Which corner do you want to push me into?" "I'm making use of the elbow room I was given." "Then you force me to do the same thing." " Africa needs to be helped." "You know that it is possible for me as prime minister to read the speech." "Dear oh dear." "It has happened before." "It would make a very democratic impression." "Some of your predecessors have threatened me with that option." "But just as with you, their abject lackey fear always won out over their teeth-gnashings." "Majesty, the Netherlands doesn't belong to you." "Formally, you're part of the government, but you have no responsibilities." "Your position doesn't allow you to make demands." "You have the freedom to offer advice." "As does any other citizen." "Everything you say are someone else's words." "Everything." "What you say and what you do you do and say on behalf of the government." "Strictly speaking, you don't exist as an individual." "Could you excuse me." "Majesty this means the end of your government." "This is a dangerous way to mourn." "I give you permission to slam the door behind you." "Black is the color of the people, green represents nature the water is blue and yellow is the color of gold." "Like the sand underneath our feet." "We could go and live here." " Here?" "Together?" "I have three sisters who could become queen." "Think about it carefully." "Every time no water comes out of the tap you'd think:" "Why did I give up everything?" "With every mosquito bite you'd think:" "I gave up a kingdom." "And what for?" "For you." "Kinghood is not hereditary." "It's inside, in your heart." "As was the case with Jesus, Moses and Gandhi." "And Marx, Castro, Ataturk." "Those are the real kings." " There's not a woman among them." "Where is "The Queen"?" " Who?" "The Queen." "Queen." "Here." "There was a woman with three adorable little children." "And I had no money on me." " You'll get used to it." "I should have given her something." "Can't we go back?" " No." "I promised." " It's not possible." "There's nothing we can do now." "Maybe later." "Majesty..." "Mother." "What was the prime minister doing here?" "He spoke to you first." "He proposed a text revision." "At the last minute." "What do you think about that, Alexander?" "I asked you:" "What do you think?" "Until you become head of state I need to know everything you discuss with the prime minister." "Well?" "Willem-Alexander, what do you think about this last-minute revision to the speech from the throne?" "The head of our family and the Netherlands has been a woman for the past 1 10 years." "That went rather well, because a woman is more easily forgiven." "But from you as a man, all those weak prime ministers won't accept anything." "Especially not if you're so..." "One moment." "I'm afraid things will go wrong, Alexander." "I'm trying my best." " With us, I mean." "That the people will stop waving and clapping as if by mutual agreement." "That a little boy will notice how silly we look." "That everyone will be ashamed of us and will walk away while shaking their head." "That will happen some day." "Derision." "And that will be your fault." "My fault?" " You started it." "With what?" "Becoming ordinary." " You've become ordinary." "You chose father: a German." "Son of a sugar farmer and of insignificant nobility." "An African." "Again a commoner." "Alex has to make different choices." "I know nothing about her." "Alexander told me a few things." "To you?" " I'm his father." "Remember?" "That girl's father was under-secretary during the military regime in Argentina." "So, an accomplice of dictator Videla." "Have the two of you become crazy?" "He's rebelling against you, against everything." "The boys are afraid of you." "So they don't talk to you." "He's already asked her to marry him." "I've been completely ignored." "I want to see everyone tonight." "If you don't get parliament's approval because that girl's..." "Máxima." "Because her father..." " Has blood on his hands." "If Alexander doesn't get that approval he won't be able to succeed me." "When you chose Dad the Netherlands was up in arms as well." "But I received the government's approval." "What if you hadn't received that?" "Would the three of us have been here?" "I asked your Mom to marry me." "Not the other way around." "Then Mom must have asked first to be asked." "Times have changed." "Nowadays, we're required to be popular." "A monarchy that isn't, can no longer exist." "We're obliged to be popular." "That's our fate." "At the same time, they eat away at our influence and stature." "Everything we want to keep private is photographed and publicized." "Every minor thought I have has become public space." "If we make a mistake..." "If we marry someone of murky descent, the cabinet and then the parliament will decide in their abjectness that we don't matter anymore." "What are you trying to say?" "That I won't accept that some girlfriend is handed a kingdom on a silver plate which she'll drop two years later in a panic." "Máxima is a strong, independent woman." " That's what I mean." "Strong and independent." "Good heavens." "That means conflict after conflict." "She will interfere in everything." "The people and the media will eat that up." "Believe me, gentlemen." "Underneath all that Orange mindedness lies blood thirst." "They want us to go from one scandal to another." "They enjoy it." "What are you concerned about?" "The girl or..." " Girl?" "Alexander has already elevated her to queen." " About the girl or her father?" "If commoners can marry into our family they have to have a spotless reputation." "When I hear that the father of..." " Máxima Zorreguieta." "...has been in the Argentinean government during a time of horrible violations." "30,000 young people disappeared or were killed." "Alexander, I feel I've been made a fool of." "A Mad Mother." "Friso..." "Don't cry for me The Hague..." "Your quality is also your downfall, mother." "What time is it?" "And I don't mean what your watch says." "What time is it?" "With all the strength I have I would build a dike to protect the Kingdom of the Netherlands against the oceans of indifference and sheer stupidity that flood us." " You can't." "You yourself are the perfect example of contradiction." "You can't be popular and at the same time build a dike against stupidity." "Listen to Dad and his third world chatter and be filthy rich at the same time." "I'm going to pass you over, Alexander." "I was talking with that ministry and I noticed that one of the ministers threw a handful of pistachios still in their shell into his mouth." "So I just had to tell him that right away." "I walked over to him and of course he tried to chew them down with shell and all." "Mother wants to pass me over." " No!" "We're not here." "Nibble, nibble, gnaw, who will become Máxima's in-law?" "We and Pa." "It's your problem too, you know." "We made a deal that you'll do it." "You'll marry Zorregettie." "And you have her make a statement:" "That the sins of the father won't be visited upon the children." "Something like that." "OK?" "There's no need to make us unhappy as well." "Sorry, Dad." "I'm fleeing to london." "That's happened before in our family." ""Hello, this Radio Orange." "This is your queen speaking."" "Did the people cheer when I was born?" "Your insecurity is not charming anymore." "Please stop it." "One day, the House of Representatives will just decide that we have to stay inside." "That we don't have to wear these silly suits anymore." "Then the prime minister will just give the speech from the throne." "Or they'll put it on the internet." "That's what will happen." "Did the prime minister just tell you that he'll give the speech from the throne?" "Yes." "You're lying, my son." "That's pathetic." "You don't want me." "Thank you." "Is this all right?" " It looks fine." "Good luck." "Have a seat." "I've never lived in an apartment." "It must be wonderful." "Mom I don't want it." " A coffee would be good." "Right." "Do you two cook?" " You two?" "Oh, I thought..." "Alexander is marrying Máxima, not her father." "You don't want it." "So that's a no?" " I can't just replace Alex." "I don't know the people." "They don't know me." "I don't have the calling." "I don't feel responsible." "I'd be putting on an act." "Putting on an act?" "ALL of us could help you." "We'll find you the most beautiful, intelligent and sweetest wife." "With a spotless reputation." " Yes." "Spotless." "If that can still be found nowadays." "Oh, hello." "I'm Mabel." "Mabel Wisse Smit." "How do you live?" " Don't be hysterical." "A minute ago you still liked it here." "I want a normal life." " Normal?" "Good heavens." "Finish your coffee." "Do me a favor, for once." "That longing for normalcy is degenerate and destructive." "The history." "The House of Orange." "Friso, I'm offering you a kingdom." "True kinghood is not hereditary." "It's inside." " So you've met my husband." "How much of a tip did he get?" " Nearly enough to buy a restaurant chain." "You have to hear this." "It's beautiful." "Great, Mom." "And that at your age." "I'd like to ride on and on." " To Great Britain?" "I just returned from there." " Across the water?" "Friso." " I know." "It's nice that you have some time." "No, mother." "And not for myself." "I wouldn't mind taking on the job but don't you want the best for your children?" "I don't want to lumber them with it." "Never." "You didn't want me." "You wanted my brothers." "Behind my back." "I asked your brothers to spare you from it." "To spare you from it." "To save you from all this." " ALL this." "You yourself are all this." "Are you having doubts again?" "My insecurity is not charming anymore, but yours is just pathetic." "I went to see your father." "Early this morning in the church." "So that's it." "I have doubts again." "I don't know with whom to proceed." "Yes, of course." "I've never looked that beautiful." "Come, let's go." "I still don't like riding backward." "What do you mean by that, Máxima?" "Shall we change seats?" " I didn't mean it that way." "Because you're pregnant?" "Wouldn't you rather switch places?" "Mother wants to read her own speech from the throne." "Very stupid." "Dad died, Mom." "Honey." "How sweet." "My girl." "What are you doing here?" "You have to come back." "We need you." "That disaster in New York City." "The boys I have less and less hold over." "Friso..." "I need you." "What are you doing?" "The sand starts over there." "The area in between can be made fertile." "We drill for soil samples, so we'll know how much nitrogen is needed." "Very useful." "It's useful work." "Please." "I..." "I have to finish this." "Mother..." "It's great to have you back." "Africa was too hard on you." "Yes, so I said to that man:" "Why are you here?" "He said:" "For my dentures, actually." " His dentures?" "Years ago, he was in a car accident." "His wife sat beside him." "Later on, the police found two sets of dentures among the wreckage." "They brought them to the hospital." "But then his wife's dentures ended up in his mouth." "He didn't realize that at that moment." "So for years he suffered from problems in his head." "Mental problems, they thought." "So they brought him over here." "He was treated for months, until they found out what was wrong last week." "Oh, Dad." " Hold on." "Please!" "You and Dad just love each other too much." "That's why he is so compliant." "Because you love each other so terribly much, he puts up with anything." "He returns from Africa to wither away here among stuffed zebras." "For you." "Until death." "His death, not yours." "You have a lover." "The Kingdom of the Netherlands." "What time is it?" "What time is it?" "To a nation that did not ask for me I revealed myself." "I was found by those who did not seek me." "To a nation that did not call on my name I said:" ""Here am I."" ""Here am I."" "If it were up to me, I'd like to turn into a quiet side street." "Ring the doorbell somewhere." "And ask a sweet lady if I could Live with her and the children." "Forever." "Mom it's Dad." "What are you planning to do?" "What do you mean?" " The speech from the throne." "With the revision?" " I'm not sure yet." "If you don't say what the prime minister wants, you're out." "You'd recite the telephone directory if the government asked you to." "Of course I would." " Alex!" "It's none of your business, Máxima." "I don't want you to ruin my and Máxima's day." "The telephone directory?" " In a manner of speaking." "We should be able to say what we want." "Only to me, honey." " That's ridiculous." "This profession is highly ridiculous, but they want us to be here." "Just you watch." "Mother is going to read what the prime minister dictated." "Not this time, Alex." "Shall I read it?" "The very idea." "The government will continue to think about Africa." "There will be a separate fund for peace and stability within the Foreign Affairs' budget." "That's the text, mother." " So you learned it by heart?" "Of course you'll stick to the text." "You're just needing us." "You can't do that to us." "It's not regal." "Mother, listen Máxima and I are getting out." "You ride back to the Noordeinde palace." "I'm going to read it." "Alexander wants to be involved more." "I talked to him." "Our eldest wants more responsibilities." " You weren't going to talk, Claus." "You're destroying him." " It distracts me." "From what?" " Please." "It's just not working." " What isn't?" "What you weren't able to accomplish in reality, you're trying to do in clay." "Mold me to what you want me to be." "You've worked on that for nearly 40 years, but it didn't work out completely." "Of course I want to have control over everything." "Who doesn't?" "Other people have to stop and correct me." " No one dares to do that anymore." "Everyone stays out of your way." "That's why you're slowly becoming ridiculous." "Come on." "What is this?" "No." "That doesn't work." "Please stay." "What's wrong?" "Claus!" "I always overtake you." "Yes." "Always." "Do you regret everything?" "No." "So why did you say those horrible things?" " They were true." "Because of your birth you're a misshapen creature." "I knew that." "And I know that." "But who loves angels anyway?" "I've woken up numerous times with the question: "Do I have regrets?" No." "Just the small things." "Neglected a friend, or I should have attended more funerals." "You have to be the last of the House of Orange." "You did very well." "But kings and queens are an insult to this world." "It's a pity, yes because of the past, the culture and the fairy tale." "Put it in a nice museum and make it a destination for a daytrip." "Beatrix: our last Queen." "Shall I stop?" "Right now?" "So that we have a few years left together?" "Are you offering yourself as a loving, self-sacrificing, always-present wife?" "Yes." "More or less." "That's no longer possible." "You need to love entire nations." "I'm not enough." "Moreover, all those sacrifices would turn you into someone else." "And I don't want anyone else." "It's too late for everything." "And if I were to do it anyway?" "What?" " Give up everything." "For you." "I would make sure I wouldn't live much longer." "To save you." "I don't want you to have any regrets." "That's more important to me." "I knew from an early age that I would ruin a man's life by marrying him." "And I knew even back then that I would regret that." "I thought: "Perhaps I should marry someone I can't love."" ""Or marry someone like Daddy who wouldn't care about me and the whole shebang."" "You would have become very lonely." "Yes." "You didn't ruin my life." "Yes, I did." "We love each other." "So what's to be ruined?" "I sometimes think that love between men and women hurts more than hate." "That you can't let go of each other, while you know that would be better." "Better?" "Better for whom or what?" "You should be sauntering over a coffee plantation in Tanzania right now." "What do you want?" "It's egocentric of you to think that I was lured into your golden mousetrap and got stuck and therefore was unhappy." "I always knew very well what I got into." "I did it all with a clear mind." "You're the best thing that ever happened to me." "It could have lasted longer." "What?" "My life." "I don't want you to die." "That's sweet of you." "But in this case "might and majesty" fails." "What am I to do without you?" "I'm still expecting at least eight grandchildren." "Tell them tell them about their grandfather." "How one day he met a beautiful, young woman." "Who said she was a princess." ""Oh, how sad," grandfather thought." "But because of it, he loved that princess even more." "What you're planning to do, it completely irresponsible." "Just one sentence..." "I can't do this anymore." "And neither can you." "We can't do it." "The golden carriage passed the honor guard of students." "It's an ancient tradition." "They're turning into the Binnenhof." "I see someone come out of the Knights' Hall to stand beside the Chairman of the Commission." "This is peculiar." "The prime minister stations himself beside the Chairman of the Commission." "That's against all protocol." "Your supposed to be inside." " This is in the interest of the state." "I can't allow this." " The lady has become recalcitrant." "Majesty." "The Queen." "How cozy and yet so incredibly stupid." "The proper version is lying ready." "Should you deviate from that we'll have a royal crisis." "Understood?" "I won't disappoint you." "Straighten your hair." "Members of the States-General..." "Members of the States-General before you stands the only Dutch citizen for whom freedom of speech doesn't count." "Until this moment." "Members of the States-General your plea for transparency on the monarchy is a plea for its elimination." "An emancipated royalty is a paradox." "I can't go on with it." "I have attempted to protect our Kingdom of the Netherlands against the oceans of indifference and banality that flood us." "But I failed." "It is inevitable that modern life forces its way through my family into an institution that in fact doesn't tolerate transparency and democracy." "It's even worse that I myself don't know anymore after everything that has happened during the past years from where I should get my strength and conviction." "I have become very insecure." "And I have never experienced that this was a God-given task." "It is your duty to decide upon the survival of this tradition." "Compatriots may you fare well." "The government will continue to think about Africa." "A separate fund for peace and stability on that continent will be established within the Foreign Affairs' budget." "On your shoulders rests a responsible and heavy job." "You may feel yourself supported by the realization that many people wish you wisdom and who, with me, pray for you to have strength and God's blessing." "Long live the Queen!" "Hurrah!" "Hurrah!" "MAJESTY"