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Dutch King Willem-Alexander joked Wednesday that “nobody” wants to be in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position, in a rare political remark by the monarch.
“If you don’t have [constructive criticism], you could end up like Putin,” he said, speaking in Maastricht at a parade during the annual King’s Day festivities, “and nobody wants that.”
The Dutch monarch made the remarks in response to a recent poll that showed public confidence in the king had fallen to its lowest level since the start of his rule, at 54 percent. “Polls don’t do much for me — what I do think is good is constructive criticism,” he said, before mentioning Putin.
Although the royals in the Netherlands are sometimes known to play an influential role in politics behind the scenes, they are usually expected to be apolitical in public — even if the king has previously expressed his support for Ukraine. “Our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine and everyone affected by the violence,” he said in a joint statement with his wife Queen Máxima in February, immediately after Putin declared war on Kyiv.
Despite acceding to the throne with a sky-high popularity rating back in 2013, confidence in Willem-Alexander took a hit after criticisms over his infrequent public remarks during the initial deadly wave of COVID-19, and outrage over the royal family’s trip to Greece amid pandemic restrictions in 2020.
Known for his partying lifestyle in his younger years, the king earned the moniker of “Prins Pils” (Lager Prince) for his prolific beer-drinking as a student.
Source: Politico
