Inauguration of King Willem-Alexander in Amsterdam without problems

The inauguration of King Willem-Alexander, yesterday in Amsterdam, drew between 700,000 and 800,000 visitors to Amsterdam. The day's organization appears to have been flawless.

This year's Queen's Day was a special one.
It wast the last Queen's Day, as from yesterday the Netherlands has a King.
The combined Queen's Day festivities and the festivities for the inauguration led to completely different atmosphere in Amsterdam than in other years.
In the centre of Amsterdam many security measures were taken, especially around Dam Square and around the river IJ, where the royal boat tour took place in the evening.

King Willem-Alexander was inaugurated in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), after at 10am his mother, now Princess Beatrix, had signed the Act of Abdication in the Royal Palace. At noon there was the famous balcony scene, at which the former Queen presented her son as the new King.

The day passed in a festived orange-themed atmosphere. Only a few incidents were reported by the police and by the first aid departments of the hospitals. The Dutch Railways could handle the hundreds of thousands of visitors without problems.