Juliana's funeral set for 30 March

22 March 2004

AMSTERDAM — The body of Princess Juliana will be interred in the family tomb of the Dutch royal family in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft after a 12.30pm funeral on Tuesday 30 March.

The church closed to the public after the last service on Sunday 21 March and is now the exclusive domain of the government building service Rijksgebouwendienst, which will prepare the historic church for Juliana’s funeral.

It is not yet clear where Juliana will be laid to rest in the royal family vault. Delft Mayor Hein van Oorschot — who holds the key to the House of Orange tomb — said the decision rests with the royal family.

But Van Oorschot also said there is plenty of room at the back of the tomb. Juliana could also be placed at the front of the tomb, but that would mean she would be the first one there.

The interment will be a private ceremony, the same as when Prince Claus — the last husband of Queen Beatrix — was laid to rest in the Delft church in October 2002.

Princess Juliana will be laid out the Soestdijk Palace in coming days. Her four daughters will then take her body to Palace Noordeinde in The Hague on Wednesday 24 March.

Dutch dignitaries, diplomats and chiefs of international organisations will pay their last respects to the late princess in The Hague on Wednesday. Members of the public can pay their last respects from 25-28 March, also in The Hague.

At Princess Juliana’s request, the royal family will observe a short mourning period and will thus not officially appear in public for the next few weeks. The mourning period will end on 11 April, Easter Sunday, the government information service RVD said.

The shortened mourning period means the wedding of Prince Johan Friso and Mabel Wisse Smit on 24 April in Delft and the celebrations of Queen’s Day can proceed as planned. The Queen and her family will visit the Groningen province on 30 April.

It is not yet certain if Princess Juliana will be laid to rest in the colour white. But in a television interview, the former queen once said that her father and mother had always wanted to be laid to rest in white and that she wanted the same.

Meanwhile, despite the fact the Netherlands does not have national morning, the government information service RVD has issued mourning instructions to various organisations.

Flags on government buildings will thus be at half-mast until the funeral, but may not be flown on Sunday. The ringing of clock tower bells may only occur on the day of Juliana’s funeral. All official festivities will be postponed and other functions will be soberly adjusted.

The RVD has established an information line that can be reached by dialling 0800 300 1813. It is open 9am-9pm on weekdays from 9am-6pm on the weekend.

Subject: Dutch news + Princess Juliana

Juliana’s funeral set for 30 March