The Netherlands

Prinsjesdag (Prince’s Day) originally marked the birthday of Stadholder Prince William V (1748-1806) on 8 March.

In the Patriot Era, it was a popular holiday, providing an opportunity for demonstrations of loyalty to the House of Orange. This is probably why the name was chosen in the 19th century for the ceremonial opening of Parliament.

Currently, the third Tuesday in September remains the day the constitution stipulates Prinsjesdag to be held.
On Prinsjesdag, the Queen delivers her Speech from the Throne to a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives. The speech sets out the government's plans for the coming year.

The Ridderzaal
From 1815 to 1904, the monarch delivered the Speech from the Throne in the chamber of the House of Representatives. Since 1904, it has been held in the Ridderzaal (Hall of Knights) in the Binnenhof.

At around 12:30 on Prinsjesdag, the members of the Senate and House of Representatives enter the Ridderzaal.

They sit opposite and to the left and right of the throne. The ministers and state secretaries sit to the left of the throne. Behind them sit members of the Council of State, the government’s highest advisory body. They all sit in the “enceinte”, an area enclosed by unobtrusive wooden barriers symbolising that the head of state is in conference with Parliament.

Outside the enceinte are seats for the other High Councils of State, senior civil servants, high-ranking officers of the armed forces, senior members of the judiciary, the Queen’s Commissioner of the province of South Holland, the mayor of The Hague and specially invited guests.

Procession of the Golden Coach
On the stroke of one, the Queen, normally accompanied by other members of the Royal House, leaves Noordeinde Palace for the Binnenhof, escorted by court dignitaries and a military escort of honour. Outside the palace stand an escort of honor and a military band.

The Queen travels to the Binnenhof in the Golden Coach. During the procession, salutes are fired at one-minute intervals to let the people know that the head of state is on her way to the joint session of the States General.

As the Queen arrives at the Binnenhof, a band by the steps strikes up the “Wilhelmus" (National Anthem)
Melody- http://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/english/dsc?c=getobject&s=obj&objectid=13328

Ceremony in the Ridderzaal
The president of the Senate presides over the joint session. Shortly before 13:00, he opens the meeting and then appoints a number of ushers from among the members of the two Houses to escort the Queen and her entourage.

The ushers receive the Queen and the members of the Royal House at the entrance to the Ridderzaal. The president of the joint session then announces the arrival of the head of state: a signal for all those present to stand. The Queen then proceeds to the throne, from where she delivers her Speech from the Throne.

“Long live the Queen”
After the Queen’s closing words, the president cries “Long live the Queen”, which is followed by three cheers from everyone present. The first time this happened was in 1897, when the young Wilhelmina accompanied her mother, Queen Regent Emma.

This brings an end to the joint session of the two houses. The ushers escort the Queen and members of the Royal House to the door. The president then closes the session.

When the Queen leaves the Ridderzaal, the escort of honour again forms in the Binnenhof, and the procession returns to Noordeinde Palace. (Website)

We made an appointment ahead of time to take a guided tour of The Peace Palace, which is accessible to the public. Once inside the palace, photographs are stricly prohibited. For more imagery, visit this website;
http://www.vredespaleis.nl/showpics.asp?pic_id=1&pag_id=543

The Peace Palace is home to many international judicial institutions. The International Court of Justice is by far the most well-known.
The International Court of Justice may not be the oldest institution in the Peace Palace but it is by far the most well-known. When construction was finished in 1913, the Peace Palace was intended to house only the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) and the Library, but in 1922 it also became the seat of the newly established Permanent Court of International Justice, the predecessor of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The ICJ was created as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations when they both were founded in 1945. The Court has a dual mission: to settle legal disputes submitted to it by UN member states in accordane with international law and to give advice which is referred to by UN organs and agencies.

All UN member states automatically have access to the ICJ. States which are not part of the UN can gain access to it by becoming parties to the Statute of the Court or by depositing with the Registry a specific declaration to that effect. The ICJ, commonly known as the World Court, consists of fifteen judges from all continents who represent the various legal systems and traditions of the world.

The Court’s sessions are open to the public and are held in the Great Hall of Justice, the largest room in the palace, on the right side of the building.

The history of the International Court of Justice dates back to the early 1920s. Before this, there was little voluntary adjudication between countries and the idea of settling disputes through voluntary arbitration was regarded as a major, if not unusual, step. The desire to attempt to resolve disputes between states with the help of a permanent court of judges increased after the horrors of the First World War became known. In 1920, the establishment of the Permanent Court of International Justice was provided for in the Covenant of the League of Nations. In 1945, when the United Nations was created, this court was succeeded by the International Court of Justice.
(website)
http://www.icj-cij.org/

Other institutions include the Permanent Court of Arbitration http://www.pca-cpa.org/ , The Hague Academy of International Law www.hagueacademy.nl , and The Peace Palace Library http://www.ppl.nl/ which is one of the most prestigious international law libraries in the world. It is at the disposal of the institutions based in the Peace Palace and is open to all other international legal institutions in The Hague. The Library’s collection covers public and private international law, comparative law and jurisprudence from every country in the world, as well as works on international political and diplomatic history and on the peace movement.

The Peace Flame

The World Peace Flame, where 197 countries join together in peace. In April 2004, for the first time in history, every country of the world endorsed a joint statement for peace. The ambassadors representing their nations also donated a special stone from their country for the World Peace Flame Pathway, symbolizing their commitment to peace.

The Palace, the premises on which it stands and the Library are the property of the Carnegie Foundation. The Foundation encourages the organization of seminars and other initiatives to foster the peace ideal.

Peace Palace 10

Triumph of Peace
http://www.triumphofpeace.com/

The Facemask; Jennifer's Room Den Haag

We are all a bit fuzzy as to how the facemask fun began. It is believed to have just been another day in Jennifer's room enjoying each other's company, surfing Utube. We must have come across some video that inspired our impressive efforts to succeed in teaching Jinny and Meladi the proper facemask techniques. Our theory, backed up by plenty of video evidence, is that short people do not have what it takes to successfully demonstrate what has been declared the facemask.

The facemask in action; Aaron, Jinny, Meladi, the voice/laughter of Morgan, and I (Jennifer) recording.