Every year during Prinsjesdag, the cabinet picks one minister to stay away from the royal address. The measure is meant to ensure that someone can step in to run the country if an attack takes place while the rest of the government is gathered together.
For several years, the chosen stand-in was outside the country. Foreign minister Stef Blok was in Strasbourg in 2019, Hanke Bruins Slot was in New York in 2023, and Caspar Veldkamp was in Moldova in 2024.
A cabinet source says those trips actually breached protocol. The secret rules require the designated survivor to remain nearby so that government continuity can be preserved immediately if disaster strikes.
Rules kept strictly out of public view
The system was proposed in 2017 by D66 parliamentarian Joost Sneller, who warned that having the cabinet, parliament, Royal House, and Council of State inside a single hall made the administration too vulnerable. The procedure was formally adopted in 2019 for extreme emergencies.
All official documentation surrounding the policy remains confidential. A spokesperson would confirm only that the minister is chosen during a cabinet meeting.
Some ministers have spent the day in The Hague. In 2020, then minister of social affairs Wouter Koolmees volunteered for the role, watching the King’s speech from his ministry office while eating nuts.
The stand-in will not be travelling for this year’s address at the Koninklijke Schouwburg. An insider confirmed that whichever minister is picked will remain in the country at a secret location.
