For fifteen years, The Hague photographer Lucia Berg has turned her camera away from the royal carriage to capture what happens behind the scenes of Prinsjesdag. The 64-year-old plans her holidays around the event every year so she can document the third Tuesday in September.
Berg left teacher training about forty years ago to pursue photography, initially balancing commercial shoots with healthcare work that included documenting Haagse Theatergroep Eskalibur. Twenty years ago she launched her own business full-time, working mainly across healthcare and education.
Looking away from the royal carriage
Instead of the balcony appearance or royal portraits, Berg focuses on rehearsals, side events and small human details. Her archive includes a bystander running out to grab a stray football before horses pass, and a man in an apron vacuuming the red carpet at Paleis Noordeinde.
Other shots feature spectators from Staphorst wearing plastic rain hoods over traditional dress in bad weather. Berg says her goal is never mockery, but rather a way to cut through the formal seriousness of the parliamentary opening.
Navigating the city centre
Berg starts early each Prinsjesdag and walks through the city centre to meet regular visitors along the route. She notes that crowds and barriers now make moving between streets harder than in past years, forcing her to pick a side and shoot mostly before and after the procession.
Her photographs have previously been displayed at the ProDemos visitor centre and the Pianohuis next to Paleis Noordeinde. She hopes to eventually exhibit at the Fotomuseum Den Haag or the Haags Historisch Museum.
Retirement brings new projects
For this year’s event, Berg received an invitation to the grandstand, though she intends to ask for permission to leave it so she can keep moving through the streets. She has no ambition to shoot the balcony scene from behind, preferring everyday street moments over formal traditions.
Having retired last year, Berg now plans similar projects around other public events, including Koningsdag, the Sinterklaas arrival, local funfairs and pole vaulting competitions.
