TIL that the Dutch King Wilhelm-Alexander is a licensed Boeing 737 pilot and in 2017 revealed he had secretly been piloting commercial KLM flights for 20 years
Willem-Alexander, not Wilhelm-Alexander. Wilhelm is the German version of the name, and the Dutch are kind of sensitive about being mistaken for German, especially given what happened from 1940-1945.
A real working royal!
This fact was actually know for years and years, but maybe it was not important enough to drag it through the gutter press for clicks.
After all, what’s there to write about? “Took off, flew to destination, landed, all was well”. Somehow that smells too much of real work, doesn’t it? 🙂
I love this. Very cool
This is my favorite fact about him, and that nobody ever clocked him, because nobody expects to see the king in a pilot’s outfit flying their commercial plane!
It’s not a regular thing but he might be the first officer on your flight if you’re flying with KLM he has to keep up on his flight hours.
I think it’s cool that he found a way to achieve his dream job even while keeping up with the expectations of him as a king. Probably made for a happier king and happier family plus a better overall vibe from the country’s leadership. People just let him get on with it. How different things might be with the BRF if their royals found ways to fulfill their dream rather than feeling compelled and weighed down by duties. Princess Anne and Charles clearly enjoy public engagements. William and Catherine not so much – it shows and you can feel it.
This is quite common knowledge in the Netherlands, although I can understand it may not be for those who are not in NL!
Another fun fact: the former Dutch PM (and current NATO Sec Gen) was a social studies guest teacher at a local high school during his time as PM.
That’s really cool! A royal that actually has a career is something you don’t hear about often. I wonder if he ever does overseas flights.
Hello, passengers, this is your king speaking
He’s a pilot who just happens to also be a King. Respect.
It is nice that he is donning three bars. I can understand why he may not be the PIC (not flying that frequently) but I am sure if he wanted he could wear four bars and sit on the right.
Prince Claus supposedly insisted that his younger sons pursue careers, and strongly encouraged them to become “experts” at something, so they would have something to be proud of and be respected for outside of being Royal. I did not know Willem-Alexander had done the same!
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Willem-Alexander, not Wilhelm-Alexander. Wilhelm is the German version of the name, and the Dutch are kind of sensitive about being mistaken for German, especially given what happened from 1940-1945.
A real working royal!
This fact was actually know for years and years, but maybe it was not important enough to drag it through the gutter press for clicks.
After all, what’s there to write about? “Took off, flew to destination, landed, all was well”. Somehow that smells too much of real work, doesn’t it? 🙂
I love this. Very cool
This is my favorite fact about him, and that nobody ever clocked him, because nobody expects to see the king in a pilot’s outfit flying their commercial plane!
It’s not a regular thing but he might be the first officer on your flight if you’re flying with KLM he has to keep up on his flight hours.
I think it’s cool that he found a way to achieve his dream job even while keeping up with the expectations of him as a king. Probably made for a happier king and happier family plus a better overall vibe from the country’s leadership. People just let him get on with it. How different things might be with the BRF if their royals found ways to fulfill their dream rather than feeling compelled and weighed down by duties. Princess Anne and Charles clearly enjoy public engagements. William and Catherine not so much – it shows and you can feel it.
This is quite common knowledge in the Netherlands, although I can understand it may not be for those who are not in NL!
Another fun fact: the former Dutch PM (and current NATO Sec Gen) was a social studies guest teacher at a local high school during his time as PM.
That’s really cool! A royal that actually has a career is something you don’t hear about often. I wonder if he ever does overseas flights.
Hello, passengers, this is your king speaking
He’s a pilot who just happens to also be a King. Respect.
It is nice that he is donning three bars. I can understand why he may not be the PIC (not flying that frequently) but I am sure if he wanted he could wear four bars and sit on the right.
Prince Claus supposedly insisted that his younger sons pursue careers, and strongly encouraged them to become “experts” at something, so they would have something to be proud of and be respected for outside of being Royal. I did not know Willem-Alexander had done the same!
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