Study says Dutch royals made huge profits from colonialism

THE HAGUE: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands said on Friday he was personally affected by the 'explicit' conclusions of a study that said the royal family reaped huge profits from colonialism and slavery. The five-volume Leiden University study, which Willem-Alexander commissioned in 2022, concluded that for hundreds of years the ruling Orange family treated colonialism as a legitimate boon to the Netherlands. It said the royal family made a sum equivalent to 500 million euros ($565m) through its links to the Dutch East India Company and the country's colonies. The 59-year-old king called the findings 'explicit and striking' as he accepted the study at the university. He highlighted his ancestors' lack of 'counter-current leadership' in the face of colonialism. Slavery helped finance a Dutch 'Golden Age' driven by maritime trade in the 16th and 17th centuries. 'It is a painful and confronting conclusion. A conclusion that affects me, even though I am three generations removed,' declared Willem-Alexander who in 2023 apologised for his ancestors' lack of action against slavery. Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2026