King presented with results of independent study into the role of the House of Orange-Nassau in the colonial history of the Netherlands

The King took the initiative for this study because he believes that in-depth knowledge of the past is essential in order to understand historical facts and developments and to confront their impact on individuals and communities as clearly and honestly as possible – including when it comes to the role of the House of Orange-Nassau in colonial history.

The study was carried out at Leiden University under the supervision of an independent committee, which also contributed its own expertise. The committee formulated its own research mandate, assembled the research group and supervised the study. On 2 October, all four committee members will give a presentation on different aspects of the research, after which the King will offer his response.

On 2 October, five books will be published:

• The biographical work Van Willem de Zwijger tot Willem-Alexander (From William the Silent to Willem-Alexander), edited by Gert Oostindie, Tristan Mostert, Erik Odegard and Bart Verheijen.
• The thematic collection Koloniale macht, profijt en prestige (Colonial power, profit and prestige), edited by Gert Oostindie and Henk te Velde.
• The thematic collection Schaduwen van de Oranjezon (Shadows of the Orange sun), edited by Esther Captain and Guno Jones.
• The international comparative study European Monarchs & Colonialism, edited by Gert Oostindie and Karwan Fatah-Black.
• And finally, Oranje en de Koloniën, 1600–2025: De koloniale geschiedenis van het Huis Oranje-Nassau, written by Gert Oostindie and aimed at a broad readership. An English-language edition of the latter will be published simultaneously, The Dutch Monarchy and Its Colonial History, 1600–2025.

The committee members are:

• Professor Gert Oostindie (chair and lead researcher), Professor Emeritus of Colonial and Postcolonial History at Leiden University’s Institute for History. Until late 2021, Professor Oostindie was director of the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV-KNAW). In 2006, he published a book entitled De parels en de kroon (The pearls and the crown), an exploratory study of the historical role of the House of Orange-Nassau in colonial history.
• Professor Esther Captain, historian, senior researcher and staff member at KITLV in Leiden, and Endowed Professor of Intergenerational Impact of Colonialism and Slavery at Utrecht University. Professor Captain has contributed to research into slavery and colonialism in Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague.
• Kathleen Ferrier, expert in the areas of international relations, human rights, and diversity and inclusion. In addition, she advised the municipality of Amsterdam on the establishment of a national slavery museum. She previously served as a member of the House of Representatives (for the Christian Democratic Alliance); her portfolios included international cooperation, education, healthcare and social affairs.
• Professor Henk te Velde, Professor of Dutch History at the Institute for History at Leiden University and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities there.

The study was carried out in accordance with the customary rules on academic integrity and independence applied by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and Universities of the Netherlands. The Royal House has had no substantive involvement in the way the study was designed and conducted, nor in the formulation of its findings. The research group was granted access to the relevant source material in the private archives of the Royal House, managed by the Royal Collections.

Government Information Service, no. 230