Royal Palace Amsterdam

The Royal Palace on Dam Square in Amsterdam was the centre of the festive events surrounding the wedding of HRH the Prince of Orange and Ms Máxima Zorreguieta. It is from here that the Royal Couple departed on 2 February 2002 to the Beurs van Berlage building for the civil ceremony and later to the Nieuwe Kerk for the church ceremony. The Palace fulfilled this same role on 10 March 1966 for the wedding of HM the Queen and HRH Prince Claus of the Netherlands, the parents of the bridegroom.

The palace is situated on Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam. It was originally built as the city hall for the burgomasters and magistrates of Amsterdam. The celebrated architect Jacob van Campen, who also had a hand in the building of Huis ten Bosch and Noordeinde in The Hague, took control of the project in 1648. 

The entire building was constructed of white stone, though the weathering of the centuries has left none of it visible. On 20 July 1655, the burgomasters and the magistrates opened the first section. Much of the finishing and decoration of what was a vast building by Dutch standards had still to be completed. Renowned sculptors were brought to Amsterdam and famous painters such as Rembrandt and Ferdinand Bol contributed to the interior. The central theme, featuring in much of the decoration, was the power of Amsterdam in particular and the Dutch Republic in general. The building served as the city hall for a century and a half. It was first used as a palace for a few days in 1768, when Stadholder William V and his wife, Wilhelmina of Prussia, were given a ceremonial welcome to Amsterdam. 

In 1806, the Batavian Republic was forced to accept Louis Napoleon, the brother of the French Emperor, as the King of Holland. Louis Napoleon originally opted to live in The Hague, but in 1807 he decided to move to Amsterdam, which was of greater economic importance. In 1808, he took possession of the city hall. Its conversion to a royal palace and its redecoration in the Empire style were supervised by J.T. Thibault.

When Louis Napoleon abdicated and the Netherlands was annexed by France, on 2 July 1810, the French governor, Charles François Lebrun, was given permission to live in the palace. The Emperor and the Empress stayed there in October 1811. On the fall of Napoleon in 1813, Prince William, later King William I, returned the palace to the city of Amsterdam. However, after his investiture, the new King realised the importance of having a home in the capital, and asked the city authorities to make the palace available to him once again. It was not until 1936 that it became state property.

The Royal Palace on the Dam is one of the three palaces (Huis ten Bosch and Noordeinde being the others) which the State has placed at the Queen's disposal by Act of Parliament. It is used mainly for entertaining and official functions, for example state visits, the Queen's New Year reception and other official receptions. Every year, it provides the setting for the presentation of the Erasmus Prize, the Royal Grant to Painting and the Prince Claus Prize.