Prinsjesdag (‘Prince’s Day’) represents the start of the new parliamentary year on which the reigning monarch of the Netherlands addresses a joint session of the Dutch Senate and House of Representatives in the Ridderzaal or Hall of Knights in The Hague.

Royal procession
Every third Tuesday in September at the stroke of one, the King, normally accompanied by other members of the Royal House, leaves Noordeinde Palace in the Glass Carriage for the Binnenhof, escorted by court dignitaries and a military escort of honour. Outside the palace stand an escort of honour and a military band.

Troonrede
In the Ridderzaal the King reads the ‘Speech from the Throne’, written jointly by the Ministers and Secretaries of State. This troonrede outlines the government’s financial plans for the coming year. When the Speech is finished, the escort of honour again forms in the Binnenhof, and the procession returns to Noordeinde Palace where the Royal Family traditionally salutes the gathered crowd from the balcony (‘balkonscène’).