NATIONAL SYMBOLS

The Dutch flag has three horizontal bands of the same size, with the colors red (before 1600, orange), white, and blue. This flag was called the “Prince’s flag,” referring to the leader of the Revolt, William I of Orange. During the Republic, the States General also used a yellow flag with a red lion and seven arrows. The Batavian Republic recognized the red-white-blue combination as the official Dutch flag, although with a female figure in the red band (the figure was abolished again by Louis Napoleon). The flag’s colors were more precisely defined in 1949. It is used for official cer emonies and festivities, such as Queen’s Day (30 April), Memorial Day (4 May, flown at half-staff), Liberation Day (5 May), and the birthdays of members of the royal family (then by Orangists com bined with an orange pennant). The coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of a gold lion with a sword and seven arrows on a blue shield. Two other lions hold this shield, with a royal cloak on the background. They stand on a banner with the device “Je maintiendrai” (I will maintain). This coat of arms is a combination of symbols from the Orange Nassau family and the Dutch Republic. The Dutch national anthem is “Wilhelmus.”