Dutch royal house helped slave trade to survive, study finds

What the report says

A historical study commissioned by King Willem-Alexander and carried out by Leiden University has concluded that the Dutch royal House of Orange-Nassau supported Dutch colonial rule for centuries and helped the slave trade endure. Al Jazeera, citing the university’s statement and reporting from AFP and Reuters, said the three-year review covered the period from 1600 to the present and drew on historians and human rights experts.

The researchers said the royal house backed colonialism “wholeheartedly” and that most rulers did not object to slavery, though they also found that the family rarely set colonial policy itself. The study said the House of Orange shared responsibility for the persistence of Dutch slavery and the slave trade. It also found that the family benefited substantially from Dutch colonial systems, especially trade tied to the Dutch East Indies, while earning little directly from the slave trade.

Willem-Alexander said the findings were painful and personally affecting, and again acknowledged the failure of his ancestors to oppose slavery. He has previously apologized for that history. The report comes amid continuing debate in the Netherlands over colonial memory and reparatory justice, following state apologies in 2022 and the creation of a 200 million euro fund for social initiatives instead of reparations. Heritage and anti-racism groups welcomed the study but said it should lead to further action and changes in public understanding of Dutch history.