Love it or loathe it, Dutch King’s Song will be sung to honour new monarch’s ascent to throne

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Love it or loathe it, the new and much-maligned King’s Song is not being scrapped from celebrations marking the ascent to the Dutch throne of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander.

The committee organizing the April 30 nationwide party to celebrate Willem-Alexander’s transition from prince to king announced Monday that the song, which has triggered a storm of criticism, will be sung at a televised concert on the day.

The committee says that “Everybody who wants to sing along can.”

Tens of thousands of people signed an online petition criticizing the song’s lyrics, which were written using lines of text submitted by people around the country.

The song’s composer said Saturday that he was scrapping the song because of all the criticism.

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