Most promotions come with a handshake. Princess Amalia’s came with a bucket of seawater. The 22-year-old Princess of Orange was promoted to sergeant in the Royal Netherlands Navy this past Saturday. In a ceremony hosted this past Saturday aboard a Norwegian ship, the future queen had a full bucket of seawater poured over her. The tradition is a time-honored one that's meant to "wet" a new sergeant's stripes.
© Ministerie van DefensiePhotos released by the Dutch royal household and the Ministry of Defence capture the split second before impact.
Amalia stands with her hands clasped behind her back, eyes squeezed shut, shoulders braced, and a resigned smile on her face, while a man behind her hoists the bucket into position.
All hands on deck
© Ministerie van DefensieThe ceremony opened with the traditional call for “all hands,” the summons that brings a ship’s entire crew to the main deck. With sailors and senior officers standing in formation, the order confirming her new rank was read aloud.
It’s Amalia’s second promotion this year. She was made a corporal earlier in 2026 after completing her General Military Training.
The setting couldn’t have been more fitting. Amalia had spent the previous week sailing with first-year midshipmen, the Dutch navy’s officers in training, getting to grips with the demanding routine of a three-masted barque built in 1914.
The Statsraad Lehmkuhl is Norway’s oldest and largest working square-rigger, owned by a Bergen-based foundation and sailing under the Norwegian flag, but it’s regularly chartered for cadet training, and the Royal Netherlands Navy uses it for a number of its programs. Among the photos released from her week aboard is one of Amalia posing with her fellow trainees high in the mainmast.
A future queen in the ranks
© Getty ImagesAmalia’s stint with the navy is part of a bigger plan. The sergeant’s stripes are the latest milestone in her time at Defensity College, a program that lets university students combine their studies with a part-time job in the Dutch armed forces, alongside military training and hands-on experience across the different branches. The initiative is designed to strengthen the bond between the military and civilian young people, while giving participants real tools in leadership, discipline and teamwork.
Amalia joined in 2025, supporting her military career with her studies at the University of Amsterdam. She is the first female member of the Dutch royal house to enter military service. She started at the very bottom, at the lowest enlisted rank, and received no special treatment along the way. Like every other applicant, she went through medical and psychological testing and a security screening.
Her first postings were with the Defence Staff and the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The navy has been her base since September.
For the Dutch royal house, the image shows a future head of state who’s prepared, close to her peers, and willing to go through exactly what everyone else in her class goes through, ice-cold seawater included. After her time with the navy, Amalia will continue her training across the armed forces, building the kind of military grounding that has long been a part of preparing Dutch heirs for the throne.
© Patrick van Katwijk
