Dutch King Willem-Alexander who arrived in Nairobi on March 17, 2025, for a State Visit has a long-standing history with Kenya, having worked as a pilot in his early days.
Speaking during the State Banquet held in his honour on March 18, 2025, the king recalled his first Kenyan pilot license number which was Y2294PL.
This license enabled him to fly as a volunteer in Kenya, first for the medical aid organization African Medical Research & Education Foundation (AMREF) and later for the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in Meru National Park.
At KWS, his main work was to protect wildlife from poachers and ensure their safety.
“While I was a pilot seeing Kenya from the sky was magical, but Kenya from the ground is more impressive,” the Dutch King recalled.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander’s Passion for Flying
The King obtained his private Pilot’s License (Second class) in 1985 and commercial Pilot’s license in 1987.
In 1989, Dutch King Willem-Alexander acquired a supplementary license to fly a multi-jet aircraft.
He also has his Military Pilot’s License which was presented to him by his grandfather Prince Bernhard in 1994.
Occasionally, he flies as a guest pilot for KLM City Hopper.
As of 2017, had started flying either the government airplane under the PH-KBX registration or a Fokker 70 from the regular fleet.
He later trained with the Boeing 737 and later obtained his license in 2017.
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About the King Willem-Alexander
In 2013, King Willem-Alexander succeeded his mother, Queen Beatrix as the monarch.
King Willem-Alexander also known as Prince of Orange became Europe’s youngest monarch at the age 46 years.
He is the son to then Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus. He was first in the line of succession since his mother’s accession to the throne on April 30, 1980.
The King is married to Queen Máxima. The royal couple have three daughters, Princess Catharina-Amalia (the Princess of Orange), Princess Alexia, and Princess Ariane.
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After military service in the Royal Dutch Navy, he studied history at the University of Leiden from 1987 to 1993.
Additionally, the crowned Dutch King has a passion for sports including tennis, running, skiing, and skating. In 1986, he completed the Elfstedentocht the Eleven-Cities Tour skating marathon.
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