View source for Flag of the Netherlands

{{short description|none}}
{{Redirect|Flag of Holland|the flags of the provinces called Holland|flag of North Holland|and|flag of South Holland}}
{{Not to be confused with|text=the [[flag of Luxembourg]]}}

{{use British English|date=January 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}

{{Infobox flag
| Name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
| Image = Flag of the Netherlands.svg
| Alt = Flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
| Nickname = Flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
| Use = 111111
| Symbol = {{FIAV|111111}} {{FIAV|normal}}
| Proportion = 2:3 (not formalised by law)<ref>{{cite web |title=Neerlandia. Jaargang 61 |url=https://dbnl.org/tekst/_nee003195701_01/_nee003195701_01_0077.php |website=dbnl |publisher=Neerlandia |access-date=28 January 2019 |language=nl |date=1957}}</ref>
| Adoption = {{Start date and age|1575}} (first full colour depiction)<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Poels|first=Jos|date=August 2011|title=The Orange Pennant: The Dutch Response to a Flag Dilemma|url=https://nava.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/icv24poels.pdf|journal=Proceedings of the 24th International Congress of Vexillology, Washington, D.C., USA|pages=888}}</ref><br/>{{Start date and age|1596}} (red replacement for orange)<ref>{{cite book |last1=State |first1=Paul F. |title=A Brief History of the Netherlands |date=2008 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=9781438108322 |page=51 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5CTlTZlWU0IC&pg=PA51 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Complete Flags of the World |date=2008 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley Limited |isbn=9781405338615 |page=[https://archive.org/details/completeflagsofw0000unse/page/121 121] |url=https://archive.org/details/completeflagsofw0000unse |url-access=registration |language=en}}</ref><br/>{{Start date and age|1796}} (embellished with [[Dutch Maiden]])<ref>{{cite web |title=Publicatie der Staaten Generaal, bij welke de nationaale vlag van deezen Staat voor het vervolg bepaald wordt. Geärresteerd den 14. Februarij 1796. Het tweede Jaar der Bataafsche Vrijheid.|url= https://www.delpher.nl/nl/boeken/view?coll=boeken&identifier=dpo:4168:mpeg21|website=delpher.nl | date=1796 |access-date=20 February 2025 |language=nl}}</ref><br/> {{Start date and age|1937}} (red reaffirmed)<ref>{{cite web |title=Flag of the Netherlands |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-the-Netherlands |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=3 February 2019 |language=en}}</ref><br/>{{Start date and age|1949}} (colours standardised)<ref>{{cite web |title=Bijlage H Maten en categorieën vlaggen Koninklijke Marine |url=https://puc.overheid.nl/doc/PUC_41859_10/1/#7185c358-2968-4439-a34a-297f8a2565a3 |website=Overheid (Dutch Government) |access-date=28 January 2019 |location=Appendix H, chapter 2 |language=nl}}</ref>
| Design = A horizontal [[triband (flag)|triband]] of red (bright [[vermilion]]), white, and [[cobalt blue]]
| Image2 = Naval Jack of the Netherlands.svg
| Nickname2 = Marine Geus or Prinsengeus<ref>{{cite web |title=Maritieme kalender (April 20, 1931) |url=http://www.scheepvaartmuseum.nl/collectie/maritieme-kalender?j=1931&m=4&d=20 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914043404/http://www.scheepvaartmuseum.nl/collectie/maritieme-kalender?j=1931&m=4&d=20 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 September 2012 |publisher=[[Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum]] |access-date=26 August 2010 |language=nl }}</ref>
| Use2 = [[Naval jack]]
| Proportion2 = 2:3
| Adoption2 = Late 17th c. (in use)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ham |first1=Willem van |title=De Prinsengeus: een vlag voor de boeg |journal=Vlag! |date=2016 |issue=19 |pages=19 |url=http://vlaggenkunde.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Vlag19.vlaggenkunde.pdf |access-date=28 January 2019}}</ref><br>20 April 1931 (formalised)
| Design2 = 12 segments in the national colours of red (bright [[vermilion]]), white, and [[cobalt blue]]
| Image3 = Royal Standard of the Netherlands.svg
| Nickname3 = [[Royal Standard of the Netherlands]]
| Use3 = Standard of the [[Monarchy of the Netherlands|Monarch]]
| Proportion3 = 1:1
| Adoption3 = 27 August 1908
| Design3 = Orange field divided in four by a nassau-blue cross, showing bugle-horns of the [[Principality of Orange]] and the [[Coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands|coat of arms of the Kingdom]], surrounded by a crown and the insignia of the [[Military Order of William]].
}}

The [[national flag]] of the [[Netherlands]] ({{langx|nl|de Nederlandse vlag}}) is a horizontal [[tricolour (flag)|tricolour]] of red, white, and blue. The current design originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue ''[[Prince's Flag|Prinsenvlag]]'' ("Prince's Flag"), evolving in the early 17th century as the red-white-blue ''[[Statenvlag]]'' ("States Flag"), the naval flag of the [[States General of the Netherlands#Dutch Republic|States-General]] of the [[Dutch Republic]], making the Dutch flag the oldest [[Tricolour (flag)|tricolour flag]] in continuous use.<ref>{{cite web |title=Europe: Netherlands — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/netherlands/ |website=www.cia.gov |publisher=CIA |access-date=28 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Worthington |first1=Daryl |title=Why Are So Many Flags Red, White and Blue? |url=https://www.newhistorian.com/many-flags-red-white-blue-part-one/7406/ |website=New Historian |access-date=28 January 2019 |date=17 October 2016}}</ref><ref name=":7" /> As a flag that symbolises the transformation from monarchy to republic, it has inspired both the derivative [[Flag of Russia|Russian flag]], and after the French Revolution in 1789, the vertically striped [[Flag of France|French tricolour]]; both flags in turn influenced many other tricolours.<ref name=":7">{{cite book |title=Flag, nation and symbolism in Europe and America |date=2007 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-1134066964 |page=27 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=scHXHTkRmZcC}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{cite web |title=Flags That Look Alike {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/list/flags-that-look-alike |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
During the 1920s and the economic crisis of the 1930s, the old Prince's Flag with the colour orange gained some popularity among [[Dutch Reformed Church|Protestants]],<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1938 |title=Kwestie van den dag, de Nederlandse vlag |url=https://www.delpher.nl/nl/tijdschriften/view?identifier=MMENLK02:001840004:00023 |journal=Ons Eigen Blad; Tijdschrift voor Onderwijsgevende Kloosterlingen |issue=jrg 26, no. 3}}</ref> [[Orangism (Kingdom of the Netherlands)|Orangists]], [[Liberal State Party|conservative liberals]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=1923-08-30 |title=BINNENLAND. Oranje, blanje, bleu. |url=https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/view?cql%5B%5D=(date+_gte_+%2201-01-1922%22)&cql%5B%5D=(date+_lte_+%2201-01-1925%22)&cql%5B%5D=ppn+any+(400374129+OR+832337900)&query=oranje-blanje-bleu&coll=ddd&redirect=true&identifier=ddd:010657124:mpeg21:a0002&resultsidentifier=ddd:010657124:mpeg21:a0002&rowid=6 |access-date=2025-02-20 |work=Algemeen Handelsblad}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=1937-02-24 |title=Entrefilets en artikelen, de vlaggenquaestie |url=https://www.delpher.nl/nl/tijdschriften/view?identifier=MMKB37:252621019:00001 |journal=De rijkseenheid; staatkundig economisch weekblad ter versterking van de banden tusschen Nederland en de Indiën |volume=8|issue=21 }}</ref>  [[National Socialist Movement (Netherlands)|fascists]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mussert |first=Anton |date=1938-05-07 |title=Neerland's vlag, onze Princevlag is onze volksvlag |url=https://www.delpher.nl/nl/tijdschriften/view?identifier=MMIISG23:236245102:00001 |journal=Indië - Hou zee; veertiendaagsch blad voor Nederlandsch-Indië der Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging in Nederland |volume=4|issue=18 }}</ref> and others. To end the confusion, the colours red, white and blue and its official status as the national flag of the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]] were reaffirmed by [[royal decree]] on 19 February 1937.<ref name=":5" />

==Description==
[[File:Jan van Hout - Vruntschap - 1575.jpg|alt=|thumb|''Vruntschap'' of Jan van Hout (1575), the oldest known colour illustration of the Dutch flag. The flag is sticking out at the left of the top panel.]]
The [[national flag]] of the [[Netherlands]] is a [[Tricolour (flag)|tricolour]] flag. The horizontal [[fess]]es are bands of equal size in the colours from top to bottom, red (officially described as a "bright [[vermilion]]"), white (silver), and blue ("[[cobalt blue]]"). The flag proportions (width:length) are 2:3. The colour parameters were defined in November 1958 by the NEN (former HCNN) in as the following:<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://puc.overheid.nl/doc/PUC_41859_10/1/#7185c358-2968-4439-a34a-297f8a2565a3|title=Ceremonieel & protocol – Ministeriële- en Defensie publicaties|website=Overheid (Dutch Government)|location=Appendix H, section 2|language=nl|access-date=28 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://crwflags.com/fotw/flags/nl.html|title=Flags of the World (2006)|language=en|access-date=11 June 2019}}</ref><ref>[https://www.nen.nl/Nieuws/Nieuws/Vlag-uit-op-Nederlandse-Veteranendag.htm NEN 3055]</ref>
 {| class="wikitable" style="width:60%; background:#f9f9f9; border:1px solid #aaa; border-collapse:collapse; white-space:nowrap; text-align:left;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|- style="text-align: center; background: #eee"
! Scheme
!style="background:#AD1D25; color:white"| Bright vermillion
! style="background:#FFFFFF;"| White
!style="background:#1E4785; color:white"| Cobalt blue
|-
| [[Chromaticity|Chromatic]]
| X=18.3 Y=10.0 Z=3.0
| Y=100.0
| X=7.5 Y=6.6 Z=25.3
|-
| [[CMYK color model|CMYK]]
| 0.83.78.32
| 0.0.0.0
| 77.47.0.48
|-
| [[RGB color model|RGB]]
| (173,29,37)
| (255,255,255)
| (30,71,133)
|-
| [[Hex triplet|Hexadecimal]]
| #AD1D25
| #FFFFFF
| #1E4785
|-
| [[RAL colour standard|RAL]]
| 2002
| 9010
| 5013
|}

In this definition, the colours are defined using [[Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage|CIE-1931 colour space]] and [[Standard illuminant]] C at a 45° angle.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://puc.overheid.nl/mp-bundels/doc/PUC_41859_10/|title=Ceremonial and protocol – Ministry of Defence|website=Overheid (Dutch Government)|language=nl|access-date=11 June 2019}}</ref>

The flag of the Netherlands is similar to [[Flag of Luxembourg|that of Luxembourg]], but it has a smaller width and it uses slightly darker shades of red and blue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-the-Netherlands|title=Flag of the Netherlands|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=28 January 2019}}</ref> The similarity of the two flags has given rise to a national debate to change the flag of Luxembourg, initiated by [[Michel Wolter]] in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://luxtimes.lu/archives/10515-change-the-luxembourg-flag|title=Change the Luxembourg flag?|website=luxtimes.lu|date=11 December 2017|language=en|access-date=29 January 2019}}</ref>

===Symbolism===

According to heraldic traditions, red symbolizes bravery, strength, valor, and hardiness, white symbolizes peace and honesty, and blue symbolizes vigilance, truth, loyalty, perseverance, and justice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vexillologymatters.org/dutch-flag.htm|title=Dutch Flag|website=Vexillology Matters|language=en|access-date=18 July 2021}}</ref>

Another theory as to why the Dutch flag has these colours is because some researchers claim that they used to be a symbol of society: red symbolizes the people, white the church and blue the nobility.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Margriet |first=Redactie |date=2021-04-27 |title=Dít is de verklaring van de kleuren van de Nederlandse vlag |url=https://www.margriet.nl/gs-b2b3897f |access-date=2022-07-01 |website=Margriet |language=nl-NL}}</ref>

==History==

=== Middle Ages ===
[[File:Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg|thumb|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]]The [[Cross of Burgundy flag]]|border]]
At the end of the 15th century, when the majority of the Netherlands provinces were united under the [[Duke of Burgundy]], the [[Cross of Burgundy flag]] of the [[Duke of Burgundy]] was used for joint expeditions, which consisted of a red [[saltire]] resembling two crossed, roughly-pruned (knotted) branches, on a white field. Under the later [[House of Habsburg]] this flag remained in use.

===Prince's Flag===
[[File:Vroom Hendrick Cornelisz Dutch Ships Ramming Spanish Galleys off the Flemish Coast in October 1602.jpg|thumb|''Dutch ships ramming Spanish galleys off the English coast, 3 October 1602'' ([[Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom]], 1617)]]
[[File:Prinsenvlag.svg|thumb|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]]The [[Prince's Flag]] (1570s–1652)|border]]
{{main article|Prince's Flag}}
In 1568 provinces of the [[Low Countries]] [[Dutch Revolt|rose in revolt]] against King [[Philip II of Spain]], and [[William the Silent|Prince William of Orange]] (1533–1584) placed himself at the head of the rebels. The etymology of the [[House of Orange-Nassau|House of Orange]] is unrelated to the name of the fruit or the colour. Usage of the colours orange, white and blue (Dutch: ''Oranje, Wit, Blauw'', from French ''Orange, Blanc, Bleu'') was based on the [[livery]] of William and was first recorded in the [[siege of Leiden]] in 1574, when Dutch officers wore orange-white-blue [[brassard]]s.<ref name="Rey515" /> The first known full colour depiction of the flag appeared in 1575 (see image). In [[Ghent]] in 1577, William was welcomed with a number of theatrical allegories represented by a young girl wearing orange, blue and white.<ref name="Rey516">Jean Rey, ''Histoire du drapeau, des couleurs et des insignes de la Monarchie française'' vol. 2, 1837, [https://books.google.com/books?id=zb5SAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA516 p. 516].</ref> The first explicit reference to a naval flag in these colours is found in the ordonnances of the [[Admiralty of Zeeland]], dated 1587, i.e. shortly after William's death.<ref name="Rey515">Jean Rey, ''Histoire du drapeau, des couleurs et des insignes de la Monarchie française'' vol. 2, 1837, [https://books.google.com/books?id=zb5SAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA515 p. 515].</ref>

The colour combination of orange, white, and blue is commonly considered the first Dutch flag.<ref name=":0" /> The 400th anniversary of the introduction of the Dutch flag was commemorated in the Netherlands by the issue of a postage stamp in 1972.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ontwerp, postzegels Nederland 1972 Nederlandse vlag – Geheugen van Nederland |url=https://www.geheugenvannederland.nl/nl/geheugen/view?coll=ngvn&identifier=MVC01%3A55618 |website=www.geheugenvannederland.nl |access-date=4 February 2019}}</ref> That was based on the fact that in 1572 the ''[[Geuzen|Watergeuzen]]'' (''Gueux de mer'', "Sea Beggars"), the pro-Dutch [[privateer]]s, [[Capture of Brielle|captured Den Briel]] in name of William, Prince of Orange. However, it is uncertain whether they took an orange-white-blue flag with them on the event, although they certainly started using an orange-white-blue tricolour somewhat later in the 1570s. It became later known as the [[Prince's Flag|Prinsenvlag]] ("Prince's flag") and served as the basis for the [[Flag of South Africa (1928–1994)|former South African flag]], the flags of [[flag of New York City|New York City]] and the [[Coat of arms of Albany, New York#Uses|Flag of Albany, New York]], all three former dominions of the [[Dutch Republic]].

===Statenvlag===
[[File:Statenvlag.svg|thumb|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]]The {{lang|nl|[[Statenvlag]]}} (1652–1795) and (1795-1806)]]
{{main article|Statenvlag}}
Red as replacement for orange appeared as early as 1597, but more often after about 1630, as indicated by paintings of that time. Red gradually replaced orange (1630–60) as a sign of political change and growing dissociation of the Republic from the House of Orange.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=scHXHTkRmZcC&pg=PA23 |title=Flag, Nation and Symbolism in Europe and America |last1=Eriksen |first1=Thomas Hylland |last2=Jenkins |first2=Richard |date=18 October 2007 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134066964 |pages=23 |language=en }}</ref> It appears that prior to 1664, the red-white-blue tricolour was commonly known as the "Flag of Holland" ({{lang|nl|Hollandsche Vlag}}); named after one of the revolting provinces. In 1664, the [[States of Zeeland]], one of the other revolting provinces, complained about this, and a resolution of the [[States General of the Netherlands|States-General]] introduced the name "States Flag" ({{lang|nl|Statenvlag}}), which the red, white and blue tricolour will be known hereafter.<ref>JC de Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandse zeewesen, deel 1. 's Gravenhage, 1833, p. 75.</ref> The Dutch navy between 1588 and 1630 had always displayed the Prince's Flag, and after 1663 always the States Flag, with both flag variants being in use during the period of 1630–1662.<ref>C. de Waard, "De Nederlandsche vlag" in: ''Het Vaderland'' (1900).</ref>

The red-white-blue triband flag as used in the 17th century is said to have influenced the designs of both the seminal [[Flag of Russia|Russian flag]]<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jt450XgGd1kC |title=The Flags of the World: Their History, Blazonry and Associations |last=Hulme |first=Frederick Edward |date=1 January 1897 |publisher=Library of Alexandria |isbn=9781465543110 |language=en}}
{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xWdOBAAAQBAJ&q=russian+flag+dutch+flag&pg=PA228 |title=Foreign Correspondent: A Memoir |last=Greenway |first=H. D. S. |date=19 August 2014 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9781476761329 |pages=228 |language=en }}</ref> and the [[French flag]].<ref name=":4"/> In turn, these two flags would later influence many others.

===Flag of the Batavian Navy (Batavian flag)===
[[File:Flag of the Batavian Republic.svg|thumb|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]]Ensign of the [[Batavian Navy]]  (1796–1806)]]
With the [[Batavian Revolution]] in the Netherlands in the last decade of the 18th century, and the subsequent conquest by the [[First French Republic|French]], the name "Prince's Flag" was forbidden and the red-white-blue of the [[Statenvlag]] was the only flag allowed, analogous as it was to [[Flag of France|France's own tricolour]], chosen just a few months earlier, ironically influenced by that same Statenvlag.<ref name=":4" /> In a [[Batavian flag|separate flag]] prepared for the navy in 1796, the red division of the flag was embellished with the figure of a Netherlands maiden, with a lion at her feet, in the upper left corner. In one hand she bore a shield with the [[fasces|Roman fasces]] and in the other a lance crowned with the [[cap of liberty]]. This flag had a life as short as that of the [[Batavian Republic]] for which it was created.
[[Louis Bonaparte]], made [[Kingdom of Holland|king of Holland]] by his brother the Emperor [[Napoleon]], wished to pursue a purely Dutch policy and to respect national sentiments as much as possible.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/napoleonbiograph00nich|url-access=registration|title=Napoleon: A Biographical Companion|last=Nicholls|first=David|date=1999|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780874369571|pages=[https://archive.org/details/napoleonbiograph00nich/page/34 34]|language=en}}</ref> He removed the maiden of freedom from the flag and restored the old tricolour. His pro-Dutch policies led to conflicts with his brother, however, and the Netherlands were incorporated into the French Empire. In 1810 its flag was replaced by the imperial emblems.

===Modern flag===
In 1813, the Netherlands [[Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands|regained its independence]] and the [[William I of the Netherlands|Prince of Orange]] returned from exile and contemporary newspapers report that the red-white-blue flag was flown decorated with an orange [[Pennon]]/pennant and solid‐coloured orange flags were displayed in many places in the country as a sign of allegiance of the people to the House of Orange.<ref name=":0" />

Just before the outbreak of World War II, the Prince's Flag resurfaced again. Some people were convinced that orange, white, and blue were the true colours of the Dutch flag, particularly members of the [[National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Poels |first=Jos |date=August 2011 |title=The Orange Pennant: The Dutch Response to a Flag Dilemma |url=https://nava.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/icv24poels.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the 24th International Congress of Vexillology, Washington, D.C. |pages=892 }}</ref> To end the discussion, a [[royal decree]] established the colours of the Dutch flag as: 'The colours of the flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are red, white and blue' ({{langx|nl|De kleuren van de vlag van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden zijn rood, wit en blauw}}).<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Poels |first1=Jos |date=28 April 2000 |title=Rood-wit-blauw of oranje boven |url=https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2000/04/28/rood-wit-blauw-of-oranje-boven-7492209-a1334331 |journal=NRC |language=nl |access-date=28 January 2019 }}</ref> It became the shortest decree in history, and was issued by Queen Wilhelmina on 19 February 1937.<ref>Wilhelmina en De Minister van Staat, Minister van Koloniën, Voorzitter van den Raad van Ministers (19 februari 1937): [https://web.archive.org/web/20170905235449/http://www.koenigsbanner.de/fotw/flags/nl.html Koninklijk Besluit nr. 93, Zell am See].</ref><ref>[http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=anp:1937:02:24:3:mpeg21:image ANP-bericht 24 februari 1937]</ref>

It was only on 16 August 1949 that the exact colour parameters were defined by the Ministry of the Navy<ref name=":2" /> as bright vermilion (red), white and cobalt blue. The pennant is usually added on [[Koningsdag|King's Day]] ({{langx|nl|Koningsdag}}, 27 April) or other festive occasions related to the Royal Family.

==Display and use==
[[File:2008-04-30 oude st mauritius silvolde met vlag.JPG|thumb|250px|Added orange pennant on [[Koningsdag]]]]

The flag is customarily flown at government buildings and military bases in the Netherlands and abroad all year round. Private use is more uncommon. Only on national holidays is there widespread private use. At the birthdays or weddings of specific members of the Royal House, an orange pennant is added to the flag. There are special non-holiday festivities or remembrance occasions when the flag is flown, such as at the homes of students who have just graduated. The flag is then often accompanied by the graduate's school bag hung from the tip of the flagpole. The flag can also be displayed at times of sadness at [[half-mast]] (or a black pennant is added to the flag when hanging at half-mast is not possible) as a sign of respect or national mourning.

There are a number of [[Flag-flying day|flag-flying days]] in the Netherlands. The holidays on which flags are put out by the government, according to the flag instruction, are:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Date
!Occasion
!Half-mast?
!Orange pennant?
|-
|31 January (1 February)
|Birthday of [[Beatrix of the Netherlands|Princess Beatrix]]
|No
|Yes
|-
|27 April (26 April)
|[[Koningsdag|Koningsdag (King's Day)]], birthday of [[Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands|King Willem-Alexander]]
|No
|Yes
|-
|4 May
|[[Remembrance of the Dead]] (flags are put out at 18:00 until sunset, which is at ca. 21:10)
|Yes
|No
|-
|5 May
|[[Liberation Day (Netherlands)|Liberation Day]]
|No
|No
|-
|17 May (18 May)
|Birthday of Queen Máxima
|No
|Yes
|-
|Last Saturday of June
|[[Veterans' Day (Netherlands)|Veterans' Day]]
|No
|No
|-
|15 August (16 August)
|Formal end of [[World War II]] ([[surrender of Japan]])
|No
|No
|-
|Third Tuesday of September
|[[Prinsjesdag]] (only in The Hague)
|No
|No
|-
|7 December (8 December)
|Birthday of [[Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange|the Princess of Orange]]
|No
|Yes
|-
|15 December (16 December)
|[[Koninkrijksdag]] (Kingdom Day)
|No
|No
|}

The dates mentioned in parentheses are the dates when the flags are put out, should the original scheduled flag day fall on a Sunday, when possible. Exceptions are Remembrance of the Dead and Liberation Day, should one of them fall on a Sunday, the flags are put out anyway.

The [[prime minister of the Netherlands]] is responsible for announcing updates to the flag instruction (last given in 2013 when Queen's Day on 30 April became King's Day on 27 April), announcing one-off flag days (last given on 19 March 2019 to remember the [[Utrecht tram shooting]]), and announcing one-off modifications to the current flag days (last given in 2020 when the flags were put out at half-mast on 4 May the whole day instead of from 18:00, due to the 75-year anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands and the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands|COVID-19 pandemic]]).

When a member of the Dutch Royal House is born, the flag instruction will be determined some weeks before the child is expected. In the most recent occasions – in 2003, 2005 and 2007, when Princess Máxima was expecting [[Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange|Princess Amalia]], [[Princess Alexia of the Netherlands|Princess Alexia]] and [[Princess Ariane of the Netherlands|Princess Ariane]] respectively, it was announced that immediately upon announcement of the birth, the flags would be put out with the orange pennant. However, because Amalia and Ariane were born while darkness already fell (and Amalia was born on a Sunday), the flag day was postponed until the next day.

==Flags of current countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands==
===Flag of Aruba===
[[File:Flag of Aruba.svg|140px|thumb|Flag of Aruba]]
{{Main article|Flag of Aruba}}
The national flag of [[Aruba]] was officially adopted on 18 March 1976. The blue field represents the sky, the sea, peace, hope, Aruba's future and its ties to the past. The two narrow stripes "suggest the movement toward status aparte". One represents "the flow of tourists to sun-drenched Aruba, enriching the island as well as vacationers", the other "industry, all the minerals (gold and [[phosphates]] in the past, petroleum in the early 20th century)". In addition to sun, gold, and abundance, the yellow is also said to represent wanglo flowers. The star has particularly complex symbolism. It is vexillologically unusual in having four points, representing the four cardinal directions. These refer in turn to the many countries of origin of the people of Aruba. They also represent the four main languages of Aruba: [[Papiamento]], Spanish, English, and [[Dutch language|Dutch]]. The star also represents the island itself: a land of often red soil bordered by white beaches in a blue sea. The red also represents blood shed by Arubans during war, past Indian inhabitants, patriotic love, and Brazil wood. The white also represents purity and honesty.

===Flag of Curaçao===
[[Image:Flag of Curaçao.svg|thumb|right|140px|Flag of Curaçao]]
{{Main article|Flag of Curaçao}}
The flag of [[Curaçao]] is a navy blue field with a horizontal hot yellow stripe slightly below the midline and two white, five-pointed stars in the canton. The blue symbolises the sea and sky (the bottom and top blue sections, respectively) divided by a yellow stroke representing the bright sun which bathes the island. The two stars represent Curaçao and [[Klein Curaçao]], but also 'Love & Happiness'. The five points on each star symbolise the five continents from which Curaçao's people come.

===Flag of Sint Maarten===
[[File:Flag of Sint Maarten.svg|thumb|140px|Flag of Sint Maarten|border]]
{{Main article|Flag of Sint Maarten}}
The flag of [[Sint Maarten]] is the national flag of the Dutch part of [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]] island, which is a country within the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]]. It was adopted on 13 June 1985. It resembles the war [[flag of the Philippines]].

{{Clear}}

==Flags of former countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands==

=== Suriname ===
[[File:Flag of Dutch Guyana.svg|140px|thumb|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]]Flag of [[Suriname (Kingdom of the Netherlands)|Suriname]] until 1975|border]]
{{Main article|Flag of Suriname}}
The pre-independence flag of [[Suriname]] consisted of five coloured stars (from top left clockwise: white, black, brown, yellow, and red) connected by an [[ellipse]]. The coloured stars represent the major ethnic groups that comprise the Surinamese population: the original [[Amerindians]], the colonising [[Dutch people|Europeans]], the [[Black people|Africans]] brought in as [[slavery|slaves]] to work in plantations and the Indians, [[Javanese people|Javanese]] and Chinese who came as indentured workers to replace the Africans who escaped slavery and settled in the hinterland. The ellipse represents the harmonious relationship amongst the groups.

===Netherlands Antilles===
[[File:Flag of the Netherlands Antilles (1959–1986).svg|thumb|140px|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] Flag of the Netherlands Antilles from 1959 to 1986|border]]
[[File:Flag of the Netherlands Antilles (1986–2010).svg|thumb|140px|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] Flag of the Netherlands Antilles from 1986 to 2010, after the secession of Aruba|border]]
{{Main article|Flag of the Netherlands Antilles}}
Within the flag of the [[Netherlands Antilles]], there were five stars that symbolise the five islands that made up the country. While the colours red, white and blue refer to the flag of the Netherlands. A six-star version was used until 1986 when Aruba became its own country within the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands|Kingdom]]. This original version was adopted on 19 November 1959.
This flag fell into disuse when the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved on 10 October 2010.
The islands of Sint Maarten and Curaçao obtained their separate country status within the Kingdom and the islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba are now overseas entities of the Netherlands.

{{Clear}}

==Flags of former colonies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands==

<gallery class="center">
File:Flag of the Dutch East India Company.svg |[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] Flag of the [[Dutch East India Company]]
File:Flag of the Dutch West India Company.svg |[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] Flag of the [[Dutch West India Company]]
File:Flag of New Holland.svg |[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] Flag used by the Dutch West India Company in [[Dutch Brazil]]
</gallery>

=== Dutch West India Company ===

==== New Holland (Brazil) ====
The flag of [[Dutch Brazil]], or New Holland, also known as the [[flag of Dutch Brazil]], was the flag used by the [[Dutch West India Company|Vereenigde West-Indische Compagnie]] (English: Dutch West India Company) for the territories that were under its control in [[Brazil]] from 1630 until 1654.

The flag consists of three horizontal stripes in the colours of the flag of the [[Republic of the Seven United Netherlands]] (red, white and blue) and it displays a monogram on the central stripe and a [[Heraldic crown|crown]] on the upper stripe, both gold-coloured. The origin of the monogram as well as its initials and its meaning is not known.

==== New Netherland (United States) ====
The orange-white-blue [[Prince's Flag]] directly inspired historical and modern day flags in the former Dutch colony of [[New Netherland]] in what is today the [[East Coast of the United States]]. The colony of New Netherland used the [[Statenvlag]] of the [[Dutch Republic]], and was one of the territories under control of the [[Dutch West India Company]]. The flag of [[New York City]], originally called [[New Amsterdam]], was designed after the Prince's Flag. Furthermore, the flags of other counties, cities, and institutions in this region are designed after the Prince's Flag, such as [[Albany, New York|Albany]] (originally [[Beverwijck]]), [[Schenectady County, New York]], and [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]].

<gallery class="center">
File:Flag of Schenectady County, New York.svg|Flag of [[Schenectady County]]
File:Flag of Albany, New York.svg|Flag of [[Albany, New York]]
File:Flag of The Bronx.svg|Flag of [[The Bronx]]
File:Flag of Ulster County, New York.png|Flag of [[Ulster County, New York]]
File:Flag of New York City.svg|[[Flag of New York City]]
File:Flag of the Borough of Manhattan.svg|Flag of [[Manhattan]]
File:Flag of the Mayor of New York City.svg|Flag of the [[mayor of New York City]]
File:Flag of Jersey City, New Jersey.png|Flag of [[Jersey City, New Jersey]]
File:Flag of Westchester County, New York.png|Flag of [[Westchester County, New York]]
File:Flag of Nassau County, New York.svg|Flag of [[Nassau County, New York]]
File:Flag of Sussex County, Delaware.gif|Flag of [[Sussex County, Delaware]]
File:Flag of Hofstra University.png|Flag of [[Hofstra University]]
File:Flag of Brooklyn, New York.svg|Flag of [[Brooklyn|Brooklyn, New York]]. Not inspired by the Dutch flag but contains the [[Old Dutch|Old-Dutch]] words "''Een Draght Maekt Maght''" (Dutch: ''Eendracht maakt macht'', English: ''[[Unity makes strength]]''), a motto was originally used by the [[Dutch Republic]].
</gallery>

=== Dutch East India Company ===

====Netherlands East Indies====
[[File:Flag of Indonesia.svg|140x140px|[[Flag of Indonesia]]|alt=Flag of Indonesia|border|thumb]]

For the majority of the existence of the [[Netherlands East Indies]] the flag of the [[Dutch East India Company|Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie]] (English: Dutch East India Company) was used. When the VOC became bankrupt and was formally dissolved in 1800, its possessions and debt were taken over by the government of the [[Batavian Republic]]. The VOC's territories became the Netherlands East Indies and were expanded over the course of the 19th century to include the whole of the Indonesian archipelago. As such, the flag of the Batavian Republic and Kingdom of the Netherlands were used.
[[File:Hotel Yamato flag.svg|thumb|140x140px|The flag of [[Hotel Yamato Incident|Hotel Yamato]], made by ripping the blue band off the Dutch flag]]
The flag of the Netherlands has been said to be the origin of the [[Indonesian flag]]. To symbolise the intention of forcing out the Dutch, the Indonesian nationalists would [[Yamato Hotel Incident|rip apart]] the Dutch flag. They tore off the bottom third of the flag, and separated the red and white colours from the blue colour.<ref>{{FOTW|id=id|title=Indonesian flags}} Retrieved on 27 May 2011.</ref>

====Netherlands New Guinea====
[[File:Flag of West Papua.svg|alt=Flag of Netherlands New Guinea|140x140px|[[Morning Star flag]]|border|thumb]]
{{Main article|Morning Star flag}}

The Morning Star flag ({{Langx|id|Bintang Kejora}}) represented the [[Netherlands New Guinea]] from 1 December 1961 until 1 October 1962 when the territory came under administration of the [[United Nations Temporary Executive Authority]] (UNTEA). The flag is commonly used by the West Papuan population including OPM ({{lang|id|Organisasi Papua Merdeka}}; [[Free Papua Movement]]) supporters to rally self-determination human rights support and is popularly flown on 1 December each year in defiance of Indonesian domestic laws. The flag consists of a red vertical band along the hoist side, with a white five-pointed star in the centre. The flag was first raised on 1 December 1961 and used until the United Nations became the territory's administrator on 1 October 1962.

==== South Africa ====
The flag of the [[Boer Republics]], [[Transvaal (province)|Transvaal]], the [[Orange Free State]], [[Natalia Republic]], and the flag of South Africa from 1928 to 1994 are all based on the flag of the Netherlands, or its predecessor the Prince's Flag. These were in turn part of the inspiration for the present [[Flag of South Africa|South African flag]].

<gallery class="center">
File:Flag of South Africa.svg|[[Flag of South Africa]]
File:Afrikaner Vryheidsvlag.svg|Flag of the [[Afrikaners]]
File:Flag of South Africa 1928-1994.svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] [[Flag of South Africa (1928–1994)]]
File:Flag of Transvaal.svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] [[Flag of the South African Republic]] (Transvaal)
File:Flag of the Orange Free State.svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] [[Flag of the Orange Free State]]
File:Flag of Nieuwe Republiek.svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] Flag of [[Nieuwe Republiek]]
File:Flag of Klein Vrystaat.svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] Flag of [[Klein Vrystaat]]
File:FlagGriekwalandEast.svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] Flag of [[Griqualand East]]
File:Flag of Natalia Republic.svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] [[Flag of the Natalia Republic]] and the [[Republic of Klip River]]
File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg|Flag of Republic of [[Swellendam]], [[Lydenburg Republic]], Republic of [[Graaff-Reinet]], the [[Utrecht, KwaZulu-Natal|Utrecht Republic]] and the [[Lydenburg Republic]]
File:Orania flag.svg|[[Flag of Orania]]
</gallery>

==Other related flags==
As the Prince's Flag was the first created [[Tricolour|tricolour flag]], it (in)directly inspired many historical and modern day [[Tricolour|tricolour flags]]. The flags below are directly influenced by the Dutch flag, or its predecessors, in colour use and design as a result of a shared history (as flags of former colonies) or economic relations, which is the case for the [[Russian flag]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Eriksen |first1=Thomas Hylland |last2=Jenkins |first2=Richard |title=Flag, Nation and Symbolism in Europe and America |date=2007 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134066964 |page=23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=scHXHTkRmZcC&pg=PA23 |access-date=29 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref> See the flags in the [[Flag of the Netherlands#Flags of former colonies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands|former colonies section]] above for more examples.

===Dutch flag-inspired===
The modern red-white-blue Dutch flag is the oldest tricolour flag in use, and directly inspired these historical and modern day flags:

<gallery class="center">
File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg|Flag of the Netherlands, as reference
File:Flag of France.svg|[[Flag of France]]
File:Flag of Paraguay.svg|[[Flag of Paraguay]]
File:Flagge Preußen - Provinz Hessen-Nassau.svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] Flag of [[Hesse-Nassau]]
File:Flag of Schleswig-Holstein.svg|[[Flag of Schleswig-Holstein]]
File:Flag of Labuan.svg|Flag of [[Labuan]]
File:Flag of Johor Bahru.svg|Flag of [[Johor Bahru]]
File:Flag of Nimba County.svg|Flag of [[Nimba County]]
</gallery>

* The design of the French flag was adopted after the [[French Revolution]], where the revolutionaries were influenced by the horizontally striped red-white-blue flag of the Netherlands.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />
* The flag of Hesse-Nassau is identical to that of the Netherlands. The Dutch royal house originates from the Duchy of Nassau.
* The flag of [[Nimba County]], [[Liberia]] similar to the Dutch flag, superimposed with [[flag of Liberia|Liberian flag]] in the canton.
* The flag of [[Labuan]] and flag of [[Johor Bahru]] in Malaysia similar to the Dutch flag, with a crescent and star in the centre.
* The flag of [[Chin National Front]] in [[Myanmar]] similar to the Dutch flag, with two [[hornbill]]s in the centre.

====Pan-Slavic colours====
{{See also|Pan-Slavic colours}}
The Russian flag in turn is believed to have influenced many flags of other Slavic countries, resulting in many red-white-blue styled tribands in other parts of Europe, and also the red-white-green flag of Bulgaria. [[Peter the Great]] of Russia was building a new Russian Navy mostly on Dutch standards; therefore the [[Merchant flag|merchant]] [[flag of Russia]] at sea would be the inverted colours of the [[Statenvlag|Dutch flag]].<ref name=":7" />

<gallery class="center">
File:Flag of Russia.svg|[[Flag of Russia]], as reference
File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg|[[Flag of Bulgaria]]
File:Flag of Croatia.svg|[[Flag of Croatia]]
File:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg|[[Flag of the Czech Republic]]
File:Flag of Slovakia.svg|[[Flag of Slovakia]]
File:Flag of Slovenia.svg|[[Flag of Slovenia]]
File:Flag of Serbia.svg|[[Flag of Serbia]]
File:Flag of Yugoslavia (1918–1941; 1992–2006) (3-5).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} [[Flag of Yugoslavia]] (1918–1941; 1992–2006)
</gallery>

===Prince's Flag-inspired===
{{See also|Prince's Flag}}

The orange-white-blue [[Prince's Flag]] directly inspired many historical and modern day flags. Especially flags in the former colonies of New Netherland and South Africa are designed after this flag. See the flags in the [[Flag of the Netherlands#Flags of former colonies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands|former colonies section]] above for more examples.

<gallery class="center">
File:Prinsenvlag.svg|Prince's Flag, as reference
File:Prinsenvlag7.svg|Variant on the Prince's Flag
File:Flag of the Orange Free State.svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] [[Flag of the Orange Free State]]
File:Brielse Geus.svg|Naval jack Brielse Geus
File:Flag of South Africa 1928-1994.svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] [[Flag of South Africa (1928–1994)]]
File:Flag of New York City.svg|[[Flag of New York City]]
File:Orania flag.svg|[[Flag of Orania]]
</gallery>

===Cross of Burgundy-inspired===

<gallery class="center">
File:Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg|Cross of Burgundy, as reference
File:Flag of the Shanghai International Settlement.svg|[[File:FIAV historical.svg|23px]] Flag of Shanghai Municipal Council, [[Shanghai International Settlement]] ({{circa|1917}} – 1943)
</gallery>

* The flag of Shanghai Municipal Council in Shanghai International Settlement included multiple flags to symbolize the countries that had participated in the creation and management of this enclave in the Chinese city of [[Shanghai]]. The Dutch flag was put along with old Swedish civil ensign (spread vertically), the [[Flag of Austria|Austrian flag]] and old Spanish merchant ensign around the lower shield; all of them were upside down.

== See also ==
* [[List of flags of the Netherlands]]
* [[Flags of the Dutch royal family]]
* [[Flags of the provinces of the Netherlands]]
* [[List of municipal flags of the Netherlands]]
* [[Dutch national flag problem]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|National flag of the Netherlands}}
*{{FOTW|id=nl|title=Netherlands}}

{{DutchFlags|Flags of the Netherlands}}
{{Netherlands topics}}
{{Flag of Europe}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Netherlands, Flag of}}
[[Category:National flags]]
[[Category:Flags of the Netherlands| ]]
[[Category:Flags with blue, red and white]]
[[Category:National symbols of the Netherlands|Flag]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1937]]
[[Category:Horizontally symmetrical flags]]