Interrals
New Church
Categorie: Orange
Almost every member of the Dutch royal family since William of Orange, the founding father of the House of Orange-Nassau, has been interred in the royal crypts of the New Church.
Detailed protocol
There is a detailed protocol to be followed from the moment a member of the royal family dies up to the funeral service. This describes exactly what everyone's role is, minute by minute.
Bourdon
The royal interrals are performed with elaborate ceremonial rites. A long funeral procession moves through Delft under the watchful eyes of soldiers dressed in their finest uniforms. Thousands of people line the route. The deep, sombre tolling of the heavy Bourdon bell in the Old Church accompanies the procession up to their entrance into the New Church.
Final farewell
There is a fixed list of around 1100 people who are routinely invited to represent the Dutch government and various organisations during the funeral. In addition, the family, friends and other associates of the deceased will be in attendance too. But in spite of the huge numbers, the interral itself, following the funeral service, is a private affair. Immediate family members accompany the coffin into the crypt. Screened off with a curtain, this is their time for a final farewell.
