Princess Amalia: Cold Shower to Mark Navy Promotion

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Princess Amalia: Cold Shower to Mark Navy Promotion.

On a Saturday in October, Princess Amalia (22) reached the next rank in her military career: she was promoted to Sergeant in the Dutch Navy aboard the training ship "Statsraad Lehmkuhl" in the port of Den Helder. The cold shower that followed was not a mishap, but a firmly established tradition.

Why the insignia are dipped in seawater

The promotion took place during a so-called "Alle hens" – a ceremony in which the entire crew of a ship assembles. As the Royal House showed on Instagram, the heir to the throne saluted in uniform and beret in front of the assembled company. Then came the tradition: a bucket of water was poured over Amalia's head, so that the insignia of her new rank would be wetted with seawater. In the released footage, the princess appeared to take the wet procedure in stride and smiled.

Translated: in the Dutch Navy, a promotion is no dry affair. Those who reach the next rank are not only honored with a certificate and applause, but also put under the shower – seawater, of course. A classic initiation moment, captured in royal images.

A week at sea before the promotion

The rank didn't come out of nowhere. Beforehand, Amalia had spent a week at sea on the "Statsraad Lehmkuhl" – together with adelborsten, i.e., naval cadets in their first year of training. The ship is a Norwegian three-master from 1914 that regularly serves as a training vessel for the Navy. In other words: those who sail on it gain real seamanship experience, not just harbor cruises.

From the Defense Staff via the Air Force to the Navy

Amalia's military training began in 2025 at the Defensity College, a program that enables students to take on a side job with the armed forces while strengthening the connection between the military and society. Participants rotate through various stations. For Amalia, that meant first: Defense Staff, then Air Force. Since September, she has been assigned to the Navy. According to the Royal House, the working students receive around 16.50 euros per hour – Amalia herself waives the pay.

A royal family tradition

With her service, the princess continues a military family tradition. Her father, King Willem-Alexander (59), also completed his military service with the Navy, later transferred to the Army, and earned his large military pilot's brevet with the Air Force. The Royal House also points to the historically close connection between the Crown and the armed forces: William of Orange led troops as a military commander, later kings held supreme command. Since the constitutional amendment of 1983, however, this has rested with the government – the personal connection remains, but military command authority no longer lies with the Royal House.

If you want to sum it up in one sentence: a promotion to Sergeant, a bucket of water, three stations in just under a year and a half – and all of it before her 23rd birthday. The headlines remember the shower. The real news is the rank.