Have you been a royal passenger? The King of the Netherlands has been a secret commercial co-pilot for decades
Published on Jan 06, 2026 at 6:57 AM (UTC+4)
by Keelin McNamara
Last updated on Jan 05, 2026 at 7:57 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Keelin McNamara
The King of the Netherlands has been hiding a fascinating secret.
And it means that you might have been a royal passenger in the past.
It turns out that King Willem-Alexander is a secret commercial co-pilot.
And he has been one for almost three decades.
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King of the Netherlands has a fascinating hobby
Like most normal people, even world royalty have various different hobbies.
From environmental pursuits to motor racing, the interests range to almost everything imaginable.
But the King of the Netherlands has one of the most fascinating hobbies you can think of.
And the best part? He kept it a secret for almost three decades.
It turns out that King Willem-Alexander has a fascination with flying.
His fascination goes so far that he is a qualified commercial pilot.
And his passion goes back much farther than you might think.
“In 1985, [the King] obtained his Private Pilot’s Licence (Second Class), followed by his Commercial Pilot’s Licence (with an Instrument Rating) in 1987,” explained the Royal House of the Netherlands.
Willem-Alexander has a part-time job with KLM
So how did the King of the Netherlands get his start flying?
For over 20 years, the King worked as a part-time pilot for KLM Cityhopper.
This involved flying short-haul routes using the Fokker 70 aircraft.
And he did so while keeping his identity completely hidden.
Since the Fokker 70 has been phased out, the King of the Netherlands did something amazing.
He retrained in order to be able to fly the Boeing 737.
And he explained why he has continued with his passion for so long.
“I find flying simply fantastic,” he told De Telegraaf newspaper.
He explained that he never uses his name when addressing passengers.
But he admitted that some might have recognized his voice from time to time.
“The advantage is that I can always say that I warmly welcome passengers on behalf of the captain and crew,” he said.
“Then I don’t have to give my name.”
This means that you may well have been a royal passenger and not even realized it.
Keelin McNamara is a content writer at Supercar Blondie from Ireland, covering cars, technology, and lifestyle. Despite being a Law graduate, he discovered his passion for journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has worked in the industry ever since. Outside of work, he is an avid MotoGP fan, and is a self-confessed addict of the sport.
