Dutch King orders investigation into the royals' colonial past

FILE PHOTO: Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima pose during an official photo session in Amsterdam, Netherlands November 4, 2022. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch King Willem-Alexander has commissioned an independent research into the role of the royal family in the colonial past of the Netherlands, the Dutch government's information service (RVD) said on Tuesday.

Three Dutch historians and a human rights expert will carry out the investigation, which is set to take three years and will span the period from the late 16th century until the "post-colonial" present, the RVD said, without elaborating on the details.