The Dutch royal family will stop using a horse-drawn gold-covered coach dating from the late 19th-century that has long drawn criticism for its painted panel glorifying the Netherlands’ history of colonialism. “As long as people in the Netherlands are experiencing daily pain from discrimination, the past will cast a shadow over our time,” King Willem-Alexander said in a video message announcing the decision on Thursday. “The Golden Coach will be able to ride again when the Netherlands is ready, which isn’t the case right now.”The city of Amsterdam presented the carriage as a gift to Queen Wilhelmina, the first woman to sit on the Dutch throne, in 1898. It’s covered in gold and decorated with paintings on its side panels that were created by a prominent Dutch artist of the time, Nicolaas van der Waay. The themes of slavery and Dutch colonialism have long made the carriage a target for critics, particularly for descendants of formerly colonized peoples in the Netherlands.

Source: New York Times January 14, 2022 19:25 UTC