King of the Netherlands reveals he is a pilot with KLM

The King of the Netherlands has revealed that for the past 21 years he has been operating as a pilot for the national carrier, KLM.


King Willem-Alexander has spent more than two decades as a co-pilot for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, working in the cockpit twice a month on short haul services — even after he acceded to the throne in 2013.
 
Despite talking over the intercom to passengers for more than two decades, no one ever realized that the Dutch king was at the controls.

Willem-Alexander, 50, ascended the Dutch throne in 2013 after his mother, Beatrix, abdicated saying it was time for the throne to be held by "a new generation". So, for the last four years, Willem-Alexander has been a full-time monarch, a husband and dad of three girls.

It wasn't a secret that Willem-Alexander, who served in the Royal Netherlands Air Force, had a pilot's license. But no one knew how frequently he went incognito in the cockpit of regular commercial flights.

"I find flying simply fantastic," he told the De Telegraaf newspaper.

"You can't take your problems with you off the ground. You can completely switch off for a while and focus on something else."

The king used to fly the Fokker 70, a narrow-body regional airliner. Now he's being retrained, so he can fly a Boeing 737. 

"It seemed nice to fly to other destinations one day, with more passengers and bigger distances," he said, according to the BBC.

According to him, he's rarely recognized in his second job. Walking through the airport in his uniform, he's rarely identified as the king. Same thing when he gives announcements during flights.

On staying undercover the monarch said he was never under obligation to say his name.

"The advantage is that I can always say I am speaking on behalf of the captain and crew to welcome them on board, so I don't have to say my name.

"But then, most people don't listen anyway," he said.

He said being able to leave his royal duties behind to concentrate on flying was "relaxing".