Donald Trump will spend Tuesday night at Huis ten Bosch palace in The Hague during his visit to the Nato summit in the Netherlands, in a rare gesture by the Dutch royal family, Dutch media have reported.
The former US president boarded Air Force One near Washington around lunchtime on Tuesday. He is expected to arrive at Schiphol airport early evening and to travel directly to the royal residence, where he will join king Willem-Alexander, queen Máxima and other world leaders, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, for a formal dinner.
Trump, who is known to admire royalty, was expected to stay at the Huis ter Duin hotel in Noordwijk, where a Ferris wheel had been dismantled in anticipation of his visit. However, it has now been confirmed he will overnight at Huis ten Bosch instead, broadcaster NOS said.
Although Trump will join the king and queen for breakfast tomorrow morning, the overnight stay makes this visit especially notable. According to Dutch royal watchers, it is the first time Trump has accepted an invitation to sleep in a royal palace while abroad.
On previous international visits, including to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Trump stayed in luxury hotels rather than at royal residences.
Huis ten Bosch dates from 1645 and was extensively renovated after former queen Beatrix moved out in 2014. Since 2019 it has been the official home of king Willem-Alexander and his family.
While it is occasionally used for state functions, overnight stays are rare because the royal family’s private quarters are also located there. The king resides in the Wassenaar wing, while The Hague wing is designated for guests.
A spokesperson from the Dutch government’s information service RVD said it is customary to offer visiting heads of state accommodation, typically at the palace on Dam Square in Amsterdam. Recent guests there included the sultan of Oman and the Spanish royal couple.
“It is up to the guest whether they make use of the offer. They then stay in a guest room,” the spokesperson said. Past guests at the Amsterdam palace included US presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan.
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