To inspire each other and the new King, the National Investiture Committee asked everyone, young and old, to share their dreams for the future of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. From over 6,500 entries, a jury of 16 Dutch celebrities selected around 300 of the most original, inspiring and appealing dreams for publication in the Dream Book, “Mijn droom voor ons land” (My dream for our country).
On 5 September 2013 the first copy of the book was presented to King Willem-Alexander at the stables of Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn. He and his wife Queen Máxima also opened the open-air exhibition “Dromen op Paleis Het Loo, wandel door de dromen voor de Koning” (Dreams at Het Loo Palace: a walk through the Dreams for our King), along the avenue that leads from the royal stables to Palace Het Loo. On flags, over 120 dreams from the Dream Book could be read and seen until 27 October 2013.
As of 6pm on Thursday 5 September 2013 all households in the Netherlands and the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom could obtain a free copy of the book. One million of them were printed. I obtained my copy at the bookshop Riemer in Groningen around 6.30pm. I was told that at 6pm and shortly thereafter several people had come to pick up their book. And many people had already asked during the day, but had to be disappointed as they were only to be handed out after 6pm. Riemer not only had the books and a poster on display both in the shop window and at the entrance, they also had written down their dream on their windows: “That we all, you, we, I, the King and the Queen, may live royal!” It inspired me to have a look around at the other shops in the centre where you could obtain the book. But none of the others seemed to have been inspired to do something special on the occasion of the publication of the Dream Book. Only “Polare” also had the books with poster in the shop window. Passing one of the shops, I noticed one lady stepping outside with the book in her hands.