While storms ravaged the Dutch coast and Sint-Maarten continued to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, the coalition talks remained stuck in the doldrums on the eve of Prinsjesdag – or ‘Budget Day’ as we’re fond of calling it. This week’s podcast gives you the lowdown on the history, horses and hats that make up the ceremonial opening of the Parliamentary year. We also tell you about a woman who lost €147 when she was caught short in Amsterdam and a man who lost €5 million when his nerves got the better of him on live TV, and explain why neither the prime minister nor the Dutch flower trade are as romantic as they might seem.

In this podcast we said the record for the longest cabinet was held by the Den Uyl cabinet of 1977. We did, of course, mean the Van Agt cabinet of 1977, which took office after Joop den Uyl had tried unsuccessfully to form a government.

Click here if you’d like to donate to the Red Cross Hurricane Irma appeal Nederland helpt Sint-Maarten

Top story

First autumn storms hit Dutch coast

News

New government may bring back student grants

Appeal for Sint-Maarten begins as island counts cost of Hurricane Irma

International organisations bring jobs to The Hague

One in five Dutch millionaires is a farmer

Game show loser loses again in court

Woman contests fine for urinating in public

Discussion: Prinsjesdag/ Budget Day

Click here (and scroll down) for a map of the route of the royal procession to the state opening of parliament

Prinsjesdag timetable (Dutch government website)

Wikipedia page on Prinsjesdag

Prinsjesdag: Forget the speeches, here are outfits to make a statement (from 2015)