Esajas returns royal honour after inquiry into House of Orange
The co-founder of The Black Archives finds the king’s response insufficient for genuine reconciliation.
Follow-up to: Study: Oranges backed colonialism, influence varied over time Friday, 2 October 2026, 12:05
Mitchell Esajas has returned his royal honour following the publication of the inquiry into the colonial role of the House of Orange. He believes King Willem-Alexander’s response fails to address sufficiently the economic and racial inequality arising from the colonial past.
Esajas received the honour in 2023 for his efforts against discrimination and racism. He is co-founder of The Black Archives and previously became known for his involvement in anti-racist movements.
The response follows an inquiry into the involvement of members of the House of Orange in colonial oppression and exploitation. According to NOS, that involvement varied according to the period and the individual. The inquiry distinguishes between historical circumstances and does not assign one uniform role to the dynasty as a whole.
According to reports, King Willem-Alexander said the inquiry could contribute to reconciliation. Esajas considers that response too limited. In his own statement, he links recognition to the continuing consequences of colonial relations and to the question of what economic consequences should follow from them.
According to NL Times, Prime Minister Jetten has ruled out new reparations on behalf of the government. The government does refer to the broader programme established after the national apologies for the history of slavery. This creates a distinction between recognition, policy and financial compensation.
Returning an honour is a personal political signal and not a formal assessment of the inquiry. Nor does it mean that all the civil-society organisations involved share the same response. NOS described both support for and criticism of the report and the king’s response.
The debate therefore goes beyond the question of whether one person keeps his medal. At its centre are the meaning of royal recognition, the responsibility of institutions for historical actions and the question of whether words are sufficient when social divisions persist.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Esajas has returned his royal honour.
- He received the honour in 2023.
- The inquiry into the House of Orange describes involvement that varied according to the period and the individual.
- The government rules out new reparations, but refers to existing policy following the apologies for the history of slavery.
Left
Arguments Recognition of historical injustice must be linked to concrete reductions in present-day inequality; symbolic words are insufficient without policy.
Values Equality, redress and institutional responsibility.
Consequences Pressure on the government and the monarchy to take structural measures will increase.
Centre
Arguments Research and public recognition are important steps, but subsequent measures should be carefully weighed against legal, financial and social feasibility.
Values Historical care, cohesion and institutional continuity.
Consequences A combination of education, archival research and targeted policy may attract more support than financial compensation alone.
Right
Arguments Historical responsibility must be assessed individually and in context; people in the Netherlands today cannot collectively be held responsible for the actions of earlier generations.
Values Individual responsibility, proportionality and restraint in the use of public funds.
Consequences The emphasis will be placed more on education and a shared future than on new payments or institutional guilt.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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Esajas’s personal action and the responses of the king and prime minister can be found in public sources. Historical conclusions are limited to what NOS reports about the inquiry.
- confirmed Mitchell Esajas is returning his royal honour. — Confirmed by NOS and NL Times. source
- confirmed Esajas received the honour in 2023 for his efforts against discrimination and racism. — Mentioned by NOS. source
- confirmed Prime Minister Jetten has ruled out new reparations. — Reported by NL Times. source
Editor's note
The return of the honour, Esajas’ public role and the political response have been confirmed. The article does not attribute a position to all civil-society organisations and distinguishes between apologies, policy and reparations.Sources
The story so far
- Friday, 2 October 2026, 12:05 Study: Oranges backed colonialism, influence varied over time
- Friday, 2 October 2026, 17:03 Jetten rules out new reparations after inquiry into the House of Orange
- Friday, 2 October 2026, 21:02 Esajas returns royal honour after inquiry into House of Orange (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „mitchell esajas”
- Het Parool — „mitchell esajas”
- Trouw — „mitchell esajas”