Amsterdam

===National capital===
{{main|Capital of the Netherlands}}
[[File:King Willem-Alexander, Princess Beatrix en Queen Maxima.jpg|thumb|[[Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands|King Willem-Alexander]], [[Beatrix of the Netherlands|Princess Beatrix]], and [[Queen Máxima of the Netherlands|Queen Máxima]] greeting Amsterdammers from the [[Royal Palace of Amsterdam]] during Willem-Alexanders inauguration in 2013]]
Under the [[Constitution of the Netherlands|Dutch Constitution]], Amsterdam is the [[capital of the Netherlands]]. Since the 1983 constitutional revision, the constitution mentions "Amsterdam" and "capital" in chapter 2, article 32: The king's confirmation by oath and his coronation take place in "the capital Amsterdam" ("''de hoofdstad Amsterdam''").<ref name="capital-constitution">{{Cite web |last=Dutch Wikisource |title=Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden |trans-title=Constitution for the Kingdom of the Netherlands |url=http://nl.wikisource.org/wiki/Grondwet_voor_het_Koninkrijk_der_Nederlanden |access-date=3 July 2013 |at=[http://nl.wikisource.org/wiki/Nederlandse_grondwet/Hoofdstuk_2#Artikel_32 Chapter 2, Article 32] |language=nl |quote=... de hoofdstad Amsterdam ...}}</ref> Previous versions of the constitution only mentioned "the city of Amsterdam" ("''de stad Amsterdam''").<ref>{{Cite web |title=Previous versions of the constitution |url=http://nl.wikisource.org/wiki/Nederlandse_grondwet |access-date=10 October 2010 |publisher=Nl.wikisource.org |language=nl}}</ref> For a royal investiture, therefore, the [[States General of the Netherlands]] (the Dutch Parliament) meets for a ceremonial joint session in Amsterdam. The ceremony traditionally takes place at the [[Nieuwe Kerk (Amsterdam)|Nieuwe Kerk]] on [[Dam Square]], immediately after the former monarch has signed the act of abdication at the nearby [[Royal Palace of Amsterdam]]. Normally, however, the Parliament sits in [[The Hague]], the city which has historically been the seat of the [[Politics of the Netherlands|Dutch government]], the [[Monarchy of the Netherlands|Dutch monarchy]], and the [[Supreme Court of the Netherlands|Dutch supreme court]]. Foreign embassies are also located in The Hague.