Princess Irene at resistance hero’s funeral

Princess Irene, the aunt of King Willem-Alexander, attended the funeral of former resistance hero and England sailor Rudi Hemmes.

The funeral was well attended and Rudi was cremated with military honours. He passed away last week at the age of 99. He was part of the Princess Irene Brigade, an army unit that consisted largely of soldiers who were able to come to the United Kingdom in May 1940 and so called “Engelandvaarders”.

King Willem-Alexander paid tribute to Rudi shortly after his death. “With deep respect and warm affection we remember Rudi Hemmes, Engelandvaarder, freedom fighter and defender of justice and humanity. He proved that intransigence, leniency and persuasiveness can go very well together. With his unique personality he managed to inspire young and old.”