King was 'secret co-pilot'

Dutch King Willem-Alexander has revealed that he has been secretly flying commercial aircraft for the last four years.

The king told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that he was stopping flying the Fokker 70 for KLM (Royal Dutch Airways). The Dutch-made aircraft is being retired from service to be replaced by the Boeing 737.

While it was no secret that the king had a pilot's license, it was not known that he was flying as co-pilot on KLM short-haul services around Europe twice a month. He often addressed passengers but avoided giving his name. Some passengers did, he said, recognize his voice.