Dutch king lays Remembrance Day wreath honoring war dead

<p>AMSTERDAM &mdash; The Dutch king laid a wreath Tuesday at a monument to the country’s war dead at a solemn commemoration ceremony devoid of the usual huge crowds for the second straight year because of coronavirus lockdown measures.</p>
<p>King Willem-Alexander marked the Netherlands’ Remembrance Day with his wife, Queen Maxima, and other dignitaries and a small group of guests at the national monument on Dam Square in downtown Amsterdam.</p>
<p>The national day of commemoration, at which flags fly at half staff throughout the country, is followed Wednesday by a national holiday to celebrate the country’s liberation from Nazi German occupation at the end of World War II.</p>
<p>German Chancellor Angela Merkel will give a speech Wednesday via a live video connection from Berlin before discussing the theme of freedom with students.</p>