Radio Oranje ([ˈraːdijoː ˌoːˈrɑn.jə]; Dutch: "Radio Orange") was a Dutch radio programme on the BBC European Service broadcast to the German-occupied Netherlands during World War II. It was transmitted from London and broadcast programmes of approximately 15 minutes. It consisted of brief commentaries on current affairs and political speeches, as well as news on the Free Dutch Forces, colonies, and merchant navy. It was distinct from the BBC's own Dutch Service which only broadcast news programmes and which, unlike Radio Oranje, was not controlled by the Dutch government in exile.
Radio Oranje made its first broadcast on 28 July 1940, consisting of a rendition of the nationalist song Merck toch hoe sterck, followed by a speech by Queen Wilhelmina. In total, Wilhelmina spoke on Radio Oranje 34 times during the course of the war. The name, Radio Oranje, was a tribute to the Dutch monarchy's House of Orange-Nassau.
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