The Dutch king has revealed that for more than two decades, he has held down a part-time second job alongside his royal duties. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands said that he recently ended his role as a regular “guest pilot” after 21 years with the national airline’s fleet of now-outdated aircraft. As a guest flier, the king worked about twice a month, always as co-pilot. He will now retrain to fly the bigger Boeing 737s as the old planes are being phased out of service. The 50-year-old father of three and king to 17 million Dutch citizens calls flying a “hobby.” It lets him leave his royal duties on the ground and fully focus on something else. “You have an aircraft, passengers and crew. You have responsibility for them,” the king said. “You can’t take your problems from the ground into the skies. You can completely change focus and concentrate on something else. That, for me, is the most relaxing part of flying.” Willem-Alexander said he is rarely recognised by passengers. Very few people pay attention to him as he walks through the airport in his airline uniform and cap.