Dutch police charged a man with trying to attack the royal family Thursday after he crashed a car near a bus carrying Queen Beatrix and her family, police said.
A car is pictured after crashing into the crowd waiting for the visit of the royal family in Apeldoorn.
Four people were killed and 13 injured in the incident in the Dutch town of Apeldoorn, about 45 miles east of Amsterdam, police spokeswoman Esther Naber told CNN.
The driver is in hospital, badly injured, she said. It was not clear if he was one of the 13 injured.
The police are not releasing the name of the driver whose car careered toward a crowd of people who were watching the Dutch royal family riding past in an open-top bus.
The crash happened during celebrations for Queen's Day, an annual holiday in the Netherlands.
Queen Beatrix was in the bus with her family when the black hatchback zoomed past. The crowds were behind barriers off the road, but security officials and journalists, including many cameramen, were in the road as the car went by.
Members of the royal family saw the crash and gasped, then quickly sat down as the bus continued driving.
The car crashed into the low metal railing around a column on the side of the road. The car appeared heavily damaged even before the crash, but the reason for that was unclear.
Queen's Day is a national holiday in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba. The tradition started in 1885 and celebrates the birthday of the queen. Were you there? Send us your video, images
Although Queen Beatrix's birthday is January 31, she officially celebrates her birthday April 30.
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Queen's Day is known for its free market all over the country, where anybody is allowed to sell things in the streets. Other activities include children's games and musical performances.
The day is marked with the color orange all over the country as a reference to the colors of the royal family, who come from the House of Orange-Nassau.