Archiving state papers
The King’s Office keeps the originals of Acts of Parliament, Orders in Council and Royal Decrees, as well as other documents. Before the statutory period has elapsed, the office transfers the documents to the National Archives.
Documents held by the National Archives are in principle available for public access and serve as important sources for historical research. It was mainly for this reason that the Director of the King’s Office transferred the instrument of abdication, by which Queen Beatrix relinquished the throne in 2013, to the National Archives after a much shorter period than usual.