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The equestrian statue of King William II is not the very first version of this statue to have been cast. The very first version of this equestrian statue, created by the French sculptors Antonin Mercié and Victor Peter, was erected in 1884 on Place Guillaume II in Luxembourg. A statue of the king had stood on the Buitenhof since 1854. But that statue had to be removed when construction began in 1923 on a wide thoroughfare along the Hofvijver as part of an urban development plan by Berlage. That worked out well, because the city actually did not like the statue by E.F. Georges, a student of the famous sculptor Royer, at all. The municipality of Tilburg, where William II died in 1849, purchased the statue for 1,000 guilders.
Now the statue had to be replaced. However, there was insufficient funding available to commission a design from a professional artist. Therefore, it was suggested to make an additional cast of the equestrian statue from Luxembourg. This idea was poorly received by fifteen artists’ organizations. They advocated for holding a competition. To no avail. Moreover, the mayor and aldermen disregarded the advice of the aesthetics committee, which had spoken out against the installation of the equestrian statue. Despite the ensuing debate in the city council, the new cast of the statue by Mercié and Peter was unveiled on September 16, 1924, at the Buitenhof, next to the Hofvijver.
The fact that he is depicted on horseback suits this king well. He was an excellent horseman and had shown great courage in campaigns against Napoleon prior to his accession to the throne. The prince was even wounded in the Battle of Waterloo (1815). As a result, he enjoyed a tremendous reputation as a military leader among the Dutch.

In November 2023, the equestrian statue of William II was removed from its pedestal due to the renovation of the Binnenhof. The statue is currently located in the French Garden of the Council of State. Once the renovation of the Binnenhof is complete, the monumental statue will return to its familiar spot next to the herring stand. On its pedestal, of course. This is expected to take place in 2031.