That family history, rarely discussed at home, and his older brother’s death from AIDS in the 1980s, seem to have predisposed Rutte against dwelling on the negative. “He is always rushing forwards, and is not someone for contemplation or soul-searching,” said a person in The Hague who worked closely with Rutte for years and was granted anonymity to speak freely.

In any event, his upbringing seems to have left Rutte uninterested in material possessions. He spent his time as prime minister living in an apartment in The Hague, and for years used an old Nokia phone; he drives an old Saab or rides his bike, famously cycling to the royal palace to be sworn in.

When he first became prime minister in 2010, his justice minister tried to convince him to accept a security detail, said longtime friend Dekker. Rutte refused — only reconsidering in September 2021 following two high-profile assassinations in the country.  

Elias, the former lawmaker, described how Rutte arrived for dinner at his house by bicycle in the summer of 2022, a time when sometimes violent farmer protests were spooking the political class. “I told him: ‘Cut it out!’” Elias related. “But he just answered, ‘it’s fine,’ and continued cycling around with a beanie on.”

By Rutte’s own account, his mother was thoroughly unimpressed by her son’s political career. Until her death in 2020, during the pandemic, he did her weekly shopping. He continues to teach at a local school every Thursday morning — no matter what else is going on in the world.  

Rutte’s routine hasn’t changed for the better part of a decade. He sips his weekend cappuccino at the same café, visits the same hairdresser, eats at the same handful of restaurants, and tends to order the same meal. “We joke that you can’t take Mark to the same place more than once because if you do, you’re stuck to it to life!” Dekker said.