The flag was actually originally orange, white and blue, designed by William of Orange himself. Dutch soldiers during the War of Independence even wore this color to battle. However, at the end of this war, the orange band was changed to red. The Netherlands flag features three bands of color: red on the top, white in the middle, and blue on the bottom. The top red band represents bravery, strength, and valor, the white stripe in the middle stands for honesty and peace and the blue band on the bottom symbolizes loyalty, justice, and vigilance.