The Dutch nobility is a small elite social class constisting of individuals or families recognized as noble, and with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The existence of nobility was established in the Constitution of the Netherlands of 1814. Those who belong to the nobility were entitled to certain privileges, in particular to take a seat in the "Ridderschap", a former executive and legislative assembly at the regional or provincial level, and herewith the power to select members for the States-Provincial. With the constitutional reform of 1848, all these privileges were abolished and the nobles lost their constitutional roles. Since then, the only privileges that the Dutch nobility still enjoy are the legal use of titles and the grant of coats of arms by ro