In 1828, Heusdense preacher Carel Willem Pape (1788–1872) proposed the erection of a statue to William of Orange, to be placed on the Grote Markt in Brussels. The plan provoked opposition, and then the Belgian Revolution put a stop to it. In the spring of 1841, Pape tried again and submitted his idea to the Royal Institute of Sciences, Literature and the Fine Arts. The institute recommended that the government postpone the plan for the time being.
In the Government Gazette of 8 July 1842, Minister of the Interior Willem Anne Schimmelpenninck van der Oye announced that a nationwide collection would be started for the erection of a statue of “Willem den Eersteen”, to be placed on one of the squares of Den Hedge. The design of the “national monument of gratitude” was determined by the aforementioned institute in collaboration with member and sculptor Louis Royer. King William II cooperated in the project. Royer designed a statue of a standing male figure and depicted the prince as a statesman.