THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander set the tone Wednesday for what could be a relatively laid-back monarchy, saying in his last major interview before he becomes king that his subjects don’t have to address him as your majesty.

The prince’s comments, in a pre-recorded television interview, are an indication that he could be an informal monarch more in the style of his grandmother, Queen Juliana — known for her folksy style and riding her bicycle in public — than his more formal mother, Queen Beatrix.

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Queen Beatrix and Crown Prince Willem-Alexander wave to well-wishers from the balcony of Royal Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2010. The Associated Press

Jennifer Aniston

Paul McCartney

The 45-year-old prince and his Argentine-born wife, Princess Maxima, will become king and queen when Beatrix, abdicates April 30 after 33 years on the throne.

“I’m not a protocol fetishist. People can address me however they want,” Willem-Alexander said. “For me, it is about people feeling at ease when I’m with them.”

He also said he has no problem with protests during celebrations in Amsterdam to mark his ascent to the throne. Protests also broke out during his mother’s investiture in 1980.

“I’m convinced we are going to have a magnificent investiture day … in Amsterdam, in which there will be opportunities for protest, and that is as it should be,” he said.

Looking relaxed sitting next to Maxima for the nearly hourlong interview, Willem-Alexander touched briefly on a family tragedy that will hang over celebrations surrounding his investiture — his brother Prince Johan Friso has been in a coma for more than a year since being caught in an avalanche while skiing in Austria.

“For the family, it is a very difficult moment,” he said.

Also absent on the day will be Maxima’s father, Jorge Zorreguieta, who was an agriculture minister in the military junta that ruled Argentina with an iron fist in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

His role in the brutal regime meant he was not invited to Willem-Alexander and Maxima’s wedding and he will not be in Amsterdam on April 30 either.

“It was clear that if my father could not come for the wedding then it was very clear: This is a constitutional celebration so my father doesn’t belong there,” Maxima said.

Aniston excited over film about mental illness

LOS ANGELES – Jennifer Aniston may have played a terrible manager in the 2011 comedy “Horrible Bosses,” but in real life the actor-turned-director says she’s a total “pushover” when in charge.

Aniston executive produced the upcoming television movie “Call Me Crazy: A Five Film,” a compilation of short films about mental illness premiering April 20 on Lifetime.

At the movie’s premiere Tuesday in Los Angeles Aniston admitted she’s a hardworking, no-nonsense boss who loves seeing a film come together.

Though audiences are used to watching the “Friends” actress in big-budget blockbusters, Aniston finds passion projects like “Call Me Crazy” most-fulfilling.

“These are the things you wake up excited about,” she said.

McCartney joins Bennett effort at gun control

NEW YORK – Paul McCartney added his voice to Tony Bennett’s campaign against gun violence Wednesday.

The former Beatle recorded a voice message that was part of a text-to-call operation for Bennett’s Voices Against Violence campaign. McCartney and others encouraged Americans to send a text, which led to the singer’s message and connected the caller to his or her local Senate office after providing a zip code.

But the Senate rejected a bipartisan attempt to ban assault weapons Wednesday, one of its leading answers to December’s slayings at an elementary in Newtown, Conn. The 54-46 vote fell along party lines, with most Democrats supporting the legislation and most Republicans rejecting it.

Bennett, 86, tweeted after the failed vote: “We will not stop until our voices are heard.”

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