by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands is the wife of Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, the youngest son of former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and the younger brother of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. Born Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst on May 25, 1966, in Leiden, the Netherlandsmshe is the daughter of Dutch politician and diplomat Laurens Jan Brinkhorst and Jantien Brinkhorst-Heringa.

Following primary school, Laurentian attended the Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet, and the Eerste Vrijzinnige Christelijk Lyceum, both in The Hague. The family moved to Japan where her father was serving as Permanent Envoy to the European Union, so she finished her secondary education at the Lycée français in Tokyo, graduating in 1984. She then studied history for a year at the University of Groningen, before moving on to Queen Mary College, at the University of London, where she graduated in 1989 with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science. In 1991, she earned her Masters Degree in Journalism, at the University of California, Berkeley.

photo: Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor

Laurentien married Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands in a civil ceremony on May 17, 2001, in The Hague, followed by a religious ceremony on May 19, at the Grote of St Jacobskerk, in The Hague, the Netherlands. The couple had three children:

• Countess Eloise (born 2002)
• Count Claus-Casimir (born 2004)
• Countess Leonore (born 2006)

Laurentian is very involved in the fight against illiteracy in the Netherlands. In 2004, she founded the Stichting Lezen & Schrijven (Reading & Writing Foundation), to prevent and reduce functional illiteracy in the Netherlands and worldwide. She serves as the honorary chairman of the organization. In 2009, she was appointed UNESCO Special Envoy on Literacy for Development, and in 2001, she was appointed Chair of the European Commission’s High Level Group of Experts on Literacy.

Laurentian serves as a Fellow of the European Climate Foundation and President of the European Cultural Foundation. She has also published a series of children’s books dealing with i sustainability and climate change. In addition, she serves as President of Fauna & Flora International, an organization she has been involved with since 2003. In addition, she is the patron of several organizations.

Princess Laurentien and Prince Constantijn at King’s Day, 2014. photo: Zimbio

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by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

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Prince Constantijn Christof Frederik Aschwin of the Netherlands was born on October 11, 1969, in Utrecht, the Netherlands, the youngest son of the future Queen Beatrix and Claus von Amsberg.  He was christened on February 21, 1970, at  St. Martin’s Cathedral in Utrecht, the Netherlands. His godparents were:

• King Constantine II of Greece
• Prince Aschwin of Lippe-Biesterfeld, his paternal uncle
• Axel von dem Bussche, German diplomat
• Max Kohnstamm, Dutch historian and diplomat, served as private secretary to Queen Wilhelmina
• Corinne de Beaufort-Sickinghe, former governess of Queen Beatrix and her sister Princess Irene

Constantijn has two older brothers:

• King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands (born 1967) married Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, had three daughters
• Prince Friso (1968 – 2013) married Mabel Wisse Smit, had two daughters

Prince Constantijn grew up at Castle Drakesteijn in Baarn, the Netherlands until his mother’s accession as Queen in 1980. At that point, the family moved to Huis ten Bosch, in The Hague. He received his primary education at the Nieuwe Baarnse School in Baarn and his secondary education at the Eerste Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum in The Hague. Following a year spent studying languages in France and Italy, he began studying law at Leiden University in the Netherlands, earning his degree in 1995.

After earning his degree, Constantijn took an internship in the office of the European Commissioner Hans van den Broek. He remained with the EU, in various roles, until late 1999. In 2000, he earned his MBA from INSEAD in France and spent a summer working at the International Finance Corporation, part of the Work Bank, in Washington DC. He then moved to London where he worked as a strategic policy consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton until late 2002. He then worked for RAND Corporation Europe, eventually becoming the head of the corporation’s Brussels office. He also served as an advisor to the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He returned to the European Commission where he served as Chief of Staff to Commissioner Neelie Kroes from 2013 – 2014.  Since  July 1, 2016, Constantijn has been the Special Envoy for TechLeap.NL, formerly Startup Delta. He is also an independent consultant in business innovation and is also Director of Digital Technology and Macro Strategy at MAP in London and Edge Fellow at Deloitte Center for the Edge.

photo: Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor

Constantijn married Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst in a civil ceremony on May 17, 2001, in The Hague. A religious ceremony followed on May 19,  2001, at the Grote of St Jacobskerk in The Hague, the Netherlands.

The couple had three children:

• Countess Eloise (born 2002)
• Count Claus-Casimir (born 2004)
• Countess Leonore (born 2006)

Prince Constantijn does not undertake many official duties for the Dutch monarchy. However, as a member of the Dutch Royal House, he and his wife are typically in attendance at major events, such as King’s Day and the annual Opening of Parliament.

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by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau; photo: © RVD

Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau

Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau is the widow of the late Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. She was born Mabel Martine Los on August 11, 1968, in Pijnacker, the Netherlands, the daughter of Hendrik Los and Florence Kooman. Her father passed away in 1978 and when her mother remarried in 1984, Mabel took her stepfather’s surname – Wisse Smit.

Mabel graduated from the Gemeentelijk Gymnasium in Hilversum in 1986 and enrolled in the University of Amsterdam, studying economics and political science. She graduated with honors in 1993. During her education, she became very interested in human rights issues and specialized in Balkan diplomacy and international relations.

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In June 2003, Mabel’s engagement to Prince Friso was announced. It soon came to light that the couple had been vague in responding to some questions from the government, regarding Mabel’s’ previous interactions, and a reported relationship with a known drug lord. Due to this, the government announced that they would not seek parliamentary consent for the marriage. Therefore, Friso lost his title as Prince of the Netherlands and his place in the line of succession. He retained his personal title of Prince of Orange-Nassau and was given the hereditary title Count of Orange-Nassau, with the surname Orange-Nassau van Amsberg.

The couple was married in Delft, the Netherlands on April 24, 2004. Following a civil ceremony, a religious ceremony was held in the Oude Kerk. Mabel became HRH Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau. Friso and Mabel had two daughters:

• Countess Luana of Orange-Nassau van Amsberg (born 2005)
• Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau van Amsberg (born 2006)

In February 2012, Prince Friso was critically injured in a skiing accident in Lech, Austria. Having been buried by an avalanche, he suffered significant oxygen deprivation and cardiac arrest and was in a coma. He was transferred to a hospital in London, closer to the family’s home a few weeks later. In July 2013, it was determined that he no longer needed hospital-based medical care, and he was brought to Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, his mother’s official residence. The next month, on August 12, 2013, Prince Friso passed away. He was buried in Lage Vuursche, near Castle Drakensteijn where he grew up.

Princess Mabel continues her work as a prominent human rights activist. She was the co-founder of the European Action Council for Peace in the Balkans in 1994 and served as Director until 1997. From 1997 to 2008, she worked for the Open Society Foundations, first in Brussels, as Director of EU Affairs, and then from 2002 in London, as International Advocacy Director. In 2008, she became the first CEO of The Elders, overseeing the day-to-day operation of the organization. She stepped down in 2012 after Prince Friso’s accident but remains a member of the advisory council in her capacity as Advisory Committee Chair of Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage. She also serves as Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations which she co-founded in 2007, and an Advisory Board member of the Open Society Foundations, since 2012.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau; Credit – By H G Cladder – File:Friso 2.jpg (cropped), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18563030

Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau was the second son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg, and a younger brother of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. He was born Prince Johan Friso Bernhard Christiaan David of the Netherlands on September 25, 1968, at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

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Prince Friso with his parents on his christening day

Prince Friso was christened on December 28, 1968, at the Domkerk in Utrecht, the Netherlands. His godparents were:

• Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, his maternal grandmother
• Crown Prince Harald of Norway, the future King Harald V of Norway
• Johan Christian Baron von Jenisch, his father’s friend
• Herman van Roijen, Dutch diplomat and politician
• Christina von der Recke, his paternal aunt, born Christina von Amsberg

Prince Friso had two brothers:

• King Willem-Alexander (born 1967) married Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, had three daughters
• Prince Constantijn (born 1969) married Laurentien Brinkhorst, had two daughters and a son

A young Prince Friso (left) with his family. photo source: The Guardian/Rex Features

Following his primary education at the Nieuwe Baarnse School in Baarn and secondary education at the Eerste Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum in The Hague, he enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, studying mechanical engineering. He then attended Delft University of Technology, graduating in 1994 with a degree in aeronautical engineering. From 1990-1995, Friso studied economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam, earning a master’s degree in 1995. In 1997, he earned his MBA from INSEAD in France.

Prince Friso worked at several companies, both in London and the Netherlands.

• 1995-1996 – McKinsey & Company, Amsterdam
• 1998-2003 – Vice President, Goldman Sachs International, London
• 2004-2006 – Co-Director of TNO Space, Delft
• 2006-2011 – Managing Director, Wolfensohn & Company, London
• 2011-2012 – Chief Financial Officer, URENCO

Prince Friso was the co-founder of the MRI Centre in Amsterdam, and the founding shareholder of Wizz Air, a low-cost airline based in Hungary. He was also, along with his younger brother Prince Constantijn, honorary chairman of the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development.

In June 2003, Prince Friso’s engagement to Mabel Wisse Smit was announced. There was public controversy regarding Mabel’s past and her reported relationship with a known drug lord. Having been somewhat vague in their responses to questions about the issue, and Friso’s insistence that he would marry Mabel with or without formal approval from the government, the decision was made not to request formal consent from the Dutch parliament for the marriage. In doing so, Prince Friso relinquished his rights to the Dutch throne and his title of Prince of the Netherlands. However, he retained his personal title of Prince of Orange-Nassau and was granted the hereditary title Count of Orange-Nassau, with the surname Orange-Nassau van Amsberg.

Friso and Mabel were married on April 24, 2004, in Delft, the Netherlands. Following a civil ceremony, a religious ceremony was held in the Oude Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands. The couple had two daughters:

• Countess Luana of Orange-Nassau van Amsberg (born 2005)
• Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau van Amsberg (born 2006)

Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau and his family, Credit – www.holland.com

On February 17, 2012, while on the royal family’s annual skiing holiday in Lech, Austria, Prince Friso was buried under an avalanche and was in a coma. According to medical reports, he had been buried for 25 minutes and suffered neurological injuries due to the lack of oxygen. On March 1, 2012, he was moved to Wellington Hospital in London, England, closer to his family’s home. In the summer of 2013, he was declared to be in a minimally conscious state and no longer in need of hospital care. He was moved again on July 9, 2013, to Huis ten Bosch Palace, his mother’s residence in The Hague in the Netherlands. It was there, on August 12, 2013, that Prince Friso passed away at the age of 44.

Prince Friso’s funeral

A private funeral was held at the Stulpkerk Church in Lage Vurrsche, the Netherlands near Castle Drakensteijn where he had grown up. He was buried at the Dutch Reformed Cemetery in Lage Vuursche, Utrecht,  the Netherlands. A memorial service was held on November 2, 2013, at the Oude Kerk in Delft.

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