by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

Juliana was Queen of the Netherlands from September 4, 1948 to April 30, 1980 when she abdicated in favor of her eldest daughter Beatrix. Born at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands on April 30, 1909, Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and her husband Prince Hendrik of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Juliana was christened on June 5, 1909, at the Willemskerk in The Hague, the Netherlands. She was given the names Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina:

• Juliana: for Juliana of Stolberg, the mother of William I of Orange (William the Silent)
• Louise: for Louise de Coligny, the  fourth and last wife of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange
• Emma: for Queen Emma, her maternal grandmother
• Marie: for Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, her paternal grandmother
• Wilhelmina: for her mother Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Her godparents were:

• Dowager Queen Emma of the Netherlands, her maternal grandmother, born Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont
• Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, her paternal grandmother, born Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
• Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, her paternal great-grandmother, born Mathilde of Schönburg-Waldenburg
• Princess Marie of the Netherlands
• Grand Duchess of Baden, born Princess Luise of Prussia
• Princess of Erbach-Schönberg, her maternal great-aunt, born Elisabeth of Waldeck-Pyrmont
• Duke Johan Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, her paternal uncle
• Duke Adolf Frederik of Mecklenburg, her paternal uncle

Juliana and her mother Queen Wilhelmina in 1914; Credit – Wikipedia, United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs Division

When Juliana was six years old, a small class was formed at Noordeinde Palace so that the young princess could be educated with other children. Her classmates were all from Dutch noble families: Baroness Elise Bentinck, Baroness Elisabeth van Hardenbroek, and Jonkvrouwe Miek de Jonge. Juliana continued with this class until the age of eleven when she began studying with private tutors. At the age of 18, Juliana enrolled at Leiden University where she studied sociology, jurisprudence, economics, history of religion, parliamentary history, constitutional law, and international law. She finished her studies three years later in 1930.

In February 1936, Juliana attended the Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. There she met and fell in love with Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, a prince of a minor German royal house. After Queen Wilhelmina had lawyers draft a very detailed prenuptial agreement that specified exactly what Bernhard could and could not do, the couple’s engagement was announced on September 8, 1936. After a civil marriage at The Hague City Hall, a religious marriage was held at the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk in The Hague on January 7, 1937. Before the wedding, Bernhard had been granted Dutch citizenship and changed the spelling of his names from German to Dutch, and on his wedding day, he became His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

• Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Juliana of the Netherlands and Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld

Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard after their engagement; Credit – Wikipedia

Juliana and Bernhard had four daughters:

• Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (born January 31, 1938), married 1966 Claus von Amsberg, had three sons
• Princess Irene of the Netherlands (born August 5, 1939), married 1964 Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, divorced 1981, had two sons and two daughters
• Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (born January 19, 1943), married 1967 Pieter van Vollenhoven, had four sons
• Princess Christina of the Netherlands (1947 – 2019) married 1975 Jorge Pérez y Guillermo, divorced 1996, had two sons and one daughter

During World War II, three days after Germany began its invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940, the Dutch Royal Family left for London, England. One month later, Juliana and her daughters Beatrix and Irene, went to Ottawa, Canada, where they would be safer. Prince Bernhard stayed with Queen Wilhelmina in London during the war, although both made occasional visits to the rest of the family in Canada. Juliana’s third daughter Margriet was born while the family was in Canada. On August 2, 1945, the whole family returned to the Netherlands.

Juliana with her mother, husband, and daughters in Ottawa, Canada in 1943; Credit – Wikipedia

After World War II, Juliana served twice as regent (October 14, 1947 – December 1, 1947, and May 14, 1948 – August 30, 1948) due to the ill health of her mother, Queen Wilhelmina. On September 4, 1948, after a reign of nearly 58 years, Queen Wilhelmina abdicated in favor of her daughter and Juliana became Queen of the Netherlands. Wilhelmina survived until 1962 when she died at the age of 82.

Juliana was a much more relaxed monarch than her mother had been and this lessened the distance between the royal family and the Dutch people. She often appeared in public dressed like any ordinary Dutch woman, and preferred to be addressed as “Mevrouw” (Dutch for “Mrs.”) rather than her formal “Majesty”. Juliana’s love of bicycling for exercise gave rise to the royal family’s nickname, “the cycling family.”

Queen Juliana riding a bike in 1967; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Juliana was particularly interested in the problems of developing countries, the refugee problem after World War II, and child welfare. In 1953, the Netherlands suffered its most destructive storm in 500 years. More than two thousand people drowned and the floodwaters trapped tens of thousands. Queen Juliana quickly visited the areas affected. Outfitted with boots, she comforted the affected people and raised their morale. During her Silver Jubilee in 1973, Queen Juliana donated all of the money the National Silver Jubilee Committee raised to organizations that supported children in need around the world.

On January 31, 1980, the birthday of her eldest daughter Beatrix, Queen Juliana announced that she would abdicate in favor of Beatrix on April 30, 1980, her 71st birthday. Juliana indicated she wanted to be styled as Her Royal Highness Princess Juliana. After her abdication, Juliana remained active socially and appeared regularly in public. One of her favorite activities was dining at fine restaurants – a favorite was the Auberge de l’Ill in Illhaeusern in Alsace, France.

After 1995, when Juliana’s general health began to decline, she made fewer public appearances. Her last public appearance was in 1998 at the wedding of her grandson Prince Maurits. In 2001, during a television interview on the occasion of his 90th birthday, Prince Bernhard said that Juliana no longer recognized her family and had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for several years. On Saturday, March 20, 2004, shortly before six o’clock in the morning, Juliana died in her sleep at the age of 94 due to pneumonia, in the presence of her three eldest children.

Juliana’s funeral was held on March 30, 2004, at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft. She had requested that the color white be the focus of her funeral and therefore her daughters dressed in white. Princess Christina, Juliana’s youngest daughter and a talented singer who had studied classical music, beautifully sang ( 7:52 in the video below) the Shaker song “Simple Gifts.”  As Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s familiar Morgenstemning (Morning Mood) played (18:16 in the video below), Prince Bernhard, Queen Beatrix, Princess Irene, Princess Margriet, Princess Christina, and Margriet’s husband Pieter van Vollenhoven followed the casket down the stairs to the royal crypt for the internment. Prince Bernhard survived his wife by eight months, dying at the age of 93 on December 1, 2004.

• YouTube: Queen Juliana’s Funeral

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

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.

Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of the Netherlands Index
• Dutch Monarchs
• Dutch Orders and Honors
• Dutch Royal Burial Sites
• Dutch Royal Christenings
• Dutch Royal Dates
• Dutch Royal FAQs
• Dutch Royal Residences
• Dutch Royal Weddings
• Line of Succession to the Dutch Throne
• Profiles of the Dutch Royal Family

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Prince Claus of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Claus of the Netherlands was the husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Klaus-Georg Wilhelm Otto Friedrich Gerd von Amsberg was born on September 6, 1926, at Haus Dötzingen, his family’s estate near Hitzacker, Germany. He was the only son of the seven children of Klaus von Amsberg, a member of the German Niederer Adel (lower nobility), and Baroness Gösta von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen.

Claus had six sisters:

• Sigrid von Amsberg (born 1925), married in 1952 to Bernd Jencquel, had children
• Rixa von Amsberg (born 1927 – 2010), married to Peter Ahrend, no children
• Margit von Amsberg (born 1930 – 1988), married in 1964 to Ernst Grubitz, had children
• Barbara von Amsberg (born 1930), married in 1963 to Günther Haarhaus, had children
• Theda von Amsberg (born 1939), married in 1966 to Baron Karl von Friesen, had children
• Christina von Amsberg (born 1945), married in 1961 to Baron Hans Hubertus von der Recke, had children

In 1928, the family moved to the former German colony of Tanganyika (later Tanzania), where his father was the manager of a coffee and sisal plantation. In 1933, Claus and his sisters were sent to live with their maternal grandmother in Lower Saxony, Germany. He attended the Friderico-Francisceum-Gymnasium in Bad Doberan, Germany from 1933 to 1936 and a German boarding school in Lushoto, Tanganyika from 1936 to 1938.

In 1938, Claus and his mother moved back to Germany and he attended Balt Schule, a boarding school in Misdroy, Pomerania, Germany (now in Poland). Claus then moved back with his maternal grandmother in 1943 and again attended the Friderico-Francisceum-Gymnasium. He joined the German Youth and later, the Hitler Youth.  Membership in both organizations was compulsory for eligible boys.

Claus was drafted into the German Wehrmacht in 1944. He trained with an armored division from August 1944 – March 1945. Claus then became a soldier in the German 90th Panzergrenadier Division in Italy in March 1945 but was taken as a prisoner of war by the American forces at Merano, Italy before taking part in any fighting. Claus was sent to a prisoner of war camp at Ghedi, Italy where he worked as an interpreter and a driver. In September 1945, he was sent to Camp Latimer, an American internment camp in England, and again served as an interpreter. In December of 1945, Claus was released and returned to his birthplace Hitzacker, Germany.

Claus was able to finish his secondary education in Lüneburg, Germany, and studied law at the University of Hamburg, graduating in 1952. After an internship in the United States and for a short period at a law firm, where he worked with the restitution of Jewish Germans in West Germany, he chose a new direction, diplomacy. He passed the necessary exams and worked in the West German embassies in the Dominican Republic and the Ivory Coast. In 1963, Claus went to work in the West German capital of Bonn at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Section for Economic Relations with Africa south of the Sahara.

On New Year’s Eve in 1962, Claus met Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, the heir to the Dutch throne, at a party with friends in Bad Driburg, Germany. The couple met again at the wedding-eve party of Princess Tatjana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse, in June 1964. Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg acted as a go-between for the couple and did much to strengthen their relationship.

On May 1, 1965, a photographer took a photo of the couple in the garden of Drakensteyn Castle in the Netherlands and their relationship became public. The fact that he was a German national, had been a member of the Hitler Youth, and had served in the Wehrmacht caused great controversy among the Dutch people. Among other protests, orange swastikas were painted on walls around Amsterdam as an ugly association between the House of Orange and Germany’s Nazi past. Queen Juliana gave her permission to the marriage although she seriously considered not allowing it. The Dutch parliament debated long and vehemently about the proposed marriage. Only after the historian Loe de Jong had established that Claus was not to blame for any war crimes, was the marriage approved. On December 10, 1965, Claus received a Dutch passport and on February 16, 1966, his name was officially changed to Claus George Willem Otto Frederik Geert van Amsberg.

Claus and Beatrix were married on March 10, 1966, at the Westerkerk, a large church In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, just down the street from the building where Dutch Jewish teenager Anne Frank hid during World War II. The ride to and from the church was disrupted by riots with smoke bombs and firecrackers. According to some newspapers, there were about a thousand rioters chanting “revolution” and “Claus get out”. Claus was granted the style and titles His Royal Highness Prince Claus of the Netherlands, Jonkheer van Amsberg.

• Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg

After their marriage, Claus and Beatrix lived at Drakensteyn Castle and Claus began to learn Dutch. In the first year of his marriage, Claus kept in the background. The first time he was the center of attention was when he came to register the birth and name of his eldest son at the Utrecht city hall and then gave a short televised speech to the Dutch people.

Claus and Beatrix had three sons:

• King Willem-Alexander (born 1967) married Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, had three daughters
• Prince Friso (1968 – 2013) married Mabel Wisse Smit, had two daughters
• Prince Constantijn (born 1969) married Laurentien Brinkhorst, has two daughters and a son

Over the years, Claus became accepted by the Dutch public, and during the last part of his life, he was considered the most popular member of the Dutch Royal Family. Claus remained fascinated by Africa and was appointed Chairman of the National Commission for Development Strategy, a publicity organization for the development of the African policy of the government. On April 30, 1980, Queen Juliana abdicated and Beatrix became Queen. The family moved to Huis ten Bosch, a royal palace in The Hague. On June 10, 1981, Claus was appointed regent in case Queen Beatrix died before their eldest son reached his 18th birthday.

Claus suffered from various health issues. In 1982, Claus was diagnosed with depression and spent some time in the hospital. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991. Claus underwent successful surgery for prostate cancer in 1998, but the radiation for the cancer caused urinary tract problems. In 2001, a kidney was removed and he had problems with the other kidney. Respiratory infections kept him in the hospital during the spring of 2002, shortly after the wedding of his eldest son Willem-Alexander.

Credit – “Funeral of Prince Claus by Looi from nl. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

On August 9, 2002, he had a coronary angioplasty. Prince Claus, aged 76, died on October 6, 2002, at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia. He was buried in the crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

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.

Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of the Netherlands Index
• Dutch Monarchs
• Dutch Orders and Honors
• Dutch Royal Burial Sites
• Dutch Royal Christenings
• Dutch Royal Dates
• Dutch Royal FAQs
• Dutch Royal Residences
• Dutch Royal Weddings
• Line of Succession to the Dutch Throne
• Profiles of the Dutch Royal Family

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Christina of the Netherlands – photo: Dutch Royal House, © RVD

Princess Maria Christina of the Netherlands (nicknamed Marijke) was born February 18, 1947, at Soestijk Palace in Baarn, the Netherlands, the youngest of four daughters of the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Her mother had contracted German measles while pregnant with Christina, resulting in her being born nearly blind. Fortunately, she was able to gain some sight and was able to live a relatively normal life. As a teenager, she chose to be known simply by her middle name, Christina.

Christina had three older sisters:

• Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (born 1938), married Claus von Amsberg, had three sons
• Princess Irene of the Netherlands (born 1939), married and divorced Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, had two sons and two daughters
• Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (born 1943), married Pieter van Vollenhoven, had four sons

Embed from Getty Images 
Princess Christina being held by her sister Princess Irene with her godfather Winston Churchill and her mother Queen Juliana

Christina was christened on October 9, 1947, at the St. Martin’s Cathedral in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Her godparents were:

• Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, her eldest sister
• Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld, her paternal grandmother Armgard von Cramm
• Felix of Bourbon-Parma, Prince of Luxembourg
• Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, later Queen of Romania

Following her primary education, she attended the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and then in 1968 traveled to Canada where she studied classical music in Montreal. A few years later, she moved to New York City, taking a position teaching music in a Montessori school.

While in New York she met her future husband, Jorge Pérez y Guillermo. Once again religious differences came into play with a Dutch royal marriage. Guillermo was Catholic, and many people still remembered the recent marriage of Christina’s elder sister Irene and the scandal it caused. Despite this, the couple was engaged in February 1975.

The couple married on June 28, 1975, in a civil ceremony held in Baarn, the Netherlands followed by a religious ceremony at the St. Martin’s Cathedral in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Because she had not received the government’s consent, Princess Christina relinquished her rights to the Dutch throne for herself and her descendants and her position as a member of The Royal House. The couple settled in New York for several years before returning to the Netherlands. They built Villa Eikenhorst, on the De Horsten estate in Wassenaar, and had three children:

• • Bernardo Federico Tomas Guillermo (born 1977), married Eva Prinz-Valdes, had one son and one daughter
  • Nicolás Daniel Mauricio Guillermo  (born 1979), has two children with Leah-Michelle Pilon
  • Juliana Edina Antonia Guillermo (born 1981), has three children with Tao Bodhi

Christina and her husband divorced in 1996, and she moved with her children to New York. She later lived in Rome and had a home in The Hague in the Netherlands.  Her marital home, Villa Eikenhorst, later became the home of the future King Willem-Alexander and his family.

Princess Christina was an accomplished musician, recorded several CDs, and sang at several family events, including the funeral of her mother Queen Juliana. She founded a music foundation in her name and was the chairperson of the Princess Christina Competition, a music competition for young people.

In June 2018 it was announced that Princess Christina was suffering from bone cancer.  Princess Christina died at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands on August 16, 2019, at the age of 72 from bone cancer. Princess Christina’s remains were taken to Fagel’s Garden Pavilion on the grounds of Noordeinde Palace, where close friends and family paid their last respects. The cremation was held in private.

Embed from Getty Images
Princess Christina’s coffin at Fagel’s Garden Pavilion on the grounds of Noordeinde Palace

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 2015

Embed from Getty Images 

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (Margriet Francisca) is the third daughter of  Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She is a younger sister of the former Queen Beatrix, and therefore an aunt of the current King Willem-Alexander. She was born on January 19, 1943, at the Ottawa Civic Hospital in Ottawa, Canada. At the time of her birth, she was fourth in line for the Dutch throne. Today, she is eighth, and last, in line. She is the only one of King Willem-Alexander’s aunts who remains a member of the Dutch Royal House. Margriet was named for the marguerite, the flower which symbolized the resistance to Nazi Germany.

Margriet has three sisters:

• Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (born 1938), married Claus von Amsberg, had three sons
• Princess Irene of the Netherlands (born 1939), married and divorced Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, had two sons and two daughters
• Princess Christina of the Netherlands (1947 – 2019) married and divorced Jorge Pérez y Guillermo, had two sons and one daughter

At the time of Margriet’s birth, her family was living in Canada, having fled the Netherlands in 1940 during the German invasion. As Canadian law grants Canadian citizenship to anyone born on Canadian soil, the government temporarily declared the maternity ward to be extraterritorial, meaning it became an international territory. Therefore, Margriet’s birth followed Dutch law, in which citizenship passes from the parents, and she was born solely with Dutch citizenship. She was christened at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Ottawa, Canada on June 29, 1943. Her godparents included:

• Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States
• Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, born Princess Victoria Mary of Teck
• Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, Governor-General of Canada, husband of her first cousin once removed Princess Alice of Albany
• Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, born Princess Märtha of Sweden
• Martine Roell, her mother’s lady-in-waiting
• The Dutch Merchant Fleet

After the war, the Dutch royal family sent 10,000 tulip bulbs to the city of Ottawa, as a gesture of thanks for the city’s generosity during the time Juliana and her children were living there, as well as for Canada’s role in the liberation of the Netherlands. The following year, Juliana also sent an additional 20,500 bulbs, requesting that they be planted on the grounds of the hospital where Margriet was born. In addition, Juliana promised to send an additional 10,000 bulbs each year. This led to the creation of the Canadian Tulip Festival in the early 1950s. In 2002, Princess Margriet was the guest of honor at the Festival’s 50th anniversary.

Margriet was two years old when the family returned to the Netherlands after the war. She attended De Werkplaats school in Bilthoven, and the Nieuwe Baarnse School in Baarn, and then completed her secondary schooling at the Baarns Lyceum, graduating in 1961. Margriet then attended the University of Montpellier in France – studying French literature, history, and art – and Leiden University, where she studied law. She also trained with the Netherlands Red Cross as a nurse auxiliary.

photo: Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor

While at Leiden University, Princess Margriet met her future husband, Pieter van Vollenhoven. They became engaged in March 1965, and nearly two years later, on January 10, 1967, they married. A civil ceremony was held in the town hall in The Hague, followed by a religious ceremony at the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk. They took up residence in a wing of Het Loo Palace, and later moved to Huis Het Loo (link in Dutch), a house they had built on the grounds of the palace. It was decided at the time of their marriage that any children would hold the title of Prince/Princess of Orange-Nassau, with the surname van Vollenhoven, and the style of Highness. They have four sons:

• Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (born 1968), married Marilène van den Broek, had three children
• Prince Bernard of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (born 1969), married Annette Sekrève, had three children
• Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (born 1972), married Anita van Eijk, had two children
• Prince Floris of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (born 1975), married Aimée Söhngen, had three children

Princess Margriet holds a prominent role in the Dutch Royal Family. Unlike her sisters Irene and Christina, she retained her place in the Dutch Royal House. In addition to many official duties, she often represents the royal family at royal events around the world and is usually in attendance at formal events, such as incoming state visits.

Since the mid-1960s, she has been very involved with the Red Cross, both in the Netherlands, and the international organization. She served for many years as Vice-President of the Netherlands Red Cross, chaired the Standing Commission for the International Red Cross, and served as a member of the governing board of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. She continues to serve as Honorary Chair of the Netherlands Red Cross. She also served as President of the European Cultural Foundation from 1984-2007, succeeded by Princess Laurentien, the wife of her nephew Prince Constantijn.

Princess Margriet is involved in a larger number of other organizations, including:

• Patron, National Union of Volunteers
• Patron, Equestrian Federation for the Disabled
• Patron, National Rehabilitation Fund
• Patron, Society of Friends of the Band of the Royal Marines
• Patron, Netherland-America Foundation
• Patron, Introdans Modern Ballet Company
• Patron, Vision 2020 Netherlands
• Patron, KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation
• Honorary Chair, The De Lijn Society
• Member, Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee
• Member, Ronald McDonald House Advisory Committee

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

Embed from Getty Images 

Princess Irene of the Netherlands

Princess Irene of the Netherlands (Irene Emma Elisabeth) was born on August 5, 1939, at Soestdijk Palace, in Baarn, the Netherlands. She was the second of four daughters of the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. At the time of her birth, she was third in the line of succession for the Dutch throne.

Irene has an older sister and two younger sisters:

• Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (born 1938), married Claus von Amsberg, had three sons
• Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (born1943), married Pieter van Vollenhoven, had four sons
• Princess Christina of the Netherlands (1947 – 2019) married and divorced  Jorge Pérez y Guillermo, had two sons and one daughter

In May 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands, the family was evacuated to the United Kingdom, where Irene was christened in the chapel at Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth (later The Queen Mother) served as one of her godparents. Just weeks later, the family sailed for Canada. They settled at Stornoway, a private residence in Rockcliffe Park, a suburb of Ottawa, where they would remain until the end of the war. Here, Princess Irene attended Rockcliffe Park Public School along with her older sister, Princess Beatrix. The Royal Dutch Brigade – a group of Dutch soldiers who formed to fight alongside the Allies was given the name ‘Regiment Princes Irene’ by her grandmother, Queen Wilhelmina. Eventually, that group became the Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene and Princess Irene continues to serve as Ceremonial Chief.

The family returned to the Netherlands in August 1945. Irene attended school at The Children’s Community Workshop (Werkplaats Kindergemeenschap) and the Baarnsch Lyceum, graduating in 1957. She then studied at the University of Lausanne, in Switzerland, and the University of Utrecht, in the Netherlands, studying literature and languages – particularly Spanish. She later qualified as a Spanish interpreter.

Following university, Irene moved to Madrid to further absorb the Spanish language and culture. It was here that she met her future husband, Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma. Needless to say, the relationship was not without controversy. Irene secretly converted to Catholicism in 1963, which caused quite a stir in the Netherlands when it was made public. Then, the couple announced their engagement. Her mother Queen Juliana tried to have the engagement canceled, but the couple was determined to wed. Irene and Carlos returned to the Netherlands on February 9, 1964, and immediately began to meet with the Royal Family and the Dutch Government. It was finally announced that the wedding would take place and that Princess Irene would cease to be a member of the Dutch Royal House, and would relinquish all rights to the throne for herself and her descendants.

On April 29, 1964, Irene and Carlos married in the Borghese Chapel at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome, Italy. No members of the Dutch royal family attended. Following their honeymoon, they settled in Madrid, Spain. Before divorcing in 1981, the couple had four children, including twins Margarita and Jaime:

• Prince Carlos, Duke of Parma (born 1970), married Annemarie Gualthérie van Weezel, had two daughters and one son
• Princess Margarita, Countess of Colorno (born 1972), married (1) Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn, no children, divorced  (2) Tjalling ten Cate, had two daughters
• Prince Jaime, Count of Bardi (born 1972), married Viktória Cservenyák, had two daughters
• Princess Carolina, Marchioness of Sala (1974), married Albert Brenninkmeijer, had one son and one daughter

In 1980, Irene and her children returned to live in the Netherlands. Always interested in nature and its preservation, Irene published her first book, Dialogue With Nature, in 1995. A few years later, she established the Bergplaas Nature Reserve in Nieu-Bethesda, South Africa.  She also established NatureWise, an organization that connects elementary students to nature, and founded the Lippe-Biesterfeld Nature College Foundation in 2001. Princess Irene prefers to be known simply as Irene van Lippe-Biesterfeld and rarely particiaptes in any official events in the Netherlands.  However, she is almost always seen at family functions and maintains a very close relationship with her sisters and extended family.

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

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.

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