Category Archives: Dutch Royals

Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau

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.

Embed from Getty Images 
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:

Prince Friso had two brothers:

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

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.

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.

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.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Beatrix_in_April_2013

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands; Photo: Wikipedia

Beatrix was Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in favor of her eldest son in 2013. Her official title since her abdication is Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard was born at Soestdijk Palace in Baarn, the Netherlands on January 31, 1938. Beatrix was the first child of the four daughters of Princess Juliana of the Netherlands (became Queen in 1948) and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld.  At the time of her birth, Beatrix’s grandmother Queen Wilhelmina reigned. In 1948, Queen Wilhelmina abdicated in favor of Beatrix’s mother Juliana.

Beatrix_infant

The infant Beatrix with her parents; Photo: Wikipedia

Beatrix was christened on May 12, 1938, in the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk in The Hague. Her middle names are the first names of her maternal grandmother Queen Wilhelmina and her paternal grandmother Armgard of Sierstorpff-Cramm.

Her five godparents were:

Beatrix had three younger sisters:

Dutch Royal Family Portrait, 1948

Beatrix, on the right, with her family in 1948; Photo: Corbis

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, Beatrix along with her mother and her sister Irene went to Ottawa, Canada, where they would be safer. Prince Bernhard, Beatrix’s father, stayed with Queen Wilhelmina in London during the war, although both did make occasional visits to the rest of the family in Canada. Beatrix’s sister Margriet was born while the family was in Canada. While in Canada, Beatrix started her primary education at Rockcliffe Park Public School in Ottawa, Canada. On August 2, 1945, the whole family returned to the Netherlands and Beatrix spent the rest of her childhood at her birthplace, Soestdijk Palace.

Beatrix_1945

Beatrix, on the left, arrives back in the Netherlands, with her parents and sisters, on August 2, 1945; source: www.tweedewereldoorlog.nl

Upon returning to the Netherlands, Beatrix resumed her education at De Werkplaats (link translated from Dutch), a progressive school in Bilthoven, the Netherlands. In April 1950, Beatrix began her secondary education at the Incrementum, a separate classroom for Beatrix and small groups of selected peers at the Baarns Lyceum (link translated from Dutch). She passed her graduation exams in the arts and classics in 1956 and later that same year, Beatrix enrolled at Leiden University where she first studied sociology, jurisprudence, economics, parliamentary history, and constitutional law. Later she studied the cultures of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles (both constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at that time), the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, international affairs, international law, history, and European law. In 1959, Beatrix passed her preliminary examination in law, and in 1961 she received a combined degree in law, sociology, and economics.

On March 10, 1966, Princess Beatrix married Claus von Amsberg, a member of the German diplomatic corps, in a civil ceremony at the Amsterdam City Hall. Afterward, a religious ceremony was held at the Westerkerk in Amsterdam. The Westerkerk is a block away from the house where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis for two years and the church’s chiming bells are mentioned in Anne’s diary. On the same day, Claus von Amsberg received the style and title His Royal Highness Prince Claus of the Netherlands.

Beatrix and Claus were married until Claus died in 2002, four months after the birth of his first grandchild. The couple had three sons:

willem alexander birth family

Beatrix and Claus with their three sons; source: Hello

As her mother Queen Wilhelmina had done, Queen Juliana also abdicated in favor of her daughter and Beatrix became Queen of the Netherlands on April 30, 1980. On April 30, 2013, Queen Beatrix abdicated in favor of her eldest son Willem-Alexander.

beatrix_oath

Queen Beatrix swearing her oath on April 30, 1980; source: Hello

On February 17, 2012, Beatrix’s second son Prince Friso was severely injured in an avalanche while on a skiing holiday in Lech, Austria with the royal family. He had been buried for about 25 minutes, and the lack of oxygen had caused significant brain damage. He remained in a coma, and in March 2012, he was taken to the Wellington Hospital in London where his wife and children lived. In July 2013, Prince Friso was brought to Huis Ten Bosch, his mother’s residence, in The Hague, the Netherlands as he was no longer deemed to require hospital care, and on August 12, 2013, Prince Friso passed away.

Friso_funeral

The Dutch Royal Family at Prince Friso’s funeral; Beatrix, front right, with Friso’s daughters and his wife. Photo: Zimbio

After her abdication, Beatrix decided to live at Drakensteyn, a small castle in Baarn, the Netherlands. The castle was bought in 1959 and is the private property of Beatrix. She continues to undertake some royal duties and is the patron of many organizations.

Beatrix_granchildren 2013

Beatrix and her eight grandchildren in 2013; source: queensconsortofengland.blogspot.com

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

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Embed from Getty Images 

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands was born on April 27, 1967, at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, The Netherlands. He was the first of three sons of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg.

Embed from Getty Images
Willem-Alexander being held by his mother as his father looks on

The infant prince was christened Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand as a member of the Dutch Reformed Church on September 2, 1967, in Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk in The Hague.

  • Willem: traditionally the first name of the heir to the throne.
  • Alexander: a name his parents liked
  • Claus: after his father
  • George: after his paternal great-grandfather Baron George von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen
  • Ferdinand: after Ferdinand von Bismarck, his father’s best friend

His godparents were

King Willem-Alexander has two brothers:

willem alexander birth family

Willem-Alexander, second from the right, with his family; Photo: Hello

Willem-Alexander lived with his family at Drakensteyn in Baarn, The Netherlands until 1981 when the family moved to Huis ten Bosch in The Hague, The Netherlands. Along with his brothers, he attended Nieuwe Baarnse School and Het Baarnsch Lyceum in Baarn. After moving to Huis Ten Bosch in 1981, Willem-Alexander attended the Eerste Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum in The Hague. He completed his secondary education at Atlantic College in Llantwit Major, Wales, where he received an International Baccalaureate in 1985.

From 1985 – 1987, Willem-Alexander received military training at the Royal Netherlands Naval College in Den Helder, The Netherlands and then he served on board the frigates HNLMS Tromp and HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen. He served as a reservist in the Royal Netherlands Navy until his accession to the throne in 2013 when he was honorably discharged.

willem alexander navy

Willem-Alexander in the navy uniform of Sub-Lieutenant in 1986; Photo: Wikipedia

In 1987, Willem-Alexander enrolled as a history student at Leiden University in Leiden, The Netherlands and received his Master of Arts degree in 1993. While he was at Leiden University, Willem-Alexander was a member of the Minerva Student Society. The topic for his Masters dissertation was the Dutch response to France’s decision under President de Gaulle to leave NATO’s integrated command structure.

willem alexander_leiden

Willem-Alexander with his mother at his graduation in 1993; source: http://www.anp-archief.nl/

Willem-Alexander has long been interested in water management and sports issues. He was an honorary member of the World Commission on Water for the 21st century and patron of the Global Water Partnership. He was appointed as the Chairperson of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation in 2006.

From 1995 – 1998, Willem-Alexander was a patron of the Dutch Olympic Games Committee. In 1998, he became a member of the International Olympic Committee. He resigned from the IOC upon becoming King in 2013.

Willem+Alexander+Winter+Olympics

King Willem-Alexander cheering on the Dutch speed skating team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi; Photo: Zimbio

In April of 1999, Willem-Alexander met his future wife Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti (born 1971 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) in Seville, Spain, during the Seville Spring Fair.  He did not introduce himself as a Prince and at a later time when he told Máxima who he was, she thought he was joking. Willem-Alexander and Máxima announced their engagement on March 30, 2001. The couple’s relationship caused significant controversy due to the role Máxima’s father, Jorge Zorreguieta, had in the Argentinian military dictatorship. Máxima’s father was forbidden to attend his daughter’s wedding. Willem-Alexander and Máxima were married on February 2, 2002, in a civil ceremony in the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam and then in a religious ceremony at Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima have three daughters:

Embed from Getty Images

On January 28, 2013, Willem-Alexander’s mother Queen Beatrix announced her intention to abdicate in favor of him. Queen Beatrix signed the Instrument of Abdication at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on April 30, 2013. Afterward, Willem-Alexander was inaugurated as King at the Nieuwe Kerk, adjacent to the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.

Willem+Alexander_inauguration

King Willem-Alexander at his inauguration with Queen Máxima; Photo: Zimbio

When he became King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander resigned from most of his official executive functions. The reason given was that he wanted to be a “king of all”, which did not include executive functions of a limited number of organizations. Willem-Alexander remained actively involved with the Orange Fund because he considered it the most important of his organizations. He is the honorary patron of several organizations.

Willem-Alexander is an avid pilot and has said that if he had not been born a royal, he would have liked to be an airline pilot. During the reign of his mother, he regularly flew the Dutch royal aircraft on trips. In May 2017, Willem-Alexander revealed that he had served as a first officer on KLM flights for 21 years, flying twice a month, even after his accession to the throne. Willem-Alexander was rarely recognized while in the KLM uniform.  A few passengers recognized his voice although he never gave his name and only welcomed passengers on behalf of the captain and crew.

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

Wedding of Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau and Marilène van den Broek

The physiology of erection is based on the role of nitric oxide I the penile tissue. order cialis online Oatmeal: Oats help to appalachianmagazine.com viagra pill reduce the level of cholesterol and it contains high soluble fiber. But during clinical assessments this compound was cheap generic levitra also used as rat poison. Other treatments like biofeedback therapy, perineal shock treatment, psychotherapy, Chinese medicine treatment are not usually used levitra sale visit now except the last one.

 

Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène of Orange-Nassau were married on May 29, 1998, in a civil ceremony held at Het Loo Palace, in Apeldoorn. The marriage was blessed the following day in an ecumenical service held at the Grote Kerk, in Apeldoorn, followed by a reception at Het Loo Palace.

Prince Maurits Willem Pieter Hendrik of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven was born April 17, 1968 in Utrecht, the eldest son of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven. Following his secondary education, he served in the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Netherlands Navy, before gaining a degree in economics at Groningen University in 1995. He worked for several years at the Schiphol Airport Authority, and then from 2001 to 2006 at Philips DAP BV (Domestic Appliances and Personal Care) as a business manager. In 2006, he began his own business, The Source, “which helps other companies firm up and implement growth projects.” (source: Dutch Royal House)

Marie-Hélène Angela “Marilène” van den Broek was born February 4, 1970, in Dieren, Rheden, the youngest daughter of Hans van den Broek and Josee van Schendel. Following her pre-university education, she gained her degree in Business Administration, focused on Marketing, from Groningen University in 1994. She worked for some years in various marketing positions at Koninklijke Ahold NV. Since 2006, the Princess has worked in the Development Department at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where she oversees the Friends of the Rijksmuseum. (source: Dutch Royal House)

At the time of their marriage, a royal decree was issued granting any children of the marriage the surname van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven, a nod to Prince Maurits paternal grandfather, the former Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Maurits and Marilène had three children, none of whom hold any royal titles or status:

– Anastasia (Anna) van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven (2001)
– Lucas van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven (2002)
– Felicia van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven (2005)

Until 2013, Prince Maurits was in the line of succession to the Dutch throne, and a member of the Royal House. However, upon the accession of his cousin, King Willem-Alexander, this is no longer the case. The succession laws in the Netherlands limit eligibility to those within three degrees of kinship to the monarch. While Maurits’ mother remains in the succession, he and his younger brother, Prince Bernhard, no longer remain. (His other two brothers had lost their positions upon marrying without formal consent.)

Prince Maurits continues to run his own business, The Source, while Princess Marilène works in the Department of Development at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. They continue to be active members of the Dutch Royal Family, typically seen at most royal functions. The day following King Willem Alexander’s accession, he appointed Prince Maurits as a personal aide-de-camp, with an elevation to the rank of Commander in the Dutch Navy. This role allows Maurits to assist, or represent, the King in ceremonial military matters. The King himself previously held this role to his mother, the former Queen Beatrix, and Maurits’ father held this role for his grandmother, the former Queen Juliana.

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

credit: Dutch Royal House, © RVD, photo by Rineke Dijkstra

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands – credit: Dutch Royal House, © RVD, photo by Rineke Dijkstra

Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 17, 1971, the daughter of Jorge Zorreguieta, an Argentine politician, and María del Carmen Cerruti Carricart. She has two brothers, one deceased sister, and three half-sisters from her father’s first marriage. Through her father’s family, she is a direct descendant of King Alfonso III of Portugal.

Following her secondary education at the Northlands School in Buenos Aires, Máxima earned her degree in Economics from the Universidad Católica Argentina. During this time, she worked for two different financial firms in Buenos Aires as well as tutoring students and adults in English and math. Following her degree, Máxima worked for HSBC James Capel, Inc. In New York, serving as Vice President of Latin American Institutional Sales. In early 1998, she began working for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson as Vice President of the Emerging Markets Division until mid-1999. She then moved to Deutsche Bank, working first in New York and then in the EU Representative Office in Brussels, Belgium.

It was while working for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in New York that she first met her future husband, the future King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. The couple met in Spain, during the Seville Spring Fair. At first, she was unaware of his royal status, having simply introduced himself as ‘Alexander’. When he eventually told her who he was, she thought he was joking. They met again a few weeks later in New York and their romance blossomed.

However, the relationship was controversial to many in the Netherlands, due to her father having served as a cabinet member in the Argentine regime of President Jorge Rafael Videla. A formal inquiry into the situation and her father’s role in the Dirty War found that he was not directly involved with the mass deaths that took place. However, it was found very unlikely that someone in his position would not have had knowledge of what was going on.

photo: Hello

photo: Hello

Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus announced the couple’s engagement in March 2001, and the couple was married in Amsterdam on February 2, 2002, in both civil and religious ceremonies. The civil ceremony was held at the Beurs van Berlage, followed that afternoon by the religious ceremony held at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. Máxima’s parents did not attend the wedding.

Máxima and Willem-Alexander have three daughters:

 

Having been announced a few months earlier, Queen Beatrix formally abdicated in the morning of April 30, 2013, and Willem-Alexander became the new King of the Netherlands. With Máxima by his side, his investiture was held that same afternoon at the Nieuwe Kirk in Amsterdam,  attended by the entire Dutch royal family, many foreign royals, and most of the Dutch government.

photo: Hello

photo: Hello

Queen Máxima holds numerous public posts and represents the Royal House at official occasions. She is a member of the Council of State which provides the government and Parliament with advice on legislation and governance and is also the country’s highest administrative court.

Embed from Getty Images 

Queen Máxima holds a number of other positions in the Netherlands and abroad including:

  •  UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development: Queen Máxima has served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) since 2009.  As Special Advocate she is a leading global voice advancing universal access to affordable, effective, and safe financial services.
  • Orange Fund: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are patrons of the Orange Fund, which was a gift from the Dutch people on the occasion of their wedding. The Orange Fund works for social welfare and cohesion in the Netherlands and is largely run by volunteers.
  • Prince Claus Chair: Queen Máxima is the chairperson Board of Trustees of the Prince Claus Chair. Prince Claus Chair promotes education and research in the field of development issues and is occupied in turn by a young, outstanding academics from Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Caribbean who is associated with either Utrecht University or the Institute of Social Studies (part of Erasmus University Rotterdam).
  • Money Wise Platform: Queen Máxima is the honorary chair of the Money Wise Platform which focuses attention on the importance of financial education and managing money sensibly, especially where children and young people are concerned.
  • Committee for Enterprise and Finance: Queen Máxima is a member of the Committee for Enterprise and Finance whose aim is to improve access to funding opportunities and coaching for start-ups and existing businesses and to encourage entrepreneurship in the Netherlands.
  • Ambassadors for Music at School Platform: Queen Máxima is the honorary chair of the Ambassadors for Music at School Platform which is working to achieve its goal of music lessons for all children in primary school.

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

Princess Annette of Orange-Nassau

April 18, 1972 – Birth of Princess Annette of Orange-Nassau

Princess Annette of Orange-Nassau was born Annette Sekrève, daughter of Ulrich Sekrève and his wife Jolanda de Haan, on April 18, 1972 in The Hague. She received a Masters Degree in Psychology in 1996 from The University of Groningen. It was while at university that she met her future husband.

On July 6, 2000, she married Prince Bernhard of Orange-Nassau, son of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, in a civil ceremony held in Utrecht. A religious service was held two days later at St Martin’s Cathedral in Utrecht.

He wanted to wash my chicken off with soap hahahaha! Was very hilarious and I love him for trying=) Best Ways To Be Creative Daydream. prescription order viagra without In just a few minutes, the main ingredient in levitra 20mg australia that promotes blood flow stimulating the male organ is sildenafil citrate. However what’s worth remembering is that lack of libido and a certain discontent price for viagra 100mg with your sex life the way it is currently going can affect it as well. The drugs help increase excitement cialis generico canada with your partner.

The couple reside in Amsterdam with their three children:
– Isabella van Vollenhoven (2002)
– Samuel van Vollenhoven (2004)
– Benjamin van Vollenhoven (2008)

While not taking on any official role, Princess Annette and her husband are typically in attendance at formal family events within the Dutch royal family.

Check out other royal dates posted daily on our forum.

Anna Pavlovna of Russia, Queen of the Netherlands

by Emily McMahon
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Anna Pavlovna of Russia, Queen of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on January 18, 1795, at the sumptuous Gatchina Palace just south of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna was the eighth of the ten children and youngest daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg.

Anna had nine siblings:

Like her siblings, Anna received an excellent education in the arts, mathematics, foreign languages, and sciences. Once Anna hit adolescence, stiff competition began for her hand in marriage. She was considered as a possible wife for both Napoleon I of France and the future William IV of the United Kingdom, but Anna’s family rejected them as being unsuitable. Anna was instead engaged to the future King Willem II of the Netherlands, then Prince of Orange. The marriage had been arranged by Anna’s brother and sister, Emperor Alexander I and Catherine, Queen of Württemberg.  Willem and Anna married at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on February 21, 1816. With no pressing need to immediately return to the Netherlands, the couple spent about a year living in Russia after their marriage.

Anna and Willem had five children:

Willem II and Anna Pavlovna with their family. From left to right: the future Willem III, Alexander, Willem II, Anna Pavlovna, Sophie, and Hendrik; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna and Willem moved to the Netherlands shortly before the birth of their first child. She became known in the Netherlands (which at that time included present-day Belgium) by the Dutch version of her name, Anna Paulownia. Although she was interested in Dutch history and learned to speak the language quite well, Anna was very homesick for her family and Russia. She compensated by remaining in constant contact with her family and recreating bits of Russia in the Netherlands.

Anna became especially dismayed in 1840 when the family was forced to leave Brussels for Amsterdam due to the revolution and formation of the Kingdom of Belgium. Always very observant and proud of her impressive position, Anna found the more relaxed social constraints in Amsterdam very difficult to weather. Anna and Willem also separated around this time due to differences in personalities and his affairs with both men and women.

Anna became Queen of the Netherlands in October 1840 after her father-in-law’s abdication. Anna and her husband, now King Willem II of the Netherlands, came to an understanding in their relationship early in his reign and lived together after that time. However, Anna never connected with the Dutch public and was not a popular queen. She founded several orphanages in the Netherlands and did not meddle in politics. Anna is remembered particularly for her association with a genus of plants named in her honor by a Dutch botanist. Paulownia, which is native to Southeast Asia, is a fast-growing plant; its wood is used in making musical instruments and some furniture. Charcoal made from Paulownia wood is used in fireworks, cosmetics, and by artists for sketching.

Queen Anna Pavlovna as a widow, next to the bust of her husband King Willem II; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem II died in 1849 and was succeeded by his son Willem III. Anna had already disliked court life for years and during her son’s reign, she left it completely. Although she discussed returning to her native Russia, Anna stayed in the Netherlands. She died on March 1, 1865, in The Hague and 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

Willem I, King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

by Emily McMahon  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Willem I, King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

King Willem I of the Netherlands was the fourth of the five children and the eldest surviving son of Willem V, Prince of Orange, the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, and Wilhelmina of Prussia.   He was born August 24, 1772, at Huis ten Bosch in The Hague, Dutch Republic (now The Netherlands).

Willem had four siblings, but only two survived infancy:

  • Unnamed son (born and died 1769), lived only one day
  • Louise of Orange-Nassau (1770 – 1819), married Karl, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, no issue
  • Unnamed son (born and died August 6, 1771)
  • Frederick of Orange-Nassau (1774 – 1799), unmarried, no issue

Willem’s parents with their three children (left to right) Frederick, Willem, and Louise by Pieter le Sage, 1779; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem was descended from the British Hanoverian kings through his mother and father. He received an education with a strong military focus, which would aid him when it was necessary to fight to win control of the Netherlands.

Wilhelmine in the 1790s; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem married his first cousin Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia, daughter of  King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia and Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt on October 1, 1791, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg. Although it was a political match intended to strengthen Dutch ties to Prussia, the marriage was also a very happy one.

The couple had three surviving children and two stillbirths:

The Napoleonic Wars disrupted Wilhelmine and Willem’s family life.  The French invaded the Dutch Republic in 1795 and the family went into exile first in England and then in 1796 in Prussia where they lived until 1813. In 1806, Willem’s father died and he inherited the title Prince of Orange. In 1813, after Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Leipzig, the French retreated all over Europe including the Dutch Republic.

On November 13, 1813, Willem returned to his homeland, landing only a few yards from the place where he had left with his father 18 years before. The provisional government offered Willem the title of King, which he refused, instead proclaiming himself Sovereign Prince. He was also made Grand Duke of Luxembourg, receiving that territory in return for trading his hereditary German lands to Prussia and the Duke of Nassau. When Napoleon escaped from Elba, his place of exile, Willem felt threatened. Urged on by the powers who met at the Congress of Vienna, Willem proclaimed the Netherlands a monarchy on March 16, 1815. After Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and his second exile, the Congress of Vienna formally confirmed Willem as the hereditary ruler of what was known as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Inauguration of Willem I of the Netherlands, Credit – Wikipedia

Willem worked toward furthering economic progress in the Netherlands, concentrating on the industry in present-day Belgium. He also increased educational opportunities, founding the University of Leuven, the University of Ghent, and the University of Liege. The increase in industry and knowledge along with flourishing trade in the north and from the colonies resulted in great wealth for the new kingdom – and resentment in the south (Belgium), which saw the fewest benefits from the economic growth. This eventually led to a revolution in the south and the creation of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1831.

King Willem I abdicated in 1840 due to constitutional changes he disagreed with, his anger over the loss of Belgium, and his desire to make a morganatic second marriage with Henriëtte d’Oultremont after Wilhelmine died in 1837.  His eldest son succeeded him as Willem II.  After his abdication, Willem was styled King Willem Frederick, Count of Nassau.

Henriette d’Oultremont, Credit – Wikipedia

In 1841, Willem morganatically married Henriette, who received the title Countess of Nassau and the couple lived in exile in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany.  Willem died in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, on December 12, 1843, at the age of 71, and was buried in the crypt Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from the 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

Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Her Royal Highness Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau was born December 7, 2003, at the Bronovo Hospital in The Hague, Netherlands, the eldest daughter of then Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti. At birth, she was second in line to the Dutch throne.

On June 12, 2004, Catharina-Amalia was baptized by Reverend Carel ter Linden in the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk in The Hague. She was given the names Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria, but she is known as Amalia.

  • Catherina: possibly for Henriette Catharina, daughter of Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange and for Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia, mother of Queen Sophie, first wife of King Willem III
  • Amalia: possibly for Amalia van Solms, wife of Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange and for Amalia of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach, the first wife of Prince Hendrik, brother of King Willem III
  • Beatrix: for her paternal grandmother Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
  • Carmen: for her maternal grandmother María del Carmen Cerruti Carricart
  • Victoria: for her godmother Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

Her godparents were:

Amalia’s family in 2022: Queen Máxima, King Willem-Alexander, Princess Ariane, Princess Amalia, and Princess Alexia

Amalia has two younger sisters:

Princess Amalia attended the Bloemcampschool in Wassenaar, near the family’s home at Villa Eikenhorst.  In the fall of 2015, Amalia started to attend Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet, an independent Protestant school in The Hague, The Netherlands. Her parents made a list of several schools in The Hague and left the decision up to Amalia, who visited the schools before she made up her mind. In June 2021, Amalia graduated with distinction from Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet.

At the time of her graduation, Amalia sent a handwritten letter to Prime Minister Rutte stating that she did not want to take her allowance until she had proper royal duties. At the age of eighteen, Amalia would be entitled to €1.6m (£1.4m) a year in income and personal and household expenses. In the letter, the princess wrote: “On 7 December 2021 I will be 18 and, according to the law, receive an allowance. I find that uncomfortable as long as I do not do anything for it in return, and while other students have a much tougher time of it, particularly in this period of coronavirus.” Amalia said she intended to take a gap year and then begin her undergraduate studies. She spent her gap year in an internship at the Orange Fund and volunteered at other organizations.

On December 8, 2021, the day after her 18th birthday, when she reached the age of majority, Amalia assumed her seat in the Advisory Division of the Council of State. On the same day, she gave her first public speech at the Council of State meeting in Kneuterdijk Palace.

In September 2022, Princess Amalia began her studies to obtain a  bachelor’s degree in Politics, Psychology, Law, and Economics at the University of Amsterdam. She applied for the degree and went through the same testing and application process as any other student.

During her second month at the University of Amsterdam, Amalia, who was living on campus, moved back to the royal palace due to security risks. In April 2024, King Willem-Alexander revealed that Amalia lived in Madrid, Spain in 2023 under the protection of the Spanish monarchy while she continued her studies online because of threats to kidnap her from the Moroccan mafia, a drug trafficking criminal organization.

Source: Dutch Royal House © RVD; photo: Jeroen van der Meyde

The Dutch royal family on the day of Queen Beatrix’s abdication; Source: Dutch Royal House © RVD; photo: Jeroen van der Meyde

On April 30, 2013, her grandmother, Queen Beatrix abdicated the Dutch throne. Amalia’s father became King Willem-Alexander, and the young princess became heir-apparent to the Dutch throne, becoming Princess of Orange in her own right. The Netherlands changed its succession law in 1983 to absolute primogeniture where the succession passes to the eldest child of the sovereign regardless of gender. Males and females have equal succession rights. This means that Amalia is the heir apparent and comes first in the line of succession as the eldest child. Following Catharina-Amalia in the line of succession are her two sisters in order of their birth. Even if King Willem-Alexander had a son, born after his three daughters, the succession would remain the same and the brother would follow his three elder sisters in the line of succession.

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

Willem III, King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Willem III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg;  Credit: Wikipedia

Willem III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg was born on February 19, 1817, in the Palace of the Nation (now the building that houses the Belgian legislature) in Brussels, which was then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.  He was the eldest of the five children of King Willem II of the Netherlands and Anna Pavlovna of Russia, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia.

Willem had four siblings:

Willem II and Anna Pavlovna with their family. From left to right: the future Willem III, Alexander, Willem II, Anna Pavlovna, Sophie, and Hendrik; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 18, 1839, in Stuttgart, Kingdom of  Württemberg, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, Willem married his first cousin Princess Sophie of Württemberg, the daughter of King Wilhelm I of Württemberg and Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia.  King Otto I of Greece had been an early candidate for a husband for Sophie. However, Sophie’s father had no confidence in the newly established Greek monarchy and Willem was chosen. Sophie met Willem for the first time in 1838 after both fathers had already agreed upon the marriage. Willem fell in love with Sophie, but she saw nothing in him. She tried to resist the marriage, but it was in vain. Sophie’s father thought Willem was an excellent match for his daughter and Willem’s father did not want to abandon the commitment to the marriage.

Willem and Sophie had three sons, but they all predeceased their father:

Prince Maurits (left) with his brother Prince Wilhelm;  Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Alexander; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Sophie and Willem was ultimately unsuccessful. Willem had numerous extramarital affairs and had numerous illegitimate children. Sophie let him know that she thought him inferior to her and unfit to serve as king. Sophie was convinced she could do better ruling the country as a regent. Sophie tried to divorce her husband, but because of national interests, this was impossible. In 1855, an agreement was made that Sophie would have her own quarters at Noordeinde Palace and that she would spend the summers at Huis ten Bosch Palace without her husband.

Queen Sophie; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 3, 1877, Queen Sophie died at the age of 58. Willem was eager to marry again to ensure the future of the House of Orange. One of his three children (all sons), Prince Maurits, had died in 1850 and neither of the other two sons was married.  At the suggestion of his only sister, he got in touch with George Victor, Sovereign Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and Princess Helena of Nassau, who had several marriageable daughters. In July 1878, Willem visited the family at their summer home where he met 23-year-old Princess Pauline and 20-year-old Princess Emma. His eyes first fell on Pauline, but soon he chose Emma and proposed to her. Willem was 61 years old, 41 years older than Emma. Emma had lessons in the Dutch language and Dutch history before her marriage because she wanted to come to her new country as a Dutch woman. The couple was married on January 7, 1879, in Emma’s birthplace Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany. Emma had a positive influence on Willem and the marriage was extremely happy. The last decade of Willem’s life was the best years of his reign.

Queen Emma and King Willem III; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem and Emma had one daughter:

Queen Emma with her daughter Wilhelmina; Credit – Wikipedia

The Netherlands followed the Sem-Salic Law which allowed for female succession only if there were no male dynasts. In September 1879, Willem’s eldest son Prince Willem died, leaving only one son.  At the time of Wilhelmina’s birth, her half-brother Prince Alexander and the King’s uncle Prince Frederik were alive, so Wilhelmina was third in the line of succession. Prince Frederik died in 1881 and upon the death of Prince Alexander in 1884, Wilhelmina became the heir presumptive to the Dutch throne, and Emma was appointed to be Regent if Wilhelmina came to the throne before her majority.

Funeral of King Willem III; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1888, King Willem III’s health began to decline. When it became apparent that Willem could no longer reign, Emma was sworn in as Regent on November 20, 1890. On November 23, 1890, 73-year-old King Willem III died at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. He was buried at Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands.

Ten-year-old Wilhelmina became Queen. Emma took over as Regent for her daughter until Wilhelmina’s eighteenth birthday in 1898. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg could not be inherited by a woman at that time and it passed to a distant cousin Adolphe, Duke of Nassau who was also Queen Emma’s maternal uncle.

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