Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

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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:

 

At the time of her birth, the 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:

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 only 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:

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 her niece, Princess Laurentien. Some of the many other organizations that Princess Margriet is involved with

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

 

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