The Dutch Royal Family: Prince Constantijn
Prince Constantijn is the third and youngest son of Queen Beatrix. He is married to Princess Laurentien. They have three children: Eloise, Claus-Casimir and Leonore.
Youth
Constantijn Christof Frederik Aschwin Prince of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg, was born in Utrecht on 11 October 1969, the third and youngest son of Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus.
The Prince has two brothers: Prince Willem-Alexander (born in 1967) and Prince Friso (born in 1968).
Prince Constantijn spent his early childhood with his father, mother and brothers at Drakensteyn Castle in Lage Vuursche. After his mother had acceded to the throne in 1980, the royal family moved to Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague.
Education
Prince Constantijn received his primary education at the Nieuwe Baarnse School in Baarn.
After the family moved to The Hague, the prince attended the Eerste Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum, where he gained his VWO (pre‑university education) certificate in 1987.
During the 1987/1988 academic year, Prince Constantijn attended language courses in France and Italy. In September 1988, he enrolled in the law faculty of Leiden University, eventually specialising in civil law. He obtained his degree on 31 January 1995, with a dissertation on the accelerated immigration procedure in aliens legislation. In 2000, after working for a number of years, the Prince studied business economics at the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD) in Fontainebleau, France.
Marriage and family
On 16 December 2000, Prince Constantijn’s engagement to Laurentien Brinkhorst was announced.
The civil marriage ceremony was conducted by the mayor of The Hague, Wim Deetman, in the Oude Raadzaal, Javastraat, The Hague on 17 May 2001. The church wedding took place two days later in the Grote of St Jacobskerk, with Reverend Carel ter Linden officiating.
The first child of Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, their daughter Eloise (Eloise Sophie Beatrix Laurence Countess of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg) was born on 8 June 2002, and their son Claus-Casimir (Claus-Casimir Bernhard Marius Max Count of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg) was born on 21 March 2004. Their second daughter Leonore (Leonore Marie Irene Enrica Countess of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouw van Amsberg) was born on 3 June 2006. The three children were all born in The Hague.
Since Prince Constantijn now works in Brussels, the family moved there at the end of April 2004.
Work and official duties
Besides his official duties as a member of the Royal House, Prince Constantijn has decided to pursue his own career.
On graduating, Prince Constantijn gained work experience in the private office of the Dutch European Commissioner, Hans van den Broek, and continued to work there until 1999.
From 2001 to 2003, the Prince worked as a strategic policy consultant with Booz Allen & Hamilton in London.
He has been working as an advisor on European communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1 August 2003. In this capacity, he spends one day a week advising the Minister for European Affairs on communication strategies on European cooperation.
Since 1 March 2004, the Prince has been working for four days a week in Brussels as a policy researcher for RAND Europe, a non-profit organisation responsible for independent policy research and consultancy for both the public and private sectors. The Prince deals with research on the information society, innovation and migration. RAND also researches education, health care and security.
Prince Constantijn is also Honorary Chair of the Prince Claus Fund, chairman of the Foundation 'The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration’ and patron of the National Musical Instrument Fund.
Leisure pursuits
Prince Constantijn’s favourite sports are football, tennis, golf and skiing.
His other hobbies include drawing, music, cooking and reading.
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