The Dutch Royal Family: The Prince of Orange

Prince Willem-Alexander, as the eldest child of Queen Beatrix, is first in line of succession to the throne. Since his mother’s investiture on 30 April 1980, he has borne the title Prince of Orange, which has been held by the heir to the throne since 1815. The Prince is married to Princess Máxima. They have three daughters, Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane

Youth

Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand, Prince of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau and Jonkheer van Amsberg, was born in the University Hospital, Utrecht, on 27 April 1967, the first child of Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus.

He spent his early childhood at Drakensteyn Castle in Lage Vuursche. Prince Willem-Alexander has two brothers: Prince Friso (born in 1968) and Prince Constantijn (born in 1969). In 1981, the royal family moved from Drakensteyn Castle to Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague.

Education

Prince Willem-Alexander received his primary education at the Nieuwe Baarnse School in Baarn and started his secondary education at the Baarns Lyceum.

He continued his secondary education at the Eerste Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum in The Hague, and completed it at Atlantic College in Llantwit Major, Wales, where he gained an International Baccalaureate in 1985.

After completing his military service, the Prince enrolled as a history student in the Arts Faculty of Leiden University in 1987. This gave the Prince a wide-ranging knowledge of a broad spectrum of subjects, including general and Dutch history, economic history, political science and constitutional law, EC law, international law, human rights and economics.

The Prince concluded his studies with a dissertation on the Dutch response to France’s decision under President de Gaulle to leave NATO’s integrated command structure. He was awarded a degree in history in 1993.

Marriage and family

On 30 March 2001, Prince Willem-Alexander became engaged to Miss Máxima Zorreguieta. On 3 July 2001, the two houses of parliament passed a bill submitted by the government consenting to the marriage.

The civil marriage ceremony was conducted by the Mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, in the Beurs van Berlage on 2 February 2002. The Reverend Carel ter Linden officiated at the church ceremony, which took place in the Nieuwe Kerk, also in Amsterdam.

In spring 2003, Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima moved to Villa Eikenhorst on the De Horsten estate in Wassenaar. Their first child, Princess Catharina-Amalia, was born on 7 December 2003. Their second child, Princess Alexia, was born on 26 June 2005 and the third child, Princess Ariane, on 10 April 2007. All were born at Bronovo Hospital in The Hague.

Military career

The Prince performed his military service in the Royal Netherlands Navy. He is Aide-de-Camp Extraordinary to Her Majesty the Queen.

Navy

The Prince performed his military service in the Royal Netherlands Navy from August 1985 to January 1987. He spent several months training at the Royal Naval Institute in Den Helder, after which he served on board the frigates HMS Tromp and HMS Abraham Crijnssen. In 1988, he received refresher training, serving as a duty officer on board the frigate HMS Van Kinsbergen. The Prince holds the rank of Commodore in the Royal Netherlands Navy reserve.

Air force and Army

After graduating in 1993, the Prince gained his Military Pilot’s Licence with 334 Transport Squadron of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
In 1994, the Prince spent several months at the Netherlands Defence College, studying aspects of the work of the Royal Netherlands Army and Air Force. The Prince holds the ranks of Commodore in the Royal Netherlands Air Force reserve and of Brigadier General in the Royal Netherlands Army reserve

Working visits

The Prince has paid a number of working visits to the armed forces, for example to the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Military Constabulary. In 1995 and 1996, he visited the troops stationed in Bosnia, the Dutch-German Army Corps and NATO manoeuvres in Norway. In 2001, the Prince visited the Dutch units stationed in Ethiopia and Eritrea as part of UNMEE (United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea). In 2004, he visited the Dutch units in Afghanistan.

Civilian life

After his extensive introductory programme with the armed services, Prince Willem-Alexander spent some time studying Dutch society, with a focus on the legal system.

He went on to study government and the constitutional system, and visited ministries and the High Councils of State to learn how central government and other authorities function. He also visited the European institutions. He then completed an introductory programme with the Dutch business community.

Official duties

The Prince represents the Royal House on official occasions of all kinds. He regularly represents the Queen at international events or accompanies her on state visits.

Prince Willem-Alexander frequently pays working visits in the Netherlands, to familiarise himself with social issues. He also visits the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.

The Prince occupies many public posts. He and Princess Máxima are patrons of the Orange Fund, which was set up to promote social welfare and social cohesion in the Netherlands.

Water management

Prince Claus encouraged his son Willem-Alexander to become interested in water management.

The Prince has been active in this field, in the Netherlands and elsewhere, since 1998. He has held several posts:

* 1998: Patron of the Global Water Partnership, which was established by the World Bank, the United Nations and the Swedish Ministry of Development Cooperation with the aim of achieving integrated water management by turning international environmental agreements into concrete programmes and projects.
* 1999-2000: Member of the committee that coordinated the formulation of the World Water Vision.
* 2000: Chair of the Second World Water Forum in The Hague.
* 2002: Member of the Panel of Eminent Persons convened at the request of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to issue recommendations for the UN conference on sustainable development in Johannesburg. The Prince served on the Panel as an expert on water management.
* 2000-2004: Chair of the Integrated Water Management Commission.
* 2004-present: Chair of the Water Advisory Committee, which replaced the Integrated Water Management Commission. This independent body advises the Minister for Transport, Public Works and Water Management on the feasibility of water policy and its financial and social impact, doing so either in response to a specific request or of its own volition.
* 2006-present: Chair of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation. This Board was set up in 2004 by Kofi Annan to advise him on practical measures that could be taken to achieve the Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation.

Prince Willem-Alexander often visits companies and organisations active in the water sector in the Netherlands and elsewhere to keep himself informed of developments in the field.

Sport

The Prince has a passion for sport. It is more than a personal interest, as he is involved with sport at a high level, both in the Netherlands and abroad.

From 1995 until 1998, the Prince was patron of the Netherlands Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation. In that capacity he attended the Winter Games in Lillehammer in 1994, the Summer Games in Atlanta in 1996 and the Winter Games in Nagano in 1998.
IOC

The Prince has been a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since February 1998. He has also been a member of several IOC Commissions:

*1999-2003: the Olympic Solidarity Commission (1999-2003)
*2000: the Nominations Commission
*2002: the IOC 2000 Reform Follow-up Commission
*2003: the Evaluation Commission for the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010
*as of 2003: Coordination Commission for Vancouver 2010

As member of the IOC, Prince Willem-Alexander attends all Olympic Games. He is an observer for a number of sports. In 2002, the Prince also attended the Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City.

In his leisure time, the Prince frequently attends major fixtures when the Dutch national teams are taking part. The Prince himself is keen on tennis, running, skiing, sailing, golf, rock climbing, riding, skating and diving. In 1986, he completed the Elfstedentocht, the Frisian skating marathon, and in 1992 he ran the New York Marathon.

Flying

Flying is another of the Prince’s great interests. In 1985, he obtained his Private Pilot’s Licence (Second Class), followed by his Commercial Pilot’s Licence (with an Instrument Rating) in 1987.

Flying is another of the Prince’s great interests. In 1985, he obtained his Private Pilot’s Licence (Second Class), followed by his Commercial Pilot’s Licence (with an Instrument Rating) in 1987. In the summer holidays of 1989, the Prince flew as a volunteer for the medical aid organisation African Medical Research and Education Foundation (AMREF) in Kenya and in 1991 he spent a month flying for the Kenya Wildlife Service. In 1989, the Prince obtained a supplementary licence to fly multi-engine jet aircraft. In order to keep in practice, the Prince flies the government PH-KBX aeroplane, and occasionally flies KLM City Hopper’s Fokker 70 and Fokker 100. He has been in possession of his Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) since 2001.

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