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Willem-Alexander
Prince of Orange (more)
Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange in 2009
Spouse	Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti (m. 2002)
Detail Issue
Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands Princess Alexia of the Netherlands Princess Ariane of the Netherlands
Full name
Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand
House	House of Orange-Nassau
Father	Prince Claus of the Netherlands
Mother	Beatrix of the Netherlands
Born	27 April 1967 (1967-04-27) (age 42) Utrecht, Netherlands
Religion	Christian (Dutch Reformed Church)

Dutch Royal Family
HM the Queen * HRH the Prince of Orange * HRH Princess Máxima * HRH Princess Catharina-Amalia * HRH Princess Alexia * HRH Princess Ariane * HRH Prince Friso HRH Princess Mabel Countess Luana Countess Zaria HRH Prince Constantijn * HRH Princess Laurentien * Countess Eloise * Count Claus-Casimir * Countess Leonore * Extended royal family HRH Princess Irene HRH The Prince of Piacenza HRH The Countess of Colorno Tjalling ten Cate HRH The Count of Bardi HRH The Duchess of Guernica HRH Princess Margriet * Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven * HH Prince Maurits * HH Princess Marilène * HH Prince Bernhard * HH Princess Annette * HH Prince Pieter-Christiaan HH Princess Anita HH Prince Floris HH Princess Aimée HRH Princess Christina Bernardo Guillermo Eva Prinz-Valdes Nicolás Guillermo Juliana Guillermo * Member of the Dutch Royal House

Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange (Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born 27 April 1967) is the eldest child of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Prince Claus. Since 1980, he has been heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He was in military service and he studied history at Leiden University. He is currently interested in international water management issues and sports. He married Princess Máxima in 2002. They have three daughters Princess Catharina-Amalia (born 2003), Princess Alexia (born 2005), and Princess Ariane (born 2007).

Early life

Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand was born on 27 April 1967 in the University Medical Center in Utrecht, Netherlands. He is the first child of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Prince Claus of the Netherlands,^[1] and the first grandchild of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. From birth Willem-Alexander has the titles Prince of the Netherlands (Dutch: Prins der Nederlanden), Prince of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: Prins van Oranje-Nassau), and Jonkheer of Amsberg (Dutch: Jonkheer van Amsberg).^[1] He was baptised as a member of the Dutch Reformed Church^[2] on 2 September 1967^[3] in the Saint Jacob's Church in The Hague.^[4] His godparents are Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Prince Ferdinand von Bismarck, Prime Minister Jelle Zijlstra, and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.^[3]

He has two younger brothers: Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, born in 1968, and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, born in 1969. He lived with his family at the castle Drakesteijn in the hamlet Lage Vuursche near Baarn from his birth until 1981, when they moved to the larger palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague. His mother Beatrix became Queen of the Netherlands in 1980, after his grandmother Juliana abdicated. He then received the hereditary title Prince of Orange, as heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.^[1] The kingdom is comprising the autonomous countries the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and since 1986 also Aruba.^[5]

Education and military training

He went to the elementary school Nieuwe Baarnse School in Baarn from 1973 to 1979. He went to three different high schools, the Baarns Lyceum in Baarn from 1979 to 1981, the Eerste Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum in The Hague from 1981 to 1983, and the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales from 1983 to 1985, where he received his International Baccalaureate.^[1][6]

After high school he performed his military service in the Royal Netherlands Navy from August 1985 to January 1987. He received his training at the Royal Netherlands Naval College and the frigates HNLMS Tromp and HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen, where he was an ensign. In 1988, he received additional training at the ship HNLMS Van Kinsbergen and became a lieutenant (junior grade).^[7]

From 1987, he studied history at Leiden University until he received his academic degree in 1993. His final dissertation was on the Dutch response to France's decision under President Charles de Gaulle to leave NATO's integrated command structure.^[1]

Work and royal duties

Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife during 'Prinsjesdag'

Prince Willem-Alexander is interested in water management issues. He is an honorary member of the World Commission on Water for the 21st Century and patron of the Global Water Partnership, a body established by the World Bank, the UN, and the Swedish Ministry of Development. He was appointed as the Chairperson of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation on 12 December 2006.^{[citation needed]}

The prince is a member of the Raad van State, the highest council to the Dutch government that is chaired by his mother, Queen Beatrix. As part of his Royal duties, he holds commissions in the Dutch Army (as brigadier), Navy (as commandeur) and Air Force (as commodore).^{[citation needed]}

He was a patron of the Dutch Olympic Games Committee until 1998 when he was made a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). To celebrate the 100 year anniversary of 1928 Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam, he has expressed support to bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics.^[8]

Leisure activities

PH-KBX, the Dutch government airplane the Prince of Orange regularly flies

He is an aircraft pilot and sportsman. In 1989, the Prince flew as a volunteer for the "African Medical Research and Education Foundation" (AMREF) in Kenya, and in 1991 he spent a month flying for the Kenya Wildlife Service. To make sure he flies enough miles a year, so that he can hold his license to fly, he also regularly flies the Dutch Royal Airplane when he and his family travel abroad.^{[citation needed]}

Using the name "W.A. van Buren", one of the less well-known surnames of the House of Orange-Nassau, he has participated in the New York City Marathon, where his aunt, Princess Christina, and several cousins live. In the Netherlands, he was a participant in the Frisian Eleven Cities ice skating marathon.^{[citation needed]}

The Prince was also seen cheering on the Netherlands' national football team during their hosting year, at Euro 2000, always wearing an orange vest. He memorably gave a nervous laugh of disbelief as the Netherlands missed their second penalty of normal time against the Italians in the semi-final.^{[citation needed]}

Marriage

Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima kiss at the balcony of the Royal Palace of Amsterdam on their wedding day in 2002

In a 1999 television interview, the Prince declared that he wouldn't marry in the next 10 years. At the time, he was 32 years old, and his father didn't marry until he was nearly 40.

Nonetheless, on 2 February 2002, he married at Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti (born 17 May 1971), an Argentine woman of Spanish and Italian ancestry who, prior to their marriage, worked as an investment banker in New York City.

Like all Dutch monarchs, Prince Willem-Alexander is a nominal member of the Protestant Dutch Reformed Church but, unlike the highly controversial 1964 marriage to a Roman Catholic by his aunt, Princess Irene, religion was not a major issue in the Prince's marriage.

Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima meet Michelle Obama, Susan Sher, Barack Obama, and Fay Hartog-Levin at the White House in 2009

The prince is a direct descendant of Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, eldest daughter of British King George II. However, under the British Act of Settlement, Prince Willem-Alexander forfeited his (distant) succession rights to the throne of each of the sixteen Commonwealth Realms, because he married a Roman Catholic.

The issue of Máxima's father, Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta Stefanini, was rather sensitive. He was a civilian member of the Videla regime, a dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. As a result of the controversy, Mr. Zorreguieta agreed not to attend the royal wedding when representatives of Prime Minister Wim Kok requested that he stay away.

Issue

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg (1967-1980)
• His Royal Highness The Prince of Orange (since 1980)

The prince's style and title in full is "His Royal Highness Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, Prince of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg".

Heir apparent

When his mother Queen Beatrix became the queen regnant of the Netherlands, prince Willem-Alexander obtained the title "Prince of Orange" as new heir to the Dutch throne.

He is the first male heir apparent to the Dutch throne since Prince Alexander, son of King William III, who died in 1884. Prince Willem-Alexander has indicated that upon succeeding his mother, he would assume the throne under the regnal name Willem IV.^[9] If he ascends the throne, he will be the Netherlands' first male monarch since 1890.

Prince Willem-Alexander is also heir apparent to the following titles:

• Marquis of Veere
• Marquis of Vlissingen
• Count of Katzenelnbogen, Vianden, Diez, Spiegelberg, Buren, Leerdam and Culemborg
• Viscount of Antwerp
• Baron of Breda, Diest, Beilstein, the city of Grave, the land of Cuijk, IJsselstein, Cranendonck, Eindhoven, Liesveld, Herstel, Waasten, Arlay and Nozeroy
• Vrijheer of Ameland
• Lord of Borculo, Bredevoort, Lichtenvoorde, Loo, Geertruidenberg, Klundert, Zevenbergen, Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe, Naaldwijk, Polanen, Sint Maartensdijk, Soest, Baarn, Ter Eem, Willemstad, Steenbergen, Montfoort, St. Vith, Büttgenbach, Niervaart, Daasburg, Turnhout and Besançon

Military ranks

Conscription - Royal Netherlands Navy

• Ensign (August 1985 - January 1987)
• Lieutenant (junior grade) (wachtofficier, 1988)

Royal Netherlands Navy - Reserve

• Lieutenant (1988 - 1995)
• Lieutenant Commander (1995 - 1997)
• Commander (1997 - 2001)
• Captain at Sea (2001 - 2005)
• Commodore (since 27 April 2005)

Royal Netherlands Air Force - Reserve

• Squadron Leader (1995 - 2005)
• Air Commodore (since 27 April 2005)

Royal Netherlands Army - Reserve

• Major, Grenadiers' and Huntsmen's Guard Regiment (1995 - 1997)
• Lieutenant Colonel (December 1997)
• Colonel (December 2001)
• Brigadier (since 27 April 2005)

Royal Marechaussee - Reserve

• Brigadier (since 27 April 2005)

Honours

Orders

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the House of Orange (27 April 1967)
• Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (30 April 1980)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (27 April 1985)
• Knight of the Order of Our Lady of 's-Hertogenbosch (25 October 1995)
• Knight of the Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg) (8 June 1996)
• Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav (1996)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) (2006)
• Knight with chain of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (Sweden)(2006)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross (Brazil)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Chili)
• Knight of the Order of the Elephant (Denmark)
• Grand Cross of the Federal Cross of Merit (Germany)
• Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit (France)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Mahaputera (Indonesia)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (Japan)
• Knight of the Order of the Oak Crown (Luxembourg)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Chula Chom Klao (Thailand)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator (Venezuela)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau (Luxembourg)

Medals

• Queen Beatrix Investiture Medal (30 April 1980)
• Officer's cross for long service, with numberal XV (6 December 2001)

Honorary appointment

• Aide-de-camp to Her Majesty The Queen

Ancestry

References

External links

• The Prince of Orange, biography on the official website of the Dutch Royal House