Royal Profile: Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands

Princess Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard of The Netherlands was born at Soestdijk Palace in Baarn on 31 January 1938 as the first child of Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard{Source}. At her birth, she held the titles of Princess of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau and Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld{Source}. She has three younger sisters:
  • Princess Irene (1939)
  • Princess Margriet (1943)
  • Princess Christina (1947)
In May 1940, she and her family fled to the United Kingdom during the outbreak of WWII {Source}. Her father and grandmother remained in England, while she, her mother and younger sister continued on to Canada where they would be safer{Source}. Her second younger sister, Princess Margriet, was born in Canada in 1943{Source}. In August 1945, the entire family returned to The Netherlands{Source}. Her youest sister, Princess Christina was born in The Netherlands in 1947{Source}.


The future Queen of The Netherlands attended schools in Canada, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, France and Belgium {Source}. While residing in Canada during WWII, she began attending nursery and primary school{Source}. Upon her return to The Netherlands in 1945, she attended De Weklplaats, Kees Boeke's Progressive School {Source}. In April 1950, she entered the Incrementum, part of the Baarns Lyceum, where she passed her school-leaving examinations in arts subjects and classics in 1956{Source}. After passing her school-leaving exams, she began attending Leiden University, where she was a member of the Leiden Women Students' Association{Source}. In her first years at university, she attended lectures in sociology, jurisprudence, economics, parliamentary history and constitutional law{Source}. Later she also attended lectures on the cultures of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, international affairs, international law, history and European law{Source}.In the summer of 1959, she passed her preliminary examination in law{Source}.While at university, the Princess visited various European and international organisations in Geneva, Strasbourg, Paris and Brussels{Source}. In 1961 she obtained a combined degree in law and other subjects, including sociology and economics{Source}.

On 28 June 1965, Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard announced the engagement of Princess Beatrix and the German diplomat Claus von Amsberg in radio and television broadcasts{Source}. Before the wedding could take place, parliament had to be asked for permission and in autumn 1965, the two houses of parliament passed a bill consenting to the marriage, and granted Claus von Amsberg Dutch citizenship {Source}. Princess Beatrix married Claus von Amsberg on 10 March 1966{Source}. On the same day, Claus von Amsberg received the title of Prince of the Netherlands and the designation Jonkheer van Amsberg{Source}. The royal couple took up residence in Drakensteyn Castle in Lage Vuursche, where the Princess had lived since 1963{Source}. They lived at Drakensteyn Castle until 1981, when they moved into Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague{Source}. Since her abdication, Princess Bearix has resided back at Drakensteyn Castle{Source}. Together, they have three sons and eight grandchildren{Source}:

  1. King Willem-Alexander  (1967) 
    1. Princess Catharina-Amalia of Oranje (2003)
    2. Princess Alexia of The Netherlands (2005)
    3. Princess Ariane of The Netherlands (2007)
  2. Prince Friso of Oranje-Nassau (1968-2013)
    1. Countess Luana of Oranje-Nassau (2005)
    2. Countess Zaria of Oranje-Nassau (2007)
  3. Prince Constantijn of The Netherlands (1969)
    1. Countess Eloise of Oranje-Nassau (2002)
    2. Count Claus-Casimir of Oranje-Nassau (2004)
    3. Countess Leonore of Oranje-Nassau (2006)

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